July 2009 Hot Button Winners

Congrats to our
July 2009 Hot Button of the Month Winner!


July's Hot Button of the Month Contest Winner is…Evelyn Studer from Cary, NC. Evelyn's "Beady Good Name Badge" button necklace was designed when her beading group decided to abandon the sticky name badges they had been using and make their own name badges that could double as jewelry.

For one of the beading club's monthly projects, they each designed the artwork for their own name button, which they made into 2¼" buttons. Then they designed their "necklace" - made of beads, rhinestones and other embellishments. The 20-inch-long necklace portion was attached to the button. Some clipped off the button pin back and strung the beading through the button's hole; others attached clasps to the ends of the necklace part and to the stationery parts of the pin backs. With the second option, they are able to change the look of the piece by attaching a different button - or a different beaded chain.

Group members wore their button necklaces to a bead show and many of the dealers noticed them. "A few of the dealers even offered us discounted prices!" said Evelyn. "It was great recognition for our club and some of the attendees said they had never thought of using buttons in such an unusual way."

As the Hot Button of the Month winner, Evelyn received a $100 Badge-A-Minit gift certificate.
It's almost time for back to school! It's sad that summer vacation is coming to an end, but we know lots of people had fun making buttons over these relaxing months. Events took center stage in the entries we received during July, and our winning buttons reflect that. We hope you enjoy viewing our winners and that they give you ideas for your own button-making endeavors!

Keep those entries coming in! You could be one of our next winners! Remember, the more unique, the better! Each Hot Button winner receives a coupon for 10% off their next purchase at Badge-A-Minit.com.
Kool-Aid Days
What says summer more than Kool-Aid? Randal Kottwitz from Hastings, NE, submitted this "kool" design. Every year, Kool-Aid Days welcomes about 30,000 guests to Hastings to celebrate the invention of Nebraska's Official Soft Drink. Edwin Perkins invented the drink in 1927. It takes more than 250 volunteers to host this huge event. "This is the fourth year that we've been using button to thank our volunteers," said Randal. "Many keep them as collector's items and display them on their bulletin boards throughout the year, helping to promote Kool-Aid Days for the next year."
Bitzer's Signature Button
Have you heard of "geocaching"? Jennifer MacLennan of Saskatchewan, Canada, designed this button for her husband who recently took up the sport. Geocaching is a world-wide treasure hunt game. Participants hide items in caches for other players to find with a GPS, using coordinates posted on-line. "Geocachers trade items (swags) in these hidden caches," said Jennifer. "I made this button for my husband to leave for others to find. This is his signature item." The buttons are considered desirable swag items, Jennifer said, and several players have requested signature buttons of their own.
Pack 299 4th of July Trip
Rob Wilkerson of Grand Island designed this button to recognize the Cub Scout Pack members who participated in a campout on the USS Yorktown in South Carolina. "This was the first time we made a button," Rob said. "It was a blast to make and the leaders and scouts loved it." The boys received the buttons at the pack meet following the trip. "We also made buttons with our pack logo that we're planning to seel at the beginning of the school year to help pay for the button supplies," said Rob.
A Rainstorm of Rainbow Donuts
We love donuts - and we loved this donut design by Bethany Brown of The Squeek Shoppe in Great Falls, MT. Bethany is using this button (along with other donut-themed designs) to help fund a trip to an art convention where she can gain experience for her beginning career as an artist. "People seem to like them," Bethany said. "And the button maker works like a charm - easy and fun!" What a great choice for a theme - who can resist donuts?
Demstock
Joe Stutler of Cedar Rapids, IA submitted this Demstock button. "We used this button to both promote the event and to raise money for the organization (Linn County Democrats)," said Joe. "Buttons were serial-numbered, and numbers were drawn for door prizes and the event. Buttons were sold on-line and at the event." Joe was happy with the results - the organization made several hundred dollars in direct button sales, plus received extra promotional value.