Valentines Day Party Trivia Buttons

Valentines Day Party Trivia Buttons!!

What better way to get singles mingling than to have them search the shirts of other party-goers to find the answer to their clue?

You can make these buttons in advance and pass them out at the party, making sure there's an even number of clues and answers. When the guests solve the riddles, they get a prize! I just quickly threw together some cross-word type questions, but you could make make yours as kid friendly
or as hilariously adult friendly as you like.


I chose 1-3/4 inch buttons so they are big enough for a sentence, but small enough to make my friends get close : ) You can download a printable PDF of my Valentines Day Party Trivia Buttons here.
Pinning buttons on partiers is a great way to get people talking. You could even play cupid and intentionally give a clue and an answer to your friends you want to set up.

Party buttons could work for all kinds of gatherings, company outings, even trade shows. Imagine a bunch of business men looking out for your company logo button to try to solve a puzzle. Talk about brand recognition!

Mirror Christmas Ornaments

Make your own Christmas Ornaments this year
And Make them Mirrored!

Warning: This project and others on this blog have not been approved by the manufacturer of these machines. Try this at your own risk.

Prerequisite for this project: how to make a standard mirror

Question: What could possibly be a better gift than a hand made, beloved family photo x-mas tree ornament button?

Answer: A hand made, beloved family photo x-mas tree ornament with a mirror back instead of a button!

Take a look at last years ornament project. That one was super simple. Either a) just stick a button on a tree, or b) use a Welded Eye insert (in place of a pin) and ornament wire and presto! you've made an ornament.

While last years ornament was nice, easy, and practical, this year we decided to one-up ourselves and attach wire to a mirror for hanging. Mirror ornaments look great from both sides, they are more glamorous than buttons, and they add life and sparkle to your tree. But how does one go about attaching a wire for hanging? I pondered this most of the year in preparation for the holidays. I got everything together, got out the drill with ity bity drill bits, extra button parts, x-acto blades, hot glue, and a dremel. I got all prepared to experiment and fail when Rex came over and did something so incredibly simple, I had to smack myself on the head and yell DUH! at the sky.



Here's what we did:

1. All you need is:

• A model 225 Button Machine
• A graphic cut to a 2.625 inch circle
• 2-1/4 inch complete Mirror Sets
• 6 inch length of thin gold ornament wire
  

2. Turn the die table to it's horizontal position so that you can see both dies (as shown). Load the shell, smooth side up, into the pick-up die on the left.







3. Insert the graphic on top of the shell and center it so that it is right side up, and facing you and you can properly read any text on the graphic.







4. Insert the mylar on top of the graphic.









5. Insert the collet, sharp side up, into the crimp die on the right.








6. Insert the mirror, face down inside the collet.









7. Bend the shim as shown. It should be bent enough to hold the mirror taught in the finished button, but not so tall that it gets bumped off center when the crimp die goes under the upper die.






8. Place the bent shim on the back of the mirror as shown.









9. Rotate the die table so the pick-up die is under the upper die and pull the handle all the way down toward you. (Just like you would if you were making a normal button). Then rotate the die around again so the crimp die is under the upper die, but don't press it just yet!





10. Bend the ornament wire as shown.









11. Insert the ornament wire in between the crimp die and the upper die, taking care not to bump the shim off center.

Tip: if you're having trouble with this step, try scotch taping the wire to the shim.





12. Pull the handle down toward you, just as though you were pressing a normal button.








That's it! The wire should be firmly pinched in between the the collet and the shell. There's usually a little dimpling at the top and a slightly bent wire, but it's a better than drilling holes or hot glue that's for sure!

Make Your Own Christmas Ornaments!!!

You can use any of the button machines from ButtonMakers.net to make Christmas ornaments for your tree this season. It's so easy, and there are so many different ways to go about it.


You can make photo ornaments for your family, or custom gifts for special loved ones. You can make them big or small. Attach 100's of little 1 inch buttons to a ribbon to drape on the tree. Or just unpin the back and fashion it into a hook!! Use the welded eye to loop a hook through. Or just tie some gold string on to the back of a finished button.

There are so many cool things you can do with your button maker this holiday season!

I decorated my mini tree (pictured above) with 1 inch buttons. I printed these designs on inkjet transparencies and pressed out the buttons like normal. Then I either attached gold wire to the back or just pinned them on!! So Cute!!!

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see step by step pictures for making Christmas ornaments with a 3-1/2 inch buttons.


Here's what you'll need:

- A Button Machine from Button Makers .net any size will do

- Complete button making supplies. That includes shells, mylar, and pinned backs (or collets and lock pins if you're using 1 inch).

- Welded Eyes (this is optional since you could easily attach the string or hook to the pinned back. I think the eye looks a little nicer so for this example, I'm using the welded eye.)

- A circular cut graphic

- String, Ribbon, or Ornament Hooks for hanging

- Scissors for the string or ribbon


1. Get everything together.

2. Remove the pin from the back (unless you didn't get welded eyes, then just leave it alone).

3. Insert the back into the crimp die (the one without visible springs) and make sure one of the holes is centered at the top. (ignore the other hole). If you're not using welded eyes, center the with the clasp side at the top, so when you fashion your string or hook onto it, it will hang straight.

4. Place the shell in the pickup die. Place the graphic on top of the shell, and the mylar on top of the graphic.

5. Rotate the pickup die under the upper die and pull the handle. Rotate the crimp die under the upper die and pull again. Just like normal.

6. Remove the ornament from the machine.

7. Cut a piece of string and loop it through the hole. In this example I'm using elastic gold thread I got from a craft store for $1.

8. Tie on a ribbon or any other decorations and put it on your tree!!!