A Few Finds for Button, Bead Freaks
DEAR HOT SHOPPERS: Remember when making things from scratch meant you were over the top on the goof-o-meter? After all, it meant you had dreaded time on your hands . Now that we’re in the self-sufficient ‘90s--when having leisure time is a badge of honor--all that’s changed, and being labeled artsy-craftsy isn’t an insult.
We’ve found two resources for reborn do-it-yourselfers: One is Chameleon, a boutique at 8422 1/2 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, that specializes in buttons.
Owners George Small and Pattie Powers started out carrying unusual jewelry and accessories. They still do, but most of their business is now devoted to buttons. Some are from the Victorian era, some in rhinestone are from the ‘40s, others are deco, from the ‘30s. There are mother-of-pearl buttons, hand-carved buttons, crystal buttons and more, ranging in price from less than $1 to more than $50.
For bead freaks, Fred Segal Santa Monica has a new Beadworks boutique offering hundreds of unusual beads, from opalescent plastics to faceted semiprecious stones.
The store, 500 Broadway, also carries clasps, wires and related materials, some in 14-karat gold. Bead prices range from about $1 for a vial of beads to $35 for one faceted genuine ruby bead.
Instruction is offered by appointment. Call (213) 458-9159. Co-owners Steve Wilson and Pascale McCracken McCracken) also invite people to just come in and hang out.
FORGET WORRY BEADS; HERE’S A BRACELET FOR BANISHING THE BUTTERFLIES: Asians have long used acupressure to remedy all sorts of mind-body-spirit problems. Now it seems that Americans can have access to at least some of the benefits of acupressure by simply wearing knitted wristbands. The bands contain a strategically placed button that rubs against an acupressure point near the wrist.
The wristbands are used to combat the queasy feeling associated with pregnancy and motion sickness (the same product is sold as either MorningAide or TravelAide). We asked licensed acupuncturist Diane Black of the Westside Holistic Center in Westwood to tell us if and how the wristbands work: “The wristband massages an acupuncture point for nausea, for relaxing the diaphragm, for calming the stomach and calming the spirit,” she said. “Massaging the same point, which is called pericardium 6, is also good for anxiety, stage fright and any kind of performance anxiety. I often teach people how to work that point on themselves, but if you have a wristband to do it for you, why not?” MorningAide is available at Mother’s Work maternity stores. TravelAide is carried at Big 5 and Sport Mart. Either can be ordered (for $14.95 including shipping and handling) through the Beverly Hills Shopping Club, (800) 767-1412.
