Best Buttons for DIY: The Complete Buying Guide for Every “Button Up!” Hack
You bought the hot glue gun and saved seventeen Pinterest posts. You also even told your friend, “I’m totally doing this button up hacks.“ And then you do nothing. Because you opened Amazon, searched “buttons,” got 47,000 results, and closed the tab. That’s not laziness. That’s information overload. And it kills more DIY projects before they start than any lack of skill ever could. This guide fixes that exactly which buttons, where to buy them, and which ones work for which hack — so you’re not guessing, not wasting money on the wrong type, and not letting another good idea die in your drafts folder. I share youbest buttons for DIY which covered every hack. Five minutes to read, zero confusion after.
What Makes a Button “Good” for DIY?
Before we get into the picks, here’s a quick primer of best buttons for DIY. If you skip this section and you’ll buy the wrong buttons you ruined craft project— because not all buttons are created equal, and the wrong type of buttons for DIY will cost your time and frustration.
- Shank buttons have a small loop or stem on the back. They’re ideal for earring-making (easy to attach a jump ring) but harder to glue flat. Avoid for phone cases and nail art.
- Flat-back buttons have a smooth, level back — perfect for hot glue applications, phone case decorations, and journal covers. These are your workhorses for most hacks.
- 2-hole and 4-hole buttons are the classic sew-through type. Brilliant for nail art (they are the button design), earrings threaded through the holes, and sweater upcycling.
- Pearl and shell buttons are the coquette aesthetic’s best friend. They photograph beautifully, look expensive, and elevate anything they touch — from hair clips to cardigan collars.
- Rhinestone and diamanté buttons add maximum sparkle. Best used as a focal piece rather than in bulk.
- Wooden and fabric-covered buttons bring a cottagecore, artisan quality. Beautiful on knitwear and journal covers.
🛒 Best Buttons for DIY: Our Top Amazon Picks
Shopping for the best buttons for DIY on Amazon feels impossible until someone just tells you what to buy. These five picks cut through the noise — tested across every hack in this guide, chosen for quality, value, and how good they look on camera.
1. TOAOB 500pcs Mixed Vintage Buttons Assortment
⭐ Best for: Starting your collection | Beginners | Journal covers | Sweater upcycling
This is the single best starter purchase for anyone new to DIY button hacks. A 500-piece mixed assortment gives you variety across sizes, colours, and hole types — all in one bag. You’ll find flat-backs, 4-hole buttons, shanks, and everything in between.
Why we love it: The vintage mixed aesthetic is exactly what works for journal covers and upcycled sweaters. Nothing looks more intentional than a cluster of mismatched, character-rich buttons.
What to know: Sizing is varied, which is a feature, not a bug. If you need uniform sizing, look at a single-type pack instead.
2. Outus 200pcs Pearl Buttons — White & Cream Mix
⭐ Best for: Coquette hair clips | Button earrings | Sweater collar upcycling | Headphone makeover
Pearl buttons are the backbone of the coquette aesthetic, and this 200-piece set covers you in both white and cream — the two shades that work with everything. Sizes range from 10mm to 20mm, giving you options for both delicate clips and statement earrings.
Why we love it: Pearl buttons photograph exceptionally well. Your Pinterest and Instagram content will look polished and editorial with these as your main material.
What to know: These are plastic pearl-effect, not genuine shell. For most DIY purposes, they’re indistinguishable and far more durable.
3. Bulk Buy: Sewing Buttons Mixed Lot 300pcs — Colourful Resin Set
⭐ Best for: Headphone makeovers | Phone case decoration | Kids’ crafts | Bold aesthetic projects
If you want colour — vivid, saturated, joyful colour — this is your pack. These resin buttons come in a full rainbow spectrum across multiple sizes and 2-hole/4-hole styles. Perfect for the headphone hack where bold, patterned placement is the whole point.
Why we love it: Resin buttons are lightweight (important for earrings and hair clips so they don’t pull) and have a lovely translucent quality that catches light beautifully.
What to know: Less “vintage aesthetic,” more “modern maximalist.” Know which vibe you’re going for before ordering.
