butterflies Archives - Tarnished Royalty

Welcome to DIY Double Dip Flip! Heather and I are excited to share our fourth project in this series where we start with an inspiration piece from either fashion or decor, then we each show you our unique take on how to use the idea to create something entirely different in decor or fashion. For this month’s inspiration I chose a Butterfly Smoking Slipper by Jon Josef.

………………………………………………………………………The Shoes

I first fell in love with these adorable smoking slippers because of the style and colors. Then the butterflies jumped out at me. I had been planning on making some art work using a bunch of helicopters (a.k.a. maple seeds) I had gathered and I knew a butterfly would be the perfect subject.

And now I give you my flip for this month:

I picked up an old window at the flea market for $10. I decided on a coral color scheme and created an ombre effect by mixing the paint myself.

I love the way the helicopters look in their natural dried state, so I chose to leave them that way for the outer and inner borders of the butterfly.

Now for the how to portion of the post. To create your own maple seed butterfly art you’ll need:

1) Maple Seeds (a.k.a. helicopters)
2) Old Window or Framed Glass
3) Craft Paints
4) Glue (I used E-6000)

Spring and fall are the best times to gather maple seeds. After you collect them you’ll want to allow them to dry out. You can accelerate the drying process by laying them out in a single layer in a window sill. After a few days they will fade to the desired color.

Decide on a color scheme and buy or mix your paint. If an ombre effect is desired you can start with the darkest paint as your base and then mix in white or cream to lighten the formula each time you paint a new layer.

Draw or print out an outline of a butterfly sized to fit the frame you are using.

Place the drawing beneath the glass, centered within your frame. Begin gluing the helicopters around the outer edge, following the general shape of the outline as shown.