painting cottage buttons

My favorite buttons to paint are cottage buttons.. These are larger buttons...about 1 1/4". You'll notice I have them glued to pieces of felt and this is for two reasons...one is that if I bead around the button the felt is something to attach the beading to and then I can trim it away. Second....The MOP buttons are a slick surface and if oils from your fingers get on the button the paint will not adhere properly. You will notice that there are no holes. After I attach the felt I fill the holes, sand the button lightly and then put on a thin glaze.

Doing cottages is not a slap-dash project like roses. I usually do several at a time because there will be many layers of paint and each layer needs to dry thoroughly. These are not hard...just time consuming. The cottage on the upper lever is a VERY simple and would be a good one for beginners.