butterfly wreath tutorial

Spring officially arrived this weekend and I be celebrating one of my favorite seasons with all kinds of projects in the weeks ahead. The first is a wreath made from recycled book pages that have been transformed into whimsical butterflies. I love butterflies they are little creatures full of the most amazing color, details and a true symbol of change. Did you know that butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales, each in a different color? Quite simply amazing if I may say so!

Anyway...I digress...lets get started!

Start with an old book- (I had one left over from my last event where we altered old encyclopedia pages)

Draw an outline of a butterfly- this can be detailed and perfect or a simple doodle- it is up to you!

Fill with paint. I used watercolors so that the words from my page would show through but you could also use acrylic paint, markers, colored pencils, etc.

Create enough butterflies to fill the surface of your wreath.

Cut out the butterflies, leaving a little bit of the extra page showing around the edges.

Use strips of the pages to wrap around the wreath- I used tacky glue.

Once the wreath is covered, begin to attach your butterflies to the surface of the wreath. I applied glue just down the middle of my butterfly and glued down.

Layer and stack the butterflies along the entire surface. Bend and fold the wings to give more dimension.

I make A LOT of stuff and so far this might be my favorite- it just make me smile!