BOTANICAL GARDEN BUTTERFLY

We here in central Wisconsin are so starved for spring. Oh wait. It was nice for three days in March. Maybe THAT was our spring! This morning the thermometer read a balmy 27 degrees. I am certain the poor robins are wondering just what they came back for.

In attempting to inject something spring-y into at least our crafting lives, I present a flowery butterfly in my card today. This was a card my girls created at the April Stamp-In Workshop:

If you cannot already tell, the butterfly is created from the washi tapes that will be retiring May 31. Once a scrap of white cardstock was covered neatly with lines of the washi tape, it was cut out with the medium of the Butterflies Thinlits. Using the washi tape in combination with the delicacy of the butterfly framelit gives a wondrously fluffy and subtle butterfly.

Something that is so popular in cardmaking right now is the addition of loops of a string-y medium such as baker's twine, metallic thread, or floss, set behind a focal point.

I tried and tried and tried, became so frustrated, and tried again, to get this to look just right. All to no avail, until I came upon a trick that works admirably and that I was happy to share with my workshop girls, and will now share with you. (Read on.)

By adding the adhesive only to the body of the butterfly, once it dries, you are able to gently lift the wings to give dimension to the card. In lieu of antennae, I simply added three of our Basic Pearls, one in each of the sizes, in that spot.

I'd like to share with you the supplies and instructions to make one of these pretty cards for yourself.

SUPPLIES:

Rose Wonder stamp set

Whisper White cardstock

Basic Black cardstock

Cajun Craze cardstock

Mint Macaron cardstock

Scrap of white cardstock

Botanical Gardens Designer Series Paper (retiring)

Black ink

Mossy Meadow ink (retiring)

Big Shot

Oval Collection Framelits

Rose Garden Thinlits

Butterflies Thinlits

Fluttering Embossing Folder

Stampin' Dimensionals

Botanical Gardens Designer Washi Tape (retiring)

Black Baker's Twine

Basic Pearls

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Whisper White cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Run a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Cajun Craze cardstock through the Big Shot inside the Fluttering embossing folder. Adhere this to the card base.

From a sheet of your favorite Botanical Gardens Designer Series Paper, use the Ovals Collection Framelits to cut an oval that measures 3 1/2" x 2 5/8", Use the 2 3/8" x 3" oval framelit to cut an oval from Mint Macaron cardstock. Run this oval through the Big Shot inside the Fluttering embossing folder.

Take a length of black baker's twine that measures 24-30" and make loops on the back of the butterfly oval, securing them on the back of the oval. 

TO MAKE THIS PROCESS SOMEWHAT EASIER, ADD A FEW STRIPS OF SNAIL ADHESIVE TO THE BACK OF THE EMBOSSED MINT MACARON OVAL. AS YOU MAKE YOUR LOOPS, BE SURE THAT THE BAKER'S TWINE STICKS ONTO THOSE STRIPS OF ADHESIVE TO HOLD YOUR LOOPS IN PLACE. IF, WHEN YOU TURN IT TO THE FRONT, THE LOOPS ARE UNEVEN OR UNPLEASING IN SOME WAY, IT IS EASY TO LIFT THAT OFFENDING PIECE FROM THE ADHESIVE AND GENTLY ADJUST IT UNTIL YOU ARE HAPPY. I know all the instructions tell you to bunch the string in your hand, but whenever I try that, that is exactly what I end up with: an unruly bunch of string that adds absolutely no charm to my creation whatsoever. This, at least, gives me some control, and it rarely fails. It is also so easy to do.

Adhere this oval to the DSP oval with Stampin' Dimensionals. Adhere the completed oval set onto the Cajun Craze piece, giving it approximately even borders on the sides and top.

Cut a piece of white cardstock that measures about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2". Carefully line up strips of tape horizontally from the Botanical Gardens Designer Washi Tape set, filling the piece completely with tape. Cut out the butterfly using the smaller Butterflies Thinlit from the tape-covered cardstock. Adhere the butterfly to the center of the green oval, gluing down only the body. Gently lift the wings upward.

Add three of the various-sized Basic Pearls in the empty space above the butterfly.

Add a strip of the yellow Washi Tape to a 3/4" x 4" piece of black cardstock, folding the ends of the tape neatly to the back of the black strip. Adhere this piece to the card front about 3/4" from the bottom of the Cajun Craze piece.

On a scrap of white cardstock, stamp the frame from the Rose Wonder stamp set in black ink, followed by the sentiment of choice in Mossy Meadow ink. Cut it out with the label Framelit from the Rose Garden Thinlits set. Adhere the sentiment over the yellow strip of Washi Tape with two Stampin' Dimensionals.

Butterfly

Smiles.