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Hot summer days always remind me of my childhood years when I and my friends would go to the nearby park and catch some brilliantly colored butterflies to bring home. These memories flash back when my baby girl (now 8 years old) brought home two butterflies with colors so blazingly attractive and said she’d decorate them in her room’s corner.
Interestingly, my baby girl’s wish of a butterfly-showered room is as easy as a snap of a finger. DIY chandelier butterflies is the answer. Moms out there are also invited to design and create butterfly inspired room of their preferred color and style.
Materials needed
– 16″ embroidery hoop (bigger or smaller depending the size of your mobile)
– (2) strips of 1/2″ balsa wood
– White acrylic paint
– Card stock paper (I used a nice shimmer card stock)
– A butterfly template made of heavier card stock (I used a 3″ X 3″ sized butterfly shape)
– Nylon thread and needle
– (17) medium size beads
– (78) small beads
– (1) small metal or plastic ring
– Glue gun, scissors, cutting mat and pencil
Here’s how to do it:
1. Draw (95) butterflies on your choice of card stock paper using a butterfly template.
2. Cut out each butterfly.
3. Use only the inside ring of the embroidery hoop
4. Cut balsa wood into (4) strips to fit across the diameter if the hoop.
5. Glue these strips across the diameter of the hoop like a pie and paint it
7. Cut (8) fishing line around 15 inches. Attach one end of the thread to the balsa wood and then attach the other end of the thread to the ring in the center to hang from the ceiling.
8. Place a medium size glass bead onto the first butterfly. Tie a knot using a small size bead leaving a space between butterflies. Continue until all the desired butterflies are on one string.
9. Repeat process for each string. You should end up with (8) sections on the hoop attached to (8) strings on the outer circle with (5) butterflies on each string / (8) strings in the middle part of the hoop with (6) butterflies on each string / and (1) string with (7) butterflies attached to the center of the hoop. This creates the hanging chandelier effect.
10. Lastly, glue some butterflies on the outside of the ring for a finishing touch and hang
Making my own butterfly chandelier for my daughter has been so rewarding. You may design your own butterfly chandelier with any theme of your choice depending on the occasion (e.g. Christmas, Halloween, etc.)
