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Crafts Home Decor Trash To Treasure

Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

If you follow me on Facebook, you saw this Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath I found on Pinterest. A few of us were commenting on how to make it and inspired each other to take this project on ourselves (Thank you, Elise, Rose, Katie, Jo, Michelle, and Zach & Lois… you all are the best!). 

The best part?  This wreath cost me NOTHING!  This is my version.

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

I ended up making two, a large one and a small one.  Here is my tutorial on how to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath.

Time: One to two hours

 

Step One: Make the butterflies

Materials:

  • Old damaged book, map, magazine, etc.
  • Scissors
  • Pencil

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

I used an old damaged book I had from another recycled book page wreath I made last year.  At first I used a butterfly stencil that I had but after tracing and cutting the first three, I thought it’d be more fun to free hand them instead.  It’s easiest to fold the page in half and draw half the butterfly so that you have two identical sides.  Use a pencil so that you can erase any lines if need be.

 

Step Two: Gather the branches and prep them

Gather your branches.   Remove any leaves from the branches and soak the naked branches in water.  This makes it easier to work with and will cause less breakage.

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

 

Step Three: Construct the wreath

Materials:

  • Wire hanger (one for small wreath, two for large wreath)
  • Prepped Branches
  • Water
  • Sink
  • Hot glue

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

Simply unwind the wire and create a circle, twisting the end together. One by one, wrap, twist, and tuck each branch around your wreath until you have the desired width.

Allow your wreath to dry.  (Optional step) Once it is dried, on the BACK of the wreath, use a hot glue gun to secure and loose branches.

 

Step Four: Assemble the Butterflies

Materials:

  • Pre-cut butterflies from step one
  • Plastic Beads, Pearls, Shells (anything you want to use for the bodies)
  • Hemp string (I found this to work best so that the antennas will stay erect)
  • Scissors
  • Hot Glue

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

You can use whatever your heart desires for the bodies.  I chose to use plastic beads and hemp string.  Using a hot glue gun, glue your beads together and while the glue s still hot, insert your antennas (as shown).  Next, glue the body onto your butterfly.  Make sure the butterfly wings are folded up so that they appear as if they are in flight.

 

Step Five: Attach the Butterflies to Your Wreath

Materials:

  • Assembled butterflies from step four
  • Constructed wreath from step three

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

I placed the butterflies on the wreath and moved them around to arrange them in the order and position I wanted BEFORE I used the hot glue.

Ta Da!

Here is a photo of the large wreath.

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

 

Here is a photo of the small version.

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

 

You can make these wreaths for the holidays and embellish them as you wish!  I hope you try it!  Email me a photo if you do… oh and say hi! 🙂 dwulf@diyinspired.com

How to make a Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath out of pages from a damaged book and branches.

For more repurposing ideas and trash to treasure ideas, check out this fun round-up of garage sale and thrift store transformations! There are over two dozen original projects I have done including housewares and furniture transformations.

Update: I originally wrote this post on August 22, 2012. I had these wreaths for four years! I ended up throwing them away after they were damaged in a move.

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Comments

  1. sierra says

    August 22, 2012 at 8:18 am

    WOW!!! This is amazing! Love it!

    Reply
  2. Teresa says

    August 22, 2012 at 8:20 am

    love it

    Reply
  3. Taji says

    August 22, 2012 at 8:23 am

    So pretty! Love it!

    Reply
    • dwulf says

      August 22, 2012 at 8:31 am

      Thank you, Everyone!!!

      Reply
    • Richard says

      January 7, 2013 at 7:38 am

      Whoa. I am in love with this!! The butterflies are magical!

      Reply
  4. Jaime says

    August 23, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    Gonna have to try this! Love it!

    Reply
    • dwulf says

      September 3, 2012 at 8:23 pm

      Thank you, Jaime!

      Reply
  5. Joanna says

    August 29, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    so cool!

    Reply
    • dwulf says

      August 29, 2012 at 2:31 pm

      Thank you so much!!

      Reply
  6. Ann Marie Miller says

    September 3, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    Great job on this. I found you through picket fnce blogs. new fan and I love your website

    Reply
    • dwulf says

      September 3, 2012 at 8:22 pm

      Thank you so much!!! I TRULY appreciate it, Ann!!

      Reply
  7. Craft Mom says

    September 8, 2012 at 11:16 am

    You are so creative. This is so cool. I love it. I have a similar tree in my back yard and this wreath looks easy enough for me to make. Thanks

    Reply
    • dwulf says

      September 8, 2012 at 11:21 am

      I hope you try it out! Post it on my Facebook page if your like! I’d love to see it! http://www.facebook.com/diyinspired

      Reply
  8. Emily H. says

    October 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm

    You did such a great job on this! I wish I was this crafty. I may try it with a store bought wreath, though! Thanks… it’s super cute.

    Reply
  9. Jessica Scott says

    April 25, 2013 at 5:26 am

    I LOVE this idea! You have some really classy-looking DIY projects on here! I’ll definitely be back!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      April 25, 2013 at 7:23 am

      Thank you so much Jessica! I had a great time making ALL of them (I’m obsessed)! Thank you for stopping by!

      Reply
  10. Patricia says

    September 30, 2015 at 9:22 am

    This is genius! I’ve been wanting to make a wreath but without spending on an overpriced craft store wreath. So glad you shared this 😀

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      September 30, 2015 at 9:36 am

      Thank you, Patricia! I made these a while ago and they are still holding strong!

      Reply
  11. Dawn Burnside says

    October 20, 2017 at 6:33 am

    What a beautiful wreath. This really is so doable & so attractive. I have plenty of old books & can’t wait to get my glue gun out. Thanks for the inspiration. P.S.. I’m so glad I found your blog through Shabbyfufu!

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      October 20, 2017 at 9:38 am

      Thank you so much, Dawn! I’ll have to check it out!

      Reply
  12. Dana says

    April 14, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    How do you keep the paper and string from “wilting or curling” in humid weather. I live in the south and Im sure you know how humid that can be. Thanks

    Reply
    • Dinah Wulf says

      April 14, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Hi Dana! You can try spraying a couple coats of clear acrylic glaze to it. It works on paper and protects from moisture. Here is my affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2GXmLTr

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Summer 2012 Project Round Up - DIY Inspired says:
    January 23, 2017 at 9:50 am

    […] Recycled Book Page Butterfly Wreath – Full step by step photo tutorial for a wreath I made out of an old book, a coat hanger, and branches from my back yard. […]

    Reply
  2. Een vlinderkrans van oude boeken en takken | Huisje Tuintje Boompje says:
    January 25, 2018 at 5:01 am

    […] Bron: https://diyinspired.com/recycled-book-page-butterfly-wreath/ […]

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