Life is the greatest of all mysteries, and though I seek to solve its many riddles, my deepest fear is that I will succeed. — Brian Rathbone
And so once again the Mystery Photo Game draws to a close. I hope you had fun. I did although I had a monumental failure of making a mystery out of the last photo I posted on Sunday night. Who knew all of you would have your own jar or tin of buttons and so would know exactly what they looked like up closet. I should have used that other closeup where there was a button that looked like a bottlecap or a smoke detector, but I was trying to be fair.
Turns out I was too fair. The guesses of buttons came pouring in. A few of you did guess something different, probably just because you knew I’d pout if nobody missed it. 🙂 So Hope, Birdie and Lisa D guessed plates. Well, Lisa D’s second guess was buttons, but I have to count those wrong guesses where I can. Mary guessed decorative glass beads and Marji and Lavon guessed pebbles. Well, Lavon actually wanted to say buttons but I guess she thought I wouldn’t be that obvious. Linda Dianne thought it might be the underside of a mushroom but she must have been guessing on the last photo of the morel mushroom and the comment just ended up in the wrong place. Suzanne had a great idea that it might be jewelry made from buttons. No jewelry made yet, but some people do make neat things with buttons. Ola made me laugh with her half-closed eyelid guess. I told her that could be if it was a selfie of me. When I’m smiling, my eyes can disappear under those smile scrunched up eyelids.
But as for the rest of you – all twenty of you – guessed right. Buttons. Buttons. Buttons. Many of us come from parents who lived through the Great Depression, and they believed in waste not want not. They didn’t throw things away without some thought of whether it might still have some use. Therefore, when you wore out a dress or shirt, the buttons went into the jar or tin to be saved for whenever you might need a certain button of a certain size. I’ve done a few of those button searches in the past. But mostly when I was a kid, I just loved to look through my aunt’s button hoard that she stored in a King Leo tin that used to hold peppermint sticks. Some of the buttons were boring white shirt ones, but others were little jewels of red glass or shaped like flowers.
Some of the buttons in my button jar now may go back to those buttons I played with years ago. If so, they are definitely antique buttons. I found them amazing when I was a kid. I hoped to make them into an amazing mystery photo, but alas, they didn’t turn out to be very mysterious. Then again, maybe it’s good most of you guessed right on this one. Guess might not be the right word there. Knew what it was works better. This way the next time I have a Mystery Photo Game, you’ll be ready to play again.
I appreciate those of you who let me know you had fun. That was the best thing about the game – the fun of exercising our imaginations. And now maybe I should go sort out those buttons. But wait, I haven’t told you the winners in the book giveaway.
And the Winners Are
Over all I had about 150 entries. Of course, you got a new entry each time you made a new guess of a picture. I wish I could send you all books, but maybe it’s more fun to win one. Suzanne from Texas said she’d read many of my books and so had a hard time figuring out which book to pick. She chose Christmas at Harmony Hill. It can be Christmas in July for her. Marji from Delaware said she had already read all my inspirational novels except my kids book, Freak of the Week. That sounded great to me but did make her choice of a book prize more difficult. She decided on When the Meadow Blooms. She has a copy but she’s going to give it away and keep the autographed one I will send her instead. Then there’s Susan of North Carolina. She’s been a teacher for 38 years and is still going strong. She decided a book about books and storytelling would be perfect. So, she picked Along a Storied Trail.
Thanks again to all of you who played and made the game such fun. I’ll start watching for objects I can turn into mysterious closeups of guessing game pictures for the next time we play the Mystery Photo Game.
Was I right? Do you have a container of buttons now or did you have one to play with when you were a kid?
Comments 20
Yes, I still have a tin full of buttons.
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I think my kids will inherit mine, Lisa, and no doubt, promptly throw them away. Or maybe not. I’ve got a daughter-in-law who likes antique things. And my daughter might look through them before she pitches them.
I have several containers of buttons. I’ve always been fascinated with them.
