Merit Badges: Crafty & Clever

Posted June 5th, 2011 by Lea Redmond and filed in custom work, eBay Sleuth, odds & ends

A recent design gig for FamilyFun Magazine has me very excited about merit badges.  They're often a perfect little combination of recognition and aesthetics, and I just love 'em.  In this post I share my new design for the Backyard Fun Badge and offer up a few other lovely merit badges from other artists and craft shops.

Backyard Fun
I was delighted to be asked to design the first of ten "Badges of Fun" for FamilyFun Magazine's latest issue.  They're working with a number of different designers to create a series of artful badges that kids can download, cut out, and attach to a poster that tracks their progress. To earn this first badge, you can play twilight games, have a backyard camp-out, or make yard art. Kids of all ages allowed!

Here's the final badge design - crafty and whimsical!


More Fresh Merit Badge Designs

Lee Meszaros crafts beautiful merit badges of her own design and sells them in her Be Proud Etsy Shop.  She offers more than sixty (60!) different designs at $25/ea (with a nice certificate). Each badge has its own sweet phrase and illustrated imagery. They really are wonderful. Lee's merit badges are silk-screened, hand-painted and then embroidered.

A few badges from the Be Proud collection.


Mama Merit Badges
are another creative twist on the same theme with a more modest price point ($5/ea) but far fewer designs (13) from which to choose. Amy Bowers created this off-beat series of badges to recognize the very hard work that is parenting - the "daily duties that alternately feel like drudgery, brave political acts, and absurd performance art."

Disorderly Goods created a set of twelve (12) creative merit badges for "excellence in life." Here are my three favorites.  Others depict unusual things like molecules and inkblots.

And finally, here's a mosaic made out of thousands of scout badges by the Northern Star Council.  Watch their time-lapse film below:


Vintage Merit Badges are Incredibly Collectible
You can often find the perfect badge for someone you know amongst the thousands of vintage scouting badges available on eBay. Here's a quick look at what's available now:

VINTAGE BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGES & PATCHES JAMBOREE 1950's no regatta MNTS 22 LOT
VINTAGE BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGES & PATCHES JAMBOREE 1950's no regatta MNTS 22 LOT
$51.00 (6 Bids)
End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 9:52:06 PDT
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Vintage Boy Scouts Stange Eagle Medal Patch Pin Presentation Eagle Scout Kit
Vintage Boy Scouts Stange Eagle Medal Patch Pin Presentation Eagle Scout Kit
$79.00
End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 15:00:25 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $79.00
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Vintage 1960s BSA Boy Scouts Of America Troop Sash w/36 Badges Merit N Carolina
Vintage 1960s BSA Boy Scouts Of America Troop Sash w/36 Badges Merit N Carolina
$24.99 (1 Bid)
End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 17:00:44 PDT
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Vtg 1950s AIRMAN or AIR MECHANIC Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada White Back
Vtg 1950s AIRMAN or AIR MECHANIC Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada White Back
$13.00 (7 Bids)
End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 19:26:09 PDT
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Vtg 1950s CANOEMAN Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada Canoe White Back
Vtg 1950s CANOEMAN Proficiency Badge Boy Scouts Canada Canoe White Back
$10.50 (7 Bids)
End Date: Wednesday May-22-2013 19:30:47 PDT
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VINTAGE BOY or GIRL SCOUT SASH WITH FIFTEEN BADGES & PATCHES & AWARDS
VINTAGE BOY or GIRL SCOUT SASH WITH FIFTEEN BADGES & PATCHES & AWARDS
$20.00
End Date: Sunday Jun-16-2013 18:41:30 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $20.00
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Vintage 1960's Kansas City Boy Scout Sash w Badges Patches Mohawk District
Vintage 1960's Kansas City Boy Scout Sash w Badges Patches Mohawk District
$14.99
End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 8:16:04 PDT
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ViNtAgE BOY SCOUT LOT  MERIT BADGES  2 1950 JAMBOREE PATCHES & DIARY
ViNtAgE BOY SCOUT LOT MERIT BADGES 2 1950 JAMBOREE PATCHES & DIARY
$19.27 (4 Bids)
End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 13:48:11 PDT
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Vintage Girl Scouts Sash w Merit Badges Patches, c.1940's - 60's? - Wichita, KS
Vintage Girl Scouts Sash w Merit Badges Patches, c.1940's - 60's? - Wichita, KS
$10.00 (5 Bids)
End Date: Thursday May-23-2013 14:18:54 PDT
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Vintage Boy Scouts Stuff Collector Guide inc Uniforms Patches Merit Badges Etc
Vintage Boy Scouts Stuff Collector Guide inc Uniforms Patches Merit Badges Etc
$31.50
End Date: Tuesday May-28-2013 1:07:25 PDT
Buy It Now for only: $31.50
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Vintage Air Scout Aviation Merit Badges & More - Rare!!
Vintage Air Scout Aviation Merit Badges & More - Rare!!
$180.50 (7 Bids)
End Date: Friday May-24-2013 11:00:35 PDT
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Vintage Boy Scouts Sash, 40's 50's; 5 Square Patches, 4 Pins, 18 Merit Badges
Vintage Boy Scouts Sash, 40's 50's; 5 Square Patches, 4 Pins, 18 Merit Badges
$12.51 (3 Bids)
End Date: Friday May-24-2013 12:27:20 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Do you know of other sources for creative merit badges? Do you have a great story to tell involving badges you've given or received? Post a comment and let us know about it!

