Monday, June 01, 2009

Butterfly-Shaped Letter paper





This butterfly shaped writing paper will be a delight to write on, and provide a cheerful greeting for a loved one. If you prefer a different shape for your butterfly, you can draw your own pattern just by folding a piece of paper in half and drawing half of your butterfly, leaving the folded edge intact. Cut out the shape in whatever colors you like.




This is a very old paper craft, made with thin, pastel typing paper, which comes in a package of 4 or 5 colors. It does not work well with fancy papers or papers with thickness.



Cut all four sizes, each in a different color, using the templates provided at the end of this post. At this point, you might like to just use the larger page and cut several of them, instead of the graduated sizes for pages. My drawings are all free hand, so they are not accurate, and you may have to adjust your butterflies by trimming them to the right sizes. You can punch holes in the middle and thread curly ribbon or some other kind of string or trim, and tie it on the inside...



...or, you can put a strip of glue on the back of each piece and glue the pages down that way. Stack all the pieces together and center them as best you can, by making sure the colors all show evenly on the edges. This is what it looks like with punched holes and a curly ribbon tie.






Fold the letter in half after you write on the pages, keeping the tied ribbon on the inside, so that it will not be too bulky inside the envelope.




This folded butterfly fits quite easily inside a card envelope. Remember, you can also cut your butterfly all the same size if you like. However, these graduated sizes look so pretty in the colors, don't you think?



Use childrens glitter poster paints to paint around the edges for this effect. If you only have plain paper, there is no end to what you can do with this project. I have added a butterfly booklet with glitterized edges, using a solid glue stick.


I have been getting so many ideas about subjects to post, or crafts, that I have had an awful time deciding where to start. That is why there have not been a lot of posts lately.








Highlight this pattern, and then paste it on your open office or your word pad, or whatever will let you do it. Then print it out. I hope this works for you, but if it does not, you can get an idea how to draw it.






4 comments:

Lori said...

How lovely!! What a wonderful idea! Thank you for posting this!

Marqueta (Mar-kee-ta) G. said...

Dear Lady Lydia,

How fun that would be for a stationery-making party for girls! You are always so inspiring.

Blessings to you,

Marqueta

Diane Shiffer said...

how cute! my oldest daughter loves butterflies, and i know she'd enjoy this project!

Briana said...

I love butterflys and this craft is so darling!!!
I tried my hand at making one yesterday and it turned out wonderfully. It didn't look near as good as yours but I do really like the way it turned out. Thank you for all the craft posts. I really have been encouraged by reading your blog.
Scincerely,
Briana