In 1972 my grandmother, Stella Rzanski, and my great-aunt, Shirley Shaw, began their button-making hobby. Over the years they made many different types of buttons including Scrimshaw, Satsuma, China-painted Realistics, and Jasperware buttons. As members of the Buckeye State Button Society and the National Button Society they would sell buttons to collectors around the world.
My name is Katie Cooper (maiden name Rzanski). My grandmother taught me everything I know about buttons and ceramics. I spent every summer at her house growing up. In the 1990’s we spent many hours together making and hand-painting buttons. Once I had perfected my painting skills with many hours of practice, Stella actually let me china-paint most of the realistics she sold in the mid to late 1990’s. So if you’re lucky enough to have one in your collection, there’s a good chance I painted it!
Some years passed as I went to college, got married to an Army Officer and had 3 children. Life was busy raising our kids while I also worked as a Chemist. Stella and Shirley continued their friendly sibling rivalry making buttons and selling at State and National Button Shows until Shirley Shaw passed away in 2011 at the age of 97. With her passing I inherited her kiln and various ceramic supplies. In 2013 I began making buttons and created Rzanski Studio Ceramics, LLC. Fortunately my Grandma Stella was still making buttons herself at age 88 to help me with this endeavor. Stella continued to make buttons until she was 91 years old when her declining eyesight didn’t allow her to see the fine details. So in 2017 grandma handed over the family button-making venture that Stella and Shirley had created so many years ago. I began moving thousands of molds and button-making supplies to my own home studio. Grandma and I had such a special bond and so I suppose it was fitting that she passed away in September 2019 on my birthday. Before she passed, I was able to share my early button business successes with her. Here is a list of memorable buttons I’ve made:
2017 California State Button Show favor buttons
2018 National Button Show favor buttons
2019 Midwest Regional Button Show favor buttons
In 2019 I ventured into a new collaboration with NYC designer Tory Burch to make jasperware earrings featuring the Tory Burch logo. This was an incredible opportunity to take my artistic skills into a new market. The Tory Burch team was amazing to work with and grandma was so proud! The earrings just recently became available (April 2020) for purchase online at www.toryburch.com
I continue to work with collectors and designers to make new custom pieces all the time! My capabilities also continue to expand as I have added two new pieces of equipment for customization. The first is a ceramic decal printer which will allow me to customize any mug, plate, bowl, plaque, or Christmas ornament. The second piece I purchased is a 3D printer. This is where my husband, Scott, becomes a huge part of the business as he is the one modeling the designs and creating new custom buttons. These 3D printed plastic buttons are then used to make plaster molds which are how the porcelain jasperware buttons are painted and created. The jasperware diminutives listed for purchase are all examples of his 3D prints turned into jasperware buttons!
I am extremely honored to continue the family tradition and keep that family name Rzanski alive! I’ve already worked with some amazing people and continue to meet more incredible people because of this business! Thank you all so much for supporting us and our family tradition!
Katie Cooper
My name is Katie Cooper (maiden name Rzanski). My grandmother taught me everything I know about buttons and ceramics. I spent every summer at her house growing up. In the 1990’s we spent many hours together making and hand-painting buttons. Once I had perfected my painting skills with many hours of practice, Stella actually let me china-paint most of the realistics she sold in the mid to late 1990’s. So if you’re lucky enough to have one in your collection, there’s a good chance I painted it!
Some years passed as I went to college, got married to an Army Officer and had 3 children. Life was busy raising our kids while I also worked as a Chemist. Stella and Shirley continued their friendly sibling rivalry making buttons and selling at State and National Button Shows until Shirley Shaw passed away in 2011 at the age of 97. With her passing I inherited her kiln and various ceramic supplies. In 2013 I began making buttons and created Rzanski Studio Ceramics, LLC. Fortunately my Grandma Stella was still making buttons herself at age 88 to help me with this endeavor. Stella continued to make buttons until she was 91 years old when her declining eyesight didn’t allow her to see the fine details. So in 2017 grandma handed over the family button-making venture that Stella and Shirley had created so many years ago. I began moving thousands of molds and button-making supplies to my own home studio. Grandma and I had such a special bond and so I suppose it was fitting that she passed away in September 2019 on my birthday. Before she passed, I was able to share my early button business successes with her. Here is a list of memorable buttons I’ve made:
2017 California State Button Show favor buttons
2018 National Button Show favor buttons
2019 Midwest Regional Button Show favor buttons
In 2019 I ventured into a new collaboration with NYC designer Tory Burch to make jasperware earrings featuring the Tory Burch logo. This was an incredible opportunity to take my artistic skills into a new market. The Tory Burch team was amazing to work with and grandma was so proud! The earrings just recently became available (April 2020) for purchase online at www.toryburch.com
I continue to work with collectors and designers to make new custom pieces all the time! My capabilities also continue to expand as I have added two new pieces of equipment for customization. The first is a ceramic decal printer which will allow me to customize any mug, plate, bowl, plaque, or Christmas ornament. The second piece I purchased is a 3D printer. This is where my husband, Scott, becomes a huge part of the business as he is the one modeling the designs and creating new custom buttons. These 3D printed plastic buttons are then used to make plaster molds which are how the porcelain jasperware buttons are painted and created. The jasperware diminutives listed for purchase are all examples of his 3D prints turned into jasperware buttons!
I am extremely honored to continue the family tradition and keep that family name Rzanski alive! I’ve already worked with some amazing people and continue to meet more incredible people because of this business! Thank you all so much for supporting us and our family tradition!
Katie Cooper
All of my buttons are signed on the back
with "Katie" and the year they were made