Coffee Filter Butterfly

A lot of my friends have young kids so I’ve been trying to gather some kid friendly crafts. This is one I remember doing at camps and in Girl Scouts. It’s simple and fun but can be spiced up a bit if you want to play around.

I used:

Coffee filters (2 per butterfly)

Pipe cleaner

Water soluble markers

Spray bottle with water in it

Hand towel

Flatten out the coffee filters as much as possible and use the water-soluble markers to color them in. Fill them in as much as possible and use lots of colors for the best outcome. I set my colored coffee filters on an old towel or a bit of old paper to absorb the water from the next step.

With your spray bottle, spritz your coffee filters. Try not to get them too wet or all the marker will drain off. I’ve found that 3 or 4 good sprays in the middle will melt the colors together and keep them vibrant. In about 10-15 minutes when the filters are dry, accordion fold them like I have shown. You could also just scrunch the middle, but I like how the accordion fold makes the butterfly look.

Place both folded coffee filters together and wrap the center of your pipe cleaner around the middle of your filters. Gently pull apart the ends of your coffee filters so they look more like wings. Then twist your pipe cleaner a couple of times to make the body of your butterfly and curl each of the ends to make cute antennae. If you want to add a little more decoration you can put beads on the antennae or use them to make the body. And if you want to add details to the wings that won’t get blended by the water, use a permanent marker!

You can use this style of “painting” to make more than just butterflies. I’ve used it to make nametags, cards, and wall décor! The options are endless 😊 and it’s a great excuse to go through old markers! As always, if you take any fun pictures of any crafts, tag me on Instagram @SmileMakePeopleWonder and use the hashtag #DandelionSmiles. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next exciting idea!