ABM Customer Spotlight: Operation Smiley Face

We are very, very proud and excited about featuring Operation Smiley Face as our latest ABM Customer Spotlight. When you hear the story behind this wonderful operation, and the incredible woman who is its driving force, you will understand why.

Operation Smiley Face was started by a women (whose name is not listed on her website other than as “Operation Smiley Face“) who is currently dealing with stage 4 Metastic Breast Cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes and lungs when she was first diagnosed in August of 2009. This came on the heels of more than a decade of coping with her 1998 diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.

You might read that paragraph and think that she has little to smile and be positive about. And to you or I that might be the case, but this inspiring woman has chosen to focus on the positives despite the cavalcade of negatives facing her every day.

Incredibly, she has somehow found a way to not only keep herself smiling, but to make other people – including and especially strangers she has never met – smiling too.

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Customer Spotlight: Selvedge House

Today’s customer spotlight shines on the fine folks over at Selvedge House, which is based in Brisbane, Australia. Selvedge House, as their website explains, provides a collection of hand crafted designer textiles, patterns and craft kits.

Recently, Danielle from Selvedge House sent us an email to tell us know how “brilliant” our button machine work and “how much fun” they have using it well set up at a weekend market stall. And in addition to fun, Danielle informs us that during that one weekend craft fair they pretty much made the cost of the machine back.

Here is a portion of Danielle’s email to us and some pictures from their weekend:

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ABM Video Series: The Exciting World of Fabric Buttons!

As we continue with our button making video tutorial series, we take a quick break from the tutorials to celebrate the exciting world of fabric buttons.

And as you will see below, when set to a funky background beat, a montage of fabric buttons can be and is exciting!

Fabric buttons have been one of the most prominent topics that we have covered here at The Button Blog. Rather than try to re-invent the wheel or regurgitate old information, we will provide you with the links to our fabric button tutorial series, plus some other useful resources to help you in your fabric button endeavors.

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The Joy of Button Making: Pinback Buttons, Fabric Buttons, and Photo Buttons

When you first hear the term “button making” you may not immediately think of the word “fun.” But guess what…you should!

Making buttons is an engaging and entertaining experience, made all the more enjoyable by the fact that you end up with useful products once you are done. Whether you are looking to fundraise for a cause you believe in, promote a campaign, or show support for a person, band, or team, buttons are a terrific solution.

In this article, we are going to highlight three fun and useful types of buttons, each of which make button making a truly joyful and productive pastime.

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Monogrammed Belt Buckles: Fun, Easy, and Inexpensive

When I say “belt buckles” what is the first thing that comes to mind?

(And if you don’t say “Texas” or “cowboy” or some synonym of either, I am calling you out right here and now for lying!)

Well the truth is that belt buckles’ reputation for simply being an accessory for snakeskin boots and ten gallon hats is far too narrow to actually represent reality. You don’t have to live on a ranch or make garish spectacles with your wardrobe to have a little fun and customize a belt buckle.

More and more people these days are finding understated yet fun and personalized ways to dress up their belt buckles. How do we know this? Because of the consistent stream of requests we get from visitors to our website who inquire about monogrammed belt buckles.

And in our unyielding quest to give our customers what they desire, we have joyfully taken the plunge into the wonderful world of monogrammed belt buckles.

And here is the best part from your perspective: it is not that expensive nor difficult for you to take the monogrammed belt buckle plunge yourself.

Here is how it works:

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Monogrammed Badge Reels Are Customized, Personalized, and Make ID’ing Yourself Fun!

We’re back!

After a brief hiatus, we are back with fresh content here at The Button Blog. And today, we are going to veer in a direction that we have not veered in since launching the blog: badge reels.

Badge reels are small round devices with a retractable cord that attach to an ID badge. And as we have become well aware through our many customers who have ordered badge reels, there are myriad jobs for which you might need an ID badge: working in a hospital, government jobs, working in the media, etc.