4. Rhinestone Shank Buttons — Crystal Clear, 20 pack (18mm)
⭐ Best for: Statement earrings | Coquette hair clips (focal button) | Phone case hero piece | Headphone centrepiece
One rhinestone button can completely elevate a DIY project. These 18mm crystal-clear rhinestone shank buttons are the finishing touch — the focal piece you surround with smaller pearls or plain buttons to create that layered, jewellery-like effect.
Why we love it: The shank on the back makes earring assembly incredibly easy — thread a jump ring straight through and you’re done. No epoxy clay needed.
What to know: Buy these as accents, not in bulk. 20 pieces is more than enough for most projects.
5. LNKA Flat Back Buttons — No-Hole, Resin, Mixed Sizes (100pcs)
⭐ Best for: Phone case 3D decoration | Journal cover | Nail art (as texture reference) | Any hot-glue project
Flat-back, no-hole resin buttons are a DIY crafter’s secret weapon. With zero holes and a perfectly smooth back, they glue cleanly onto any surface — phone cases, notebooks, headbands — with zero visible hardware. They look like they were designed to be decorative rather than functional.
Why we love it: Exceptionally clean finish. No holes interrupt the visual surface, making them ideal for anything you want to look seamless.
What to know: Because there’s no hole or shank, these can’t be used for earrings or threading. Purely for adhesive projects only.
🛒 Best Buttons for DIY: Our Top AliExpress Picks
AliExpress is where the actual good stuff hides. The shapes, the finishes, the niche types that no UK or US craft store stocks — they’re all here, at a fraction of the price. You just need to know what to search. But this takes 2–3 weeks for standard shipping, or pay a little more for faster delivery.
6. Pearl Shell Buttons — 2-Hole Flat, Natural Shell, 12mm (50pcs)
⭐ Best for: Sweater upcycling (re-buttoning) | Earrings | Premium journal covers
This is the pick for the “re-buttoning” hack — replacing a tired cardigan’s plain buttons with genuine natural shell pearl buttons for a designer-quality result. Natural shell has a depth and iridescence that plastic pearl simply can’t replicate. These are the ones that make people ask, “Is that Chloé?“
Why we love it: Natural material. Genuine iridescence. Flat back with 2-hole threading. Perfect weight for garment use. And at AliExpress pricing, a 50-piece pack costs a fraction of haberdashery store prices.
What to know: Natural shell can be slightly fragile under extreme hot glue pressure. Use jewellery glue for delicate placement.
7. Kawaii Animal & Shape Buttons — Resin Cartoon Set (Mixed, 50pcs)
⭐ Best for: Kids’ projects | Journal covers | Fun phone case decoration | Maximalist headphone hack
Tiny bows, stars, cats, strawberries, mushrooms, hearts — kawaii resin buttons are the most joyful buttons in existence, and they’re absolutely everywhere on Pinterest’s craft boards right now. A few scattered across a journal cover or phone case instantly communicates a very specific, very current aesthetic.
Why we love it: Unique shapes that you genuinely cannot find in UK or US craft stores. Exclusively an AliExpress/Asian craft market find — which means your project looks like nobody else’s.
What to know: These are decorative/craft buttons, not garment-grade. Best suited to accessories and stationery rather than clothing.
8. Vintage Brass Metal Buttons — Shank Back, Antique Gold (30pcs, 15mm)
⭐ Best for: Sweater and jacket upcycling | Statement earrings | Journal covers (steampunk/vintage aesthetic)
If pearl is the coquette choice, vintage brass is the old money choice. These antique gold metal shank buttons transform a plain blazer or woollen coat into something that looks thoughtfully curated and genuinely expensive. They’re the cornerstone of the elegant sustainable fashion angle that makes the “Button Up!” trend so compelling.
Why we love it: Weight and substance that cheaper plastic buttons lack. They look genuinely vintage rather than costume-y. Perfect for earrings — the shank makes jump ring attachment effortless.
What to know: Metal buttons are heavier, so use strong fabric adhesive (not hot glue) for clothing applications. For earrings, the weight is fine — even adds to the dramatic, statement feel.
