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  • Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial

    by

    Lindsey Bugbee

    — 210 Comments

    , ,

    We’re in the middle of a gorgeous summer, and the butterflies are out in full force here in Colorado! If you’re looking for a seasonally appropriate “just because” card concept, try making this lacy butterfly card. 🦋

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    This lace butterfly card exemplifies elegance and creativity! In today’s tutorial, we’ll depart from the traditional greeting card format to produce an interactive, lovely piece that your recipient will want to put on display.

    1. Print Out the Medium Lace Butterfly Illustration

    To make this butterfly card, start by printing out the Medium Lace Butterfly Illustration, which you can find by clicking here. I recommend printing it out on 32# laserjet paper, though 70#-80# drawing paper should work just as well. I had every intention of making this butterfly illustration available for free, but it took way longer to draw than I had anticipated, so I decided to make it available for the price of a latte ($5).

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I love offering free printables on this blog! This not-so-little pen and ink illustration, though, took a ridiculous amount of time to draw — so I hope you won’t mind the nominal fee. The $5 cost includes the lace butterfly in a variety of sizes that are perfect for other projects! There is also a free alternative printable available.

    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 Out the Butterfly

    Use a pair of scissors to cut the butterfly out. The outlines are pretty clean, so there’s no need for a precise cutting tool like a hobby knife.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    It’s okay if your cut-out 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 Cut-Out

    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 cut-out face down on it, and trace around the butterfly in pencil.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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 cut-out on that hardy paper, then cut along the guidelines.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock

    Finish up by gluing the top layer to the middle layer.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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, and write or calligraph the greeting of your choice on the back. This is also a great place to write a more detailed message for your recipient.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I used Janet Style calligraphy to write “Happy Birthday” here. Elegant Janet Style complements the intricate lacy details on the front!

    6. Fold the Wings

    In my opinion, the 3D aspect of this butterfly card is the thing that helps to make it stand out! To fold the wings, start by lining up a piece of paper with the left side of the butterfly’s body (just 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.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    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 (5.25″ x 7.25″, 133 mm x 184 mm)! It will be a perfect fit, and when the recipient pulls the card out, the wings will spring back to life.

    Illustrated Lace Butterfly Card Tutorial | The Postman's Knock
    I love this butterfly card because it’s so artistic and unique! It looks beautiful at rest on a flat surface, and would also be stunning if displayed vertically. Put it in an A7 envelope (5.25″ x 7.25″, 133 mm x 184 mm) to send!

    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”

    Lace Butterflies as Envelope Confetti
    The Tiny Butterflies make for great, non-messy envelope “confetti”. Include 3-6 butterflies in the next envelope that you send for a lovely effect!

    Butterfly Wall Art

    Butterfly Wall Art | The Postman's Knock
    I used some tape to adhere a Large Butterfly, a Medium Butterfly, and a Small Butterfly to the wall. This makes for an *awesome* creative workspace decoration, or an imaginative addition to a child’s room. (If you plan on using your butterflies as wall decorations, try printing them off on cardstock so they’re nice and sturdy. Make sure you fold the wings up to give them dimension!)

    Butterfly Bookmark

    Butterfly Bookmark | The Postman's Knock
    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,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock

    This post was originally published in summer of 2018. It was updated in July 2021.