Celebrate spring with a burst of colour by making your very own floral paper roll butterfly. Transform simple recycled materials and make a sweet butterfly craft packed with pretty faux flowers! This standing butterfly decoration is perfect for brightening up your home, classroom, or party table.
This whimsical cardboard roll butterfly is so much fun for kids and tweens to make! And with just a few simple supplies, like a toilet paper roll and flowers in your favourite colour, you can create a cheerful butterfly that looks like it bloomed right out of a garden.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website.
How to Make a Floral Paper Roll Butterfly
Materials:
- FREE Printable Butterfly Template
- Thin cardboard (like from a cereal box)
- Fabric flowers (small; 2 colours)
- Fine tipped black marker
- Chalk pastels (pink; or marker or crayon)
- Toothpick(s)
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Prepare the wings
- Print large butterfly #3 (or another butterfly of your choice) from our free butterfly templates. You can find the link in the materials list above.
- Trace the template onto thin cardboard (like from a cereal box) and cut it out. Leave off the head and body – you only need the wings.
Step 3: Cover the wings in faux flowers
- Remove faux flowers from their greenery, cutting them so that they’re as flat as possible on the back.
- Add a dot of hot glue to the center back of a flower.
- Place the flower onto the butterfly outline. We found it best to start on the outside.
- Repeat, adding flowers around the outside of the butterfly wing. Be sure to leave a space empty in the middle where the paper roll will fit.
- Continue adding flowers around the outside until the edge of both wings are covered. Try to place the flowers in roughly the same place so that the 2 sides are mirrored.
- Use a different colour of flower to fill in the middle of the wings. Again, leave room in the center for the paper roll to sit.
Step 4: Add the details
- Use marker to draw a face for the butterfly on the paper roll, about 1/3 of the way down from the top.
- Use a soft pastel (or a marker or crayon) to give the butterfly rosy cheeks.
- Glue tiny flowers, pom poms, or beads to the top of 2 toothpicks. these will be the antennae.
- Add hot glue to the bottom third of the toothpick.
- Attach the toothpick to the inside back of the paper roll (the side opposite the face). Repeat with the second toothpick. Place each at a bit of an angle so they face outwards.
- Then add glue to the center of the butterfly wings and set the paper roll in place. Make sure that the bottom of the paper roll is below the bottom of the wings so that it will stand up on its own.
- Your floral paper roll butterfly is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Try to mirror the placement of each flower to the opposite side. Be as symmetrical as you can so each wing comes out almost identical!
- If you don’t want to print a butterfly template (we have lots of shapes and sizes available!), you can freehand the wings! Just make sure they’re wide enough to hold lots of flowers and tall enough for the paper roll to sit nicely in the middle.
What kind of glue works best for this paper roll butterfly craft?
We definitely recommend using a hot glue gun for this toilet paper roll butterfly craft. Hot glue securely holds the flowers and cardboard pieces together and it dries really quickly. Adult supervision is recommended if kids are helping, even when using a low temperature glue gun!
You can also use tacky glue to avoid any risks from hot glue, but it will take longer to dry.
What are the best flowers to use for this floral paper roll butterfly?
We definitely recommend using faux flowers for this craft. They hold their shape and colour beautifully, creating long-lasting butterflies! But you can also use our other tutorials to make flowers for this craft out of crepe paper, mini cupcake liners, tissue paper, or felt.
You can also use dried flowers or pressed flowers. Handle pressed flowers carefully and use Mod Podge to apply them. If using pressed flowers, try cutting the wings from a plastic bottle or clamshell container for a different look!
What size paper roll should I use for my paper roll butterfly craft?
A regular toilet paper roll is perfect for this DIY floral butterfly! If you don’t want to recycle ones from your bathroom, you can buy cardboard tubes online.
You can also use a paper towel roll or wrapping paper tube and cut them to your desired size! Or make your own roll from thick cardstock.
This floral paper roll butterfly craft is the perfect way to celebrate the colours and joy of spring! Whether you’re making one as a cheerful decoration or creating a whole garden of butterflies, this upcycled craft is sure to add charm to any space.
Here’s even more paper roll craft ideas:
Now available
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
Leave a Reply