Buttons

While I  was in Germany, on the very last day, I asked my brother about buttons.  Now you have to know that one of his (big) hobbies is walking in the woods and fields during the season that the deer (male) shed their antlers.  The object is to find a complete perfect pair.  He is very good at that.

So he has a couple of antlers laying around, and I keep thinking of a use for them.  My hints at wanting a chandelier made from antlers are being ignored.  I keep sending photos of diverse things made from antlers, no reaction.  

So I decided to start small.  How about buttons?  I asked.  Of course toward the end of our stay.

On the evening of our already extended last day.  No problem, I was told, off we went to an artist in another town.  Through snow, getting dark, etc.  Oh, first we had to stop at the pink farm and get a 'Baerenfang', a liquor made of honey (the Germans put alcohol with or in anything).  That was delicious, and carried us through the woods, on snowy roads.... to

.... the artist, where first we had to get a little concert from a home-made alphorn, which is a minimum of 8 feet long (very good, by the way), a few tones of an ancient trumpet, which he wanted changed by my brother, and then we were taken to the basement, where we got a tour and were told that he was waiting for two ovens for clay firing, which his wife didn't know about yet.

The purpose of our sojourn was to borrow the drills to make the buttons.

They got made!  In record time, and I love them.  Now I am honor bound to find a jacket to use them on.  Should I knit the jacket?  Sew it?  I don't know yet, and if you are a visitor, and have an idea, please let me know!

And here are the buttons:

 

aren't they gorgeous?  About 1" across.

 

And so very special, because my brother made them for me.

(and just in case my other brother is reading this, I love you too!  Too many reasons, I'll just throw in that I was hoping I would get a ride with the horses on the coach/carriage!)

And the tablecloth was sent to me along with some other wonderful linens.  I just love them!  Thank you so very much!  

From one of the linens I sewed a pillow.  I'll show it some other time.

And,

while I was getting the kids from camp (they have the week off) yesterday, I drove through this winter-wonderland:

Crap, won't it stop snowing?!

 

It is pretty, though.....