How to Make Butterfly Embellishments

Small, sparkling butterflies add a touch of whimsy, magic and elegance to anything they grace, from clothing and fashion accessories to party tables, home decorations, wedding accents and everything in between. Give a standard, simple object a magical, whimsical touch by making and adding your own homemade butterfly embellishments to plain-looking gifts or other items. Use simple materials such as paper and clay to form small, charming butterfly embellishments to attach to a variety of objects in playful or stylish ways.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Scissors
• Construction paper, decorative paper or card stock
• Air dry modeling clay
• Butterfly cookie cutter
• Clear spray sealer
• Glitter or shimmer powder
• Craft or super glue

Instructions

Paper Butterflies

1. Purchase a wooden butterfly shape template from a craft store or use a stencil to make one yourself. Draw the shape onto a plain piece of paper and cut it out.

2. Use the template to trace the butterfly shape onto a piece of construction paper, decorative paper or card stock.

3. Cut the butterfly shape out from the decorative paper.

4. Fold the butterfly in half and make a small, “V” shaped notch in the center of the fold. Embellish wine glasses, thin photo frames, mirrors or other objects with a thin edge by pushing the butterfly notch onto the edge of glass, plastic or wood to hold it in place.

5. Gently spread wings apart to give the appearance that the butterfly has just landed on the item you have adorned with this embellishment.

Clay Butterflies

1. Roll a small ball of clay between your hands and press it down like a pancake onto a flat surface. Use more or less clay depending on the desired size and thickness of the butterfly embellishment.

2. Position a butterfly cookie cutter over the clay cake and firmly press it into the clay, removing excess clay from the edges before lifting the cutter away.

3. Allow the clay butterfly to dry completely according to clay instructions.

4. Spray your hardened clay butterfly with a coat of clear spray sealer, sprinkle or dust on a little glitter or shimmer powder, and dry completely according to sealer instructions.

5. Use super glue or craft glue to affix clay butterfly embellishments to photo frames and albums, jewelry boxes, bookshelves, gifts, coffee mugs or other items.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate butterfly embellishments with glitter glue pens, puffy paint, markers, colored pencils, small rhinestones or other craft items for an elegant, playful or stylish effect.

• Glue a magnet to the back of butterflies to embellish magnetic surfaces such as refrigerators, metal filing cabinets and magnetic dry erase boards.

• Use a small clay sculpting tool or a toothpick to etch detail lines onto clay butterfly wings before drying.

• Push an ornament hook through clay butterflies before drying to make hanging butterfly ornaments for embellishing Christmas trees, windows, rearview mirrors, dresser drawers or other objects and places where a small butterfly can hang.

• Use spray sealer in a well-ventilated area.