Ever since I saw Maria McGuire’s Butterfly and Butterfly Duo stencils I wanted to make a book out of them. Well, I finally did it! And along the way…made a few Oopsies but one totally pushed me to use a tool in my studio that I try to avoid at all costs! You can see in the video what happened and how wonderful an Oops can be!
Watch Building a Butterfly Book on YouTube.
To create the covers for each section of the book, stencil the butterflies on any colorful paper you have. Next, cut them out. I didn’t cut them very carefully and I certainly wasn’t going to cut out the antennae…hope the butterflies forgive me.
I created the inside pages out of a fun pad of paper from the office supply store. Any paper will work to do this so use whatever you have around from notebook paper to plain paper or patterned paper!
I pulled out the sewing machine to attach the butterflies together. I’m not a knowledgable seamstress in any way but I can do a quick line of stitches. You can tell in the video that I am not one with my sewing machine because it took me a moment to find the reverse button. The good thing is for this, I don’t have to be a master of it…I just needed a straight line. Actually, the straight line didn’t even need to be straight!
The finished book, which thanks to the Oopsies led to the bonus pop of color inside. I love that the wings and papers pop up adding a fluttering feeling to it all!
Here are the supplies I used. Some of these links are affiliate links which means I get a small percentage. It doesn’t cost you anything extra and you are helping me keep this blog and my videos ad free! Thank you- I don’t like ads any more than you do!
This is so freaking adorable! I have to look at my stencils to see what I have that can create a similar book. Just love it!
Love it. Can so tell Maria’s work right away, so different from your stencils, which I also love. Great project. xox
I may just have to do this! I have that stencil and I love butterflies! Beautiful!
I kinda figured that the dreaded tool was going to be the ruler, LOL! Those are beautiful stencilled butterflies and you made a gorgeous book with them!
Loved this.
What a great project and one I’d like to make for my girlfriends 6 year old daughter for Christmas!! She loves butterflies 🙂
I don’t have a sewing machine so is there another way you can suggest I can stitch all the butterflies together? Maybe punch holes and hand stitch them?
Thank you for this awesome project and I can’t wait to get started!
Kristen
She’d love a journal like this Kristen! I say hand stitch away..and you can add a little glue between the butterfly covers for extra stability.
This is so inventive, Carolyn! Just adorable. I could even imagine you making two and somehow affixing them back to back – could be an ornament? Or am I going too far……LOL…….
Saw it when you were making it and loved it then….now to see it in this video and photos…let’s just say I’m smiling 🙂 🙂
This is so cool! Thinking of all the different ways to use this butterfly. Decorate a present or use as a springtime ornament, oooohhh make into wearable art. Be the present. L?VE THIS!