Author
Buttons do give us hints on the fashions in past years, Lucy. And cute buttons are super fun on little girls’ dresses. Plus when they are in a big tin, they make a nice noise when you stir your hands through them. 🙂
I had a container with some buttons dating back to the 30’s that belonged to my mother and perhaps hers, until Katrina decided she needed them!!! 😞 My mother in law told me when clothing wore out be sure and save the buttons before throwing away. Somehow I missed the mystery photo of the buttons. Such fun! Looking forward to the next one that I’m sure I won’t get, but it’s fun to play in spite of being wrong. 😊
Author
Sorry your buttons went with the wind and flood, K. That’s no fun at all. One of those little but meaningful things we don’t want to lose. Glad you enjoyed the Mystery Photo game. I was disappointed in the last photo being so easy for everyone, or almost everyone. I thought sure I’d stump more people with it.
I have a jar of buttons, I use them for decorative purposes. Padded covers on photo albums get some. Pillows get some. Even scrapbook pages may get some!!
Author
Sounds as if you know how to make the most of your button collection, Marjorie. I bought some things once to make a scrapbook, but alas, I never got around to doing it.
I do individual scrapbook pages and give as gifts. Usually a photo with descriptive words about the person and stickers, buttons, flowers. Whatever appeals to me at the moment!! They usually get framed.
Author
Sounds as if they are deserving of frames, Marjorie.
I have so many buttons that I separated them into three decorative tins. My white ones take up a whole tin. Hint: if there are several matching ones, I put a thread through to connect them. Saves rooting through if you need more than one!
Author
I used to match up some too, Paula. Sometimes I’d put them on a safety pin and sometimes use a thread the way you do. Sounds as if you’re a serious button keeper. I used to be, but now I’m haphazard about it. I sometimes save those extra buttons that come with something, but I pitch them somewhere random and would never find them if I needed them. Sigh. Glad you’re more organized than I am.
I have an old Tupperware sandwich container with buttons in it in my sew box and should have guessed it. I knew everyone else was going to be right with the button guess after I saw what they wrote. I even have some buttons that look like some of yours. 🙂 Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you again for the fun game, Ann!
Author
You’re to be admired for guessing first, Hope, and looking at everybody else’s guesses later. I really thought this photo was going to be a difficult one. I had something else picked out and decided it would be too easy, but this one… Well, obviously I was wrong. Thanks for playing.
My mother had a button jar, which I thought was very clever so that one didn’t need to run to the store every time one needed a button to replace a broken one. I realize that so few of the outfits I wear now have buttons since I prefer pants with elastic waists and soft tee shirts to button down/or up blouses and dresses. Your button jar evoked nostalgia on my part, and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. Thank you for that trip and for the book you’re sending me.
Author
Glad you enjoyed going down memory lane, Suzanne. It’s a fun lane to be on as long as you just enjoy those happy memories. I don’t have many buttoned things either. Even pants have snaps or hooks sometimes. And I remember searching through my buttons to find one to match for a missing one on a shirt or dress and never being able to find a good match. But sometimes I found something that worked anyway.
I have a jar of buttons plus a plastic container of buttons. My daughter has raided my button jar a time or two for craft projects. I keep thinking about making jewelry out of them but never have gotten around to it. When we were kids, we’d use my friend’s mother’s buttons for money when playing our version of poker. Congratulations to the winners of this round of the mystery game. Can’t wait for the next one. This is lots of fun.
Author
Glad you thought the Mystery Photo Game was fun, Lee. I have had these buttons in this jar for a long time without taking any out or putting any in. Maybe I should come up with a button craft for my Sunday school kids.
I’m sorry I made you frown. I never saw the button mystery photo until just now. The last one I saw was the mushroom. My phone is acting up and I think it’s on it’s last leg. They told me that my phone is no longer being made and they quit making the phone cases a long time ago. So, as soon as our webinars; etc., are done for the school year, I will be getting a new phone. I cannot assess my timeline and my messages say that I have birthday messages on it. It just won’t bring them up! Sorry for upsetting you!
Author
I wasn’t upset, Linda Dianne. My frown was just one of those confused ones since the comment was on the button picture but sounded like it should be on the mushroom picture. I should have worded that differently to keep you from thinking I had an upset frown. No problem at all with your comment, but sounds as though you’re having lots of problems with your phone. So sorry. We do depend on our phones for so much these days and when they don’t work, it is frustrating. I hope you get a great new one that works like it should.