Many years ago when the iconic Footscray Forges store was in the throes of divesting itself of entire departments as a precursor to shutting down, these button sample cards were going out for $1.79 a page. They seemed so beautiful to me then, I couldn’t bear the idea that they may be thrown out. Each card has 54 buttons. Some are plain, some are fancy – all are gorgeous. I imagine the store buyer would have used the sample sheets to order in buttons. Now they live in my linen cupboard. Occasionally I bring them out and savour each of these little design miracles. Here’s a few from the blue and red sheets to stay with the theme this week.

You can read more about Forges here. I still miss that store. At least I have the buttons.