Tutorial: Embossed Butterflies

I really hate to throw anything out of my kits and love to use things like the packaging the flowers come in for matting my photos or making a fun embellishments. This month as soon as I saw the cardboard backing piece in two of the Prima flower packages, I knew I just had to use them one my layouts. I used some of the background paper as matting behind one of my photo's and used some of the extra middle scraps from it to make these little Embossed Butterflies. Here is what you'll need to make the little butterflies I made for the above l/o.....

You will need:
~Cardboard backing from the flowers in the kit
~florist wire (I cut mine from the roses in the kit, I only used the flower heads on my l/o's so rather than discard the stem I saved them for the butterfly antenea)
~some chalk ink & scissors
~a small foam matt (the type you get with stamp sets, or you can use a mouse pad from your computer)
~a stylus or embossing tool (see photo)....a dull pencil could do the trick in a pinch.
~a tiny bit of modeling clay (I used some of my kids fun foam clay, it's a non-bake clay that air dries to a soft spongy consistancy)
~glue
~I like to collect different shapes of butterflies to use on my layouts. When I cut a butterfly out of some patterned paper I always make a little 'template' butterfly to use for future layouts (brown butterfly in photo).

Step 1

Trace out and butterfly shape onto the patterned cardboard backing paper from your Prima flower package. Cut out with a pair of scissors, then lightly ink here and there with a little bit of chalk inks (I used Chestnut, Denim blue and Wisteria on mine)...


Step 2

Lay your butterfly cut-out facedown on the foam matt, then use your ball tip stylus (or embossing tool.....or a dull rounded tip pencil) and draw some lines on the wings pushing down firmly as seen in photo below.....


Step 3

I snipped the stem from one of the blooms in the kit and folded it in half. I twisted a little loop onto each end (I also painted my wire with some white paint so that it would show up better on the page but that is optional).....



Step 4

I now just used a tiny piece of air-dry modeling clay and wrapped it around the bottom part of the wire to create the butterfly body....


Step 5

Now you simply take your embossed wings and slightly fold them upwards to give them a bit more of a 3D look, just so they look like they are lifting off the page a little. Next glue the butterfly body to the center of your Butterfly. You can also add a little glitter glue to the body of the butterfly for a little more sparkle. Here are a couple more of my finished butterflies up close....

The 5th of each month is Reveal Day for the My Creative Scrapbook kits, so please do come back and have a look at the full page I made with these embellishments (I've got lot's of things to share with you all on the 5th!) Thanks for stopping by!

~Gabrielle xxx