Today I decided to make a butterfly tree to celebrate Spring! I got the idea from seeing Oz the Great and Powerful over the weekend. One of my favorite visual scenes from the movie was when all the butterflies flew out of the tree shortly after Oscar landed in Oz. When I got home I thought it would be fun to make my own butterfly tree, so I searched around for one to model it after and I looked around on Pinterest. Nothing I found matched my vision, so I decided to wing it. Here’s what I came up with!
I started to make the butterflies from tissue paper, then I decided I’d like to have something a little more durable, so I grabbed some ribbon. Here’s what I did:
DIY Butterfly Tree
Materials:
- 2 colors 7/8 inch sheer nylon ribbon- I used blue and purple
- black pipe cleaners
- a branch or two off of a tree
- floral Styrofoam
- a vase or floral container
- some rocks or marbles to add weight to the bottom of your container
- paper shreds to match your ribbon
Instructions:
1. Cut a 2 to 3 foot branch off of a tree. We’ve been doing a little pruning and cutting back our trees for spring, so I grabbed one of the branches and brought it in the house.
2. Add some rocks or marbles to the bottom of your container for weight so the branch doesn’t make it top heavy.
3. Cut the floral foam to fit snugly in the container.
4. Stick the base of the branch through the floral foam in the center of the container.
5. Add some paper shreds around the top to cover up the floral foam. You could also use some moss, or decorative stones.
6. Make the butterflies by cutting 2 inch pieces of ribbon, one of each color. Wrap the pipe cleaner around a branch on the tree, then wrap it around the center of the two pieces of ribbon. Twist the ends together, leaving a little bit loose on the tips for the butterflies antennae.
7. Repeat the process to add as many butterflies as you want.
The butterfly tree was super easy to make, and it turned out very pretty. It’s hard to see it in the photos, but I love the splash of color it adds to my front entryway. It’s the perfect touch to celebrate the coming of Spring!