hell yes!

since i've gotten the button maker, you may have noticed i've been kind of quiet about it.  to be honest, it wasn't working.  or rather, it worked one out of four or five times.  we tried everything to fix it, and finally decided to wait until we got some new parts before we thought about sending it back.  D and i ordered parts from two other companies, and a set showed up last night, just as i was taking dinner out of the oven.  HOLY SHIT.  the difference is amazing.  the machine isn't sticking, it isn't smooshing stuff, it's doing what it's supposed to do.  granted, there are still a few boo-boo buttons on occasion, but from what i've read, that's totally normal.  one out of ten or twenty is an okay number by me, and honestly, some of those were user error (like forgetting to put in a piece of mylar).

can i tell you how excited i am?!  i've been cutting up cute old japanese stationery and paper, magazine photos, and have a cute little assembly line set up at the kitchen table.  the plans i have!  the buttons i want to make!  i honestly think i might even need a simple version of photoshop, but i'll wait until after the holidays for that.  maybe.  i am having so much fun playing with it that there's always a chance i'll order sooner...  i might put some of the buttons up on etsy in sets, but more than anything i just want to make all the buttons i think of in my head, and put them on all my clothes, on the kids clothes, on D, on the cat, on the busdriver and postman, etc.  if you want me to send you one at random, let me know!  i want to share the button-y love.  send me an email at pinprick (at) gmail (dot) com!  

buttons and hookers

the day charlie sheen stops hiring hookers is the day he dies.  or i lose interest.  whichever comes first.  truth be told, i know i should think he's a cad, but i find him a delightful scamp.  what gives? why does the feminist part of my brain go on vacation when i read these stories?  i should be outraged or irritated, but instead i'm all "oh! that charlie! what will he do next?"  he's not dennis the menace, he's obviously a misogynistic alcoholic, but i can't imagine him any other way.     

also!  my sweet D bought me a button maker for my birthday and it showed up early!  that's the good news.  the bad news, either i am retarded and can't make it work, or it's cursed because it is not working.  i got two or three buttons out of it, then a piece of paper got stuck, and now it seems irrevocably fubar-ed.  it didn't come with instructions, so i've been using the internets to figure it out, but i have a feeling it really isn't supposed to be as hard to use and shouldn't be frustrating me quite this much.  i should just be making BUTTONS.  shit.  i'm thrilled that my boyfriend is so awesome, but annoyed at the machine.  no matter what happens i know this: if this machine doesn't work out, i'm buying another one because the few buttons i did get made are AWESOME.  the end.  (how have i not bought one before now?)

i probably shouldn't say anything

so as not to jinx myself, but i'm bidding on a button maker on ebay right now.  i have decided that i've wanted one long enough, i have a tiny bit of spending money, and so i'm going to try to win an auction again.

cross your fingers!  hold your breath!  do whatever mojo or voodoo you need to do to win me this machine, please.  

edit:  AARGH!  i was already outbid.  the thing is, the machine new, with starter parts, costs $250.  the way i see it, if i can't get a used one on ebay for less than $175, i may as well buy a new one.  i'll wait until the end of the auction, and try to sneak in a bid for $180.