If you are constantly using your ID badge to gain access to different rooms or areas, it makes sense to have a reliable and convenient tool to help you keep tabs on it.

If you are unfamiliar with customized badge reels, here is a picture:

Most people wear their badge reels on a pocket, collar, or belt, thus allowing them to have access to their ID badge at all times without worrying about losing it. The retractable cord allows you to quickly pull your badge out for display or swiping, and then quickly retract it back to its resting position.

The great part about monogrammed badge reels and other customized and personalized badge reels, like the one you can make using our badge reel products, is that you can add a little personality and flair to the tool you are using to identify yourself with.

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Button University Lesson 9: Fabric Button Machines and Systems

Welcome back to another installment of Button University Lessons! In Lesson 8, we showed you some quick videos and outlined step-by-step button making guidelines, reconfirming the simplicity and speed of our machines. Today, we are going to talk a little bit about fabric covered buttons.

Our Fabric Button Machine allows you to make your own fabric buttons or ponytail holders! In fact, Using our large eyelet two-piece button sets, fabric covered buttons can be attached to shoe laces, flip flops, shoe charms, hair ties & more!

There are a couple of machines that we have that will cater to whatever needs you have. Here are the details on those machines.

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Monogrammed Buttons Offer a Solution for Embroidery Business Expansion in Three Easy Steps

Custom monogrammed buttons are growing in popularity and it’s easier than ever for embroidery shops and monogrammed gift businesses to get in on the action.

Fabric buttons are extremely versatile, but most manufacturers do not offer any options for their customers. Thus, your embroidery business or monogrammed gift shop has a solid chance to capitalize on the opportunity. With inexpensive supplies and a quick, easy process, the high profit margins custom monogrammed buttons offer is an excellent way for a business to expand.

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Using Adjustable Circle Cutters for Buttons, Crafts, Projects

At American Button Machines we pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for any supply you may need for a wide range of button making projects. What a lot of our visitors and customers do not realize is that many of our products also have useful functions outside the realm of button making.

While our usual focus on this blog is to revel in the wonderful world of buttons, we are actually going to – don’t be alarmed – take a brief step outside of button making to discuss the most versatile product that we sell: adjustable circle cutters.

Obviously the circle cutter tool is a prominent product in our overall line of button making supplies and accessories because it is perfect for cutting circular graphics and photos for making pinback buttons. However, the purpose of this post is to help you step outside the button making box and understand the wide variety of additional projects for which a circle cutter tool can be a perfect tool.

In addition to cutting graphics for pinback buttons, many arts and crafts aficionados use circle cutters to cut numerous items other than paper, and have found tremendous benefits. Schools, arts and crafts lovers, companies, and families have purchased our adjustable circle cutter to cut circles out of paper, thin plastic, construction paper, poster board, and fabric.

Here is a quick video to show you how a circle cutter tool works:

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Fabric Button How-To Series: Using Your Button Machine Properly to Make Fabric-Covered Buttons

One of the growing trends in monogramming and embroidery is the use of fabric-covered buttons as an accessory for a number of items, from clothing to purses to shoes. Many small embroidery shops have begun to offer a selection of fabric buttons, including custom monogrammed buttons. With a professional grade button machine, a small embroidery shop can quickly expand its product offering with a fun and versatile fabric button that has a number of uses. This post is the third in our week-long series on fabric buttons.

Tuesday, we discussed important pointers for choosing the right fabric when you begin your fabric button making project. Wednesday, we told you about the myriad uses for fabric-covered buttons. Then yesterday, we discussed why many embroidery shops are investing in their own professional button machine to create custom fabric buttons. Today, we give you a brief overview of the proper way to use a button machine to make fabric-covered buttons.

In a rotating die button maker, the materials are placed into two separate dies. The button’s front shell and fabric are positioned in the first die, which is rotated into the machine, and the lever is pulled once. The button back is then placed in the second die, which is rotated into the press, and the lever is pulled a second time completing the button press operation.

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