What comes into your mind when your asked what to occupy a teenager with? Well it turns out that a box of buttons can be quite useful when teenagers are in need of distractions!
For the past few days, I've had to bring in buttons for my art project (don't even ask) and my friends seem to be absolutely fascinated by the wonderful creations, that are brightly coloured pieces of plastic. Every lunchtime, as we've been holed up inside against the weather, these buttons have become a major attraction, causing fun and joy, but also arguments, as various buttons creations have been made. You will see that some people choose colour themes, rainbows or just one type of colour. Some people create patterns, or pictures or shapes or flowers and snowflakes, or just explosions!
However, it's not just teenagers that are fascinated, people of all ages seem to have a huge amount of joy when they play with the buttons. From the young people I babysit, to adults using it as a sort of stress release, it seems to work as both fun and productive. Who knew? So, maybe next time you're feeling a bit stressed, or maybe just want to feel like a child again for half an hour, go to that sewing drawer you have, but hasn't been opened in about 5 years, go to that box of old coat, shirt and jeans buttons and start playing! And if you don't have a box of old buttons, I suggest two things:
1. Start collecting old coat, shirt and jeans buttons
2. In the mean time go to a craft shop and buy a box of buttons. (Or you could just rip off all of the buttons on all of your clothes, but you may be slightly less keen on that idea).
If you do decide to have a go at button crafting, I would absolutely love to see your creations!
See you soon!