9. Diamanté Flat-Back Buttons — Mixed Sizes, Silver Setting (20pcs)
⭐ Best for: Coquette hair clips | Phone case decoration | Headphone focal point
The crystal-meets-button crossover. These diamanté flat-back buttons sit somewhere between jewellery finding and craft supply — and they produce results that look genuinely luxurious. A single large diamanté button on a hair clip looks like a designer piece. A cluster of them on a phone case looks like an art object.
Why we love it: The flat back means clean adhesion, and the silver setting works with every colour scheme. Mixed sizes in one pack gives you both statement pieces and delicate fillers.
What to know: AliExpress quality varies by seller — check the store’s review photos specifically, not just the product images.
10. Fabric-Covered Buttons Kit — DIY Dome Set, 25mm (30 pack + covering tool)
⭐ Best for: Sweater upcycling | Bespoke hair clips | Journal covers | Cottagecore aesthetic
This one is slightly more involved — but the results are extraordinary. Fabric-covered button kits come with flat metal button bases and a simple press tool. You cut a small circle of any fabric you love (a scrap of Liberty print, vintage floral cotton, a bit of silk) and press it over the button base. The result is a completely bespoke button that exists nowhere else on earth.
Why we love it: The ultimate in personalisation and sustainable craft. You’re not buying aesthetic — you’re creating it. And the NLP entity relevance here is huge: this hack touches upcycled fashion, slow fashion, craft culture, and self-expression all in one small button.
What to know: Requires a little practice on the pressing technique. First button might not be perfect — by the third, you’ll be a pro.
Quick Reference: Which Buttons for Which Hack?
DIY Hack | Best Button Type | Our Top Pick |
|---|---|---|
Button Nail Art | 4-hole flat, small (8–10mm) | Colourful resin mixed set |
Headphone Makeover | Mixed sizes, colourful or pearl | 500pc vintage assortment |
Journal Cover | Mixed vintage, kawaii, or fabric-covered | TOAOB 500pc OR kawaii set |
Sweater Upcycling | Pearl, brass, fabric-covered | Natural shell OR vintage brass |
Phone Case | Flat-back, no-hole | LNKA flat-back resin set |
Hair Clips | Pearl, rhinestone, diamanté | Outus pearl set OR diamanté flat-back |
Button Earrings | Shank or 2-hole flat, 12–25mm | Rhinestone shank OR natural shell |
How Much Should You Spend to Get Started?
Most people overspend on buttons because they buy everything at once and use nothing. Don’t do that. Here’s exactly what to buy first — based on which hacks you actually want to try:
- Under £10 / $12 — Beginner kit: One large mixed assortment (500pcs, ~£6–8 on Amazon) gives you enough variety to try every single hack in the guide. Start here.
- £15–25 / $18–30 — Focused crafter: One mixed assortment + one specific type (pearl OR rhinestone OR brass) based on your favourite aesthetic. This covers the coquette/cottagecore end beautifully.
- £30+ / $35+ — Serious collection builder: Mixed assortment + 2–3 specialist packs from AliExpress (pearl shell, brass vintage, kawaii shapes). At this point you have a proper craft stash and can execute any hack without re-ordering.
A Note on Buying Vintage Buttons (The Free Option)
Before you order anything, genuinely check:
- Charity shops and thrift stores — the sewing/haberdashery section often has bags of buttons for pennies. These are always the most characterful.
- Old clothing you’re donating — cut the buttons off first. Always.
- Facebook Marketplace — search “vintage buttons” or “sewing supplies.” Bulk lots of 200–500 buttons often sell for £2–5.
- eBay — “vintage button lot” searches return extraordinary finds. The character of truly old buttons — shell, corozo, Bakelite — is impossible to replicate with new stock.
The most Pinterest-worthy button for DIY are almost always built around found and vintage buttons, not new ones. The mix of eras, materials, and textures is what creates that genuinely unique, curated look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to start? Pick one hack, grab one pack of buttons, and make something this weekend. Tag us @theglowgenius on Pinterest and Instagram — we genuinely love seeing what you create.
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