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Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial
There’s something magical about a handmade card—especially one as intricate and interactive as today’s lace butterfly card. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create a dimensional piece that’s the perfect fit for many occasions. 🦋
This lace butterfly card offers a nice change of pace from the usual folded card. It has layers, movement, and a handmade touch that makes it feel extra thoughtful. Today, I’ll show you how to put one together with the help of a handy printable!
These fabulous lace butterfly cards were created by @kelatcocoblueboutique (left) and @thejoyfulwritinggirl (right). 1. Print Out the Medium Lace Butterfly Illustration
To make this butterfly card, start by printing out the Medium Lace Butterfly Illustration from the Printable Illustrated Lace Butterflies bundle. I recommend printing it out on 32# laserjet paper, though 70#-80# drawing paper should work just as well.
You can find the Printable Lace Butterfly Bundle here. It includes this lace butterfly in a variety of sizes. As a free alternative, I made a free blank butterfly for you to print out if you’d like! You can find the blank butterfly by clicking here, then you can print it out and draw your own design in it.
2. Cut Along the Butterfly Outline
Use a pair of scissors to cut the butterfly out. The outline is pretty simple, so there’s no need for a precise cutting tool like a hobby knife.
It’s okay if your cutout isn’t perfect. The design is so intricate that no one will notice if you, say, accidentally took a little more off a wing than you were supposed to! 3. Trace Around the Butterfly Cutout
Your butterfly card consists of three parts: a cardstock base, a middle layer of your choice, and the lacy top layer. You already have the top layer, so now you should pick a middle layer. I chose to use a page from an old book, but you could use a variety of materials: newspaper, wrapping paper, handmade paper, magazine paper … whatever you like! Once you’ve chosen the middle layer, lay your butterfly cutout face down on it, and trace around the butterfly in pencil.
It’s a good idea to trace around the butterfly face-down so you don’t get pencil marks on the front. Now, cut around the pencil guidelines that you just made.
At this point, you’re 2/3 of the way done! Finish up by choosing a strong, hardy paper like cardstock or watercolor paper. Trace around your butterfly cutout on that hardy paper, then cut along the guidelines.
You should now have three layers: the hardy base, the middle, and the illustrated lace butterfly top. 4. Apply Glue
Use the edge of a glue stick or a pointed tip to apply glue to the middle of the cardstock or watercolor paper.
I used the pen tip of Tombow Mono Liquid Glue to apply adhesive to the butterfly. Whatever glue you have at home should be fine, though! After you have applied the glue, place your middle butterfly layer on top of the cardstock or watercolor paper. Press down on the middle of the butterfly to help the glue to adhere the two layers together. Then, apply glue on top of the middle layer.
Finish up by gluing the top layer to the middle layer.
At this point, your three layers should be attached to each other with glue — but only on the middle part. You want to make sure the wings are free! 5. Add a Greeting
You can flip the card around as you wait for the glue to dry, then write or calligraph the greeting of your choice on the back (I used Janet Style calligraphy to write “Happy Birthday!” with iron gall ink). This is also a great place to write a more detailed message for your recipient.
Write your greeting (and a message) on the back of your card. 6. Fold the Wings
Now, we’re going to give the card some dimension! To fold the wings, start by lining up a piece of paper with the left side of the butterfly’s body (just to the left of the center, past where the glue is). Use the edge of the cardstock to fold the left side of the illustrated butterfly layer over to the right. Then, use your finger or a bone folder to make a firm crease.
If you would prefer not to use your finger to make a crease, a bone folder is a great alternative. Keep your piece of paper where it is, and fold over the middle layer as well. Again, use your finger to make a crisp crease.
Make sure you only fold over the first and second butterfly layers. The third layer should stay flat. Gently unfold the wings on the left side, and repeat the same process for the wings on the right. Once you finish folding, you’ll be rewarded with a butterfly whose wings rest at a pleasant elevation — similar to a real butterfly’s. To send the card, simply slip it into an A7 envelope! It will be a perfect fit, and when the recipient pulls the card out, the wings will spring back to life.
I love this butterfly card because it’s so artistic and unique! It looks beautiful at rest on a flat surface, and it’s also stunning when displayed vertically. Other Lacy Butterfly Projects
These illustrated lace butterflies are a favorite of mine, and something that I find myself printing again and again! Here are some of the ways that I’ve used the butterfly printables:
Butterfly “Confetti”
The tiny-sized butterflies in the bundle make for a delightful, non-messy envelope confetti surprise. Include 3-6 butterflies in the next envelope that you send for a lovely effect!
Mail Art Decoupage
You can alternate between small- and tiny-sized butterflies to make playful, contrast-filled mail art.
Fold-Out Butterfly Thank You Card
You can create a different, more traditional sort of greeting card by tracing around the large butterfly and filling it in with calligraphy. Then, use the large butterfly and a couple of tiny butterflies to add a surprise to the inside of the card! Find a tutorial here.
You can use the Small Butterfly to mark your place in a book. It’s a simple utilization, but pleasing to the eye. I hope that you enjoyed this tutorial and that you can make use of the Lace Butterfly Printables! Remember, for a free alternative, you are more than welcome to print out the Blank Butterfly Outline. If you go that route, get creative with it! You can fill in your blank butterfly with any motif that speaks to you.
Thanks very, very much for reading TPK, and have a wonderfully creative weekend!
Warmly,
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