You Will Need ...
  1. Non-permanent markers

  2. Doll pin / clothes pin

  3. Pipe cleaner

  4. 2 coffee filters

  5. Beads

  6. Paper towel

  7. Disposable plate

  8. Q-tip OR eye dropper

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Step 1: 

First, decorate your coffee filters with non-permanent markers.

Step 2: 

Put your coffee filter on something that can get dirty - we are using a styrofoam plate. Drop by drop, add water to the coffee filter so the markers bleed together, creating a tie-dyed effect. You can use an eye dropper if you have one, but it works just as well by running a wet Q-tip over the colored areas. Once the markers have blended to your liking, place your wet filter on a paper towel to dry.

Step 3: 

As your filters dry, start the body of your butterfly. Color the dollpin any way you want. Keep in mind the open slit in the pin is actually the side of the butterfly. Be careful, this can get messy. Markers do have a tendency to get all over little hands when decorating the doll/clothespin. Wet wipes are always good to have on hand.

Step 4: 

Take about a 3-inch length of pipe cleaner and wrap it around the neck of the doll pin. This becomes the butterfly's antenna. If you want, you can add a bead to the end of each pipe cleaner. Hold the beads in place by simply folding the pipe cleaner around the bead.

Step 5: 

After your coffee filters are nice and dry (they won't work when wet or damp!), place the filter into the slit in the doll pin and slowly scrunch it up toward the butterfly's head. If you are short on time or are somewhere the filters will not have the opportunity to dry quickly you can dry them with a hair dryer.

Step 6: 

Scrunch your second filter into the slit and bunch the filters so they look like wings.

Step 7: 

Ta da! A very beautiful butterfly. You can tie a string around the neck to hang it, or tie thin elastic around the middle to swing it around and make it fly!

Age: 
All Ages
Craft Length: 
30 - 60 minutes
Difficulty: 
Easy peasy (fun and simple)
Prep Time: 
5 minutes or less
Recycled: 
Paper
Supervision: 
1 adult per 10 children