Last week I had an opportunity, along with the rest of the Bead&Button staff, to attend the National Button Society Convention. Conveniently, the convention happened to be in Appleton, Wis., this year, which is only about an hour and a half drive from our offices.

After having attended so many Bead&Button Shows, it was fascinating to enter a whole different world — one that sheds new light on an aspect of this collective hobby. Button collectors approach their hobby from a historic angle. They study their unique miniature works of art and take pleasure in creating displays with them. Every year, they enter a competition with displays that show off their best buttons arranged to reflect ever-changing categories. For me, the best part was meeting four children, each about 10 years old, who are already button enthusiasts. They avidly searched the displays and took notes on the winners in each category, fine-tuning their game plan for next year’s competition.

Another important aspect of the NBS convention is shopping for vintage buttons. Some buttons are new, too, made by button artists. At the booths, you can find buttons for as little as 10 cents each and as much as thousands of dollars. I stocked up on a few Czech glass buttons and some buttons I may be able to use for a Bead&Button project or two. Stay tuned to see how that goes.