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Our Fellow Collectors

Posted January 29th, 2011 by Lea Redmond and filed in odds & ends, things found, you can participate

Thank you to all the folks who submitted photos of their wonderful collections in response to the call for submissions in our recent post: "The Collector: Earn Your Own Badge." I absolutely loved seeing the wide variety of collectibles, and the wondrous ways in which they're all so lovingly curated and displayed. Here are a few highlights - enjoy!

Vintage typewriters!

Great mid-century modern colors!

That's a lot of stamps!

That's a lot of stamps!

These remind me of a great kids' book - Spoon!

These remind me of a great kids' book called Spoon by my friend Amy KR!

Puka shells!

Puka shells!

A little bit scary...

Sarah's awesome collection of hands, with Serpico keeping watch.

Check out the really small ones on the top shelf.

Check out the really small ones on the top shelf.

I suddenly feel very calm.

I suddenly feel very calm.

Makes me hungry for a sandwich.

Makes me hungry for a sandwich.

A thousand and one ways to roll the dice.

A thousand and one ways to roll the dice.

These hair-rollers almost remind me of geologic striations.

These hair-rollers almost remind me of geologic striations.

This must be life without Netflix. That's a lot of DVDs!

This must be life without Netflix. That's a lot of DVDs!

I can almost hear the ocean.

I can almost hear the ocean.

My little nephew would go crazy for all these books.

Lisa's prized collection of children's books.

A well curated cabinet of small wonders.

A well curated cabinet of small wonders.

The natural world - neatly organized for all to admire.

The natural world - neatly organized for all to admire by a curious 2-year old.

A fresh bracelet for each day of the year.

A fresh bracelet for each day of the year.

Simply charming.

Simply charming.

Michelle's "Discarded Animal Reserve Collection" of found creatures.

Michelle's "Discarded Animal Reserve Collection" of creatures found abandoned in streets from San Francisco to Berlin.

6-year old Owen's "treasure jars" of found objects. Jar #4 is in the works.

6-year old Owen's "treasure jars" of found objects. Jar #4 is in the works.

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When I was a child…

Posted July 24th, 2008 by Lea Redmond and filed in made by Lea, odds & ends

My mom just dug this out of storage. Wow!
I was eight when I made this. Notice the
sweet dispensing action.

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