Paper Butterfly 2

Written and Created by PaperCraftCentral Susan

Here's a way to decorate in Paper Butterfly 2, with many thanks to Maria.

"Love is like a butterfly,
it goes where it pleases
and it pleases where it goes"

~Anonymous

Maria from Keep Wine Simple sent me some pictures of the paper butterflies that are decorating the escalators at a Nieman Marcus store in California. I just had to show you the other three extra pictures she sent me.

Doesn't this look great? The store hung lots of single paper flutterbys individually from different lengths of string to make it seem shoppers were traveling through an indoor storm of beauty.

Make a Curtain of Butterflies in Paper Butterfly 2

Sometimes just seeing a lovely idea like this in real life at a shopping centre gives you the inspiration to try something like it for your own events and parties.These butterflies were spotted at a Neiman Marcus store in the USA and sent to me by a subscriber to PaperCraftCentral.com (thank you for sharing, Maria!)

I think the paper butterflies I show you how to make on PaperCraftCentral.com would be perfect to use in a similar way as a home decor project. I love making my own home decor, don't you?

This curtain of butterflies at the shopping centre could be made up of individually made paper butterflies like the one in the first picture below.

This time, let's think big with a papercraft idea.

Maria made lots of suggestions about how this idea could be used at a garden party, graduation, baby shower etc, and I think she is brilliant for thinking these ideas up. I can just imagine using vellum to make the pretty insects, and silver or gold or copper strings or ribbon to hang them for added glitter, or you may want to use a stiffer tissue paper or cellophane, or experiment with some Japanese origami papers to make them. Metallic designer series paper could also work well.

You could even combine these materials to make some really special decorations if you didn't want to make a curtain of them. Think picture frames covered in them, a mirror with a frame of them, the frame of a bedhead covered in them, a special door plaque for a child's room, or even a butterfly mobile for a baby's pram, bassinet or play gym.

Yo could make a paper wreath of them for your own front door to welcome the spring season.

Some adults would love them too, made into an elegant mobile. I would use metallic designer series papers for this so they would catch the light. Add some more bling with rhinestones, pearls or glitter embossing. This might suit a teenager's room also, or be light enough to use in a sick person's bedroom to bring a little whimsy to them and cheer them with the thought that you are thinking of them.

They could look wonderful hung in a window to catch the light. I imagine them made in embossed vellum for this idea. The light would certainly bring out the best in them!

I can also see them as a curtain in a doorway for people to walk (carefully!) through. Just attach butterflies at interval along door length hanging strings or ribbons.

Maybe you could cover the title page of a scrapbook album with butterflies, add them to your gift wrapping repertoire, or decorate plain boxes and containers with them.

The beauty of a papercraft idea is in how you can alter it to make it your own unique way of creating something special.

Maybe you can think of other lovely ways to use this paper butterfly idea?

If you can I hope you will tell me about it, and if you have a picture then all the better, as you can see from the ones Maria sent.

Pictures really do help us to visualise the possibilities we have at our fingertips with paper and a way to make something like these little butterflies.

If you are reading this, Maria, thank you again for taking the time to write to me and sending me some pictures of a beautiful way to decorate with paper.

I was able to make a Paper Butterfly 2 page with your ideas.

By the way, I saw some beautiful ideas in Thailand once too, using thousands of paper flowers to make a decoration to honour their Queen at a local shopping centre. Imagine being the crafter who made such a display! All it would take is a good plan, and the patience to make countless paper flowers.

Of course, you can use these giant ideas on a smaller scale. Stay alert when viewing large public displays for ideas about using your own skills to decorate at home. You never know how clever you will feel when you can translate your paper craft skills into your everyday life!

To continue the large display theme, you may like to know how to make giant paper flowers now.