Butterflies are striking, colorful insects.
Butterfly centerpieces add a touch of color and a natural accent to a baby shower. A centerpiece for a butterfly-theme baby shower can be multilevel or a simple one-layer design. Stretch your artistic muscles and add a creative touch to the baby shower you're planning, using such elements as candles, sand, tissue paper, flowers, trinkets and decoupage.
Instructions
Butterfly Sand Candle Centerpiece
1. Place sand in a bucket or large plastic storage container and moisten it with water until the sand can be shaped.
2. Fold a sheet of 17-by-8 1/2-inch paper in half to make it 8 1/2 inches square. Draw half of a butterfly on the folded edge side: one wing, half a circle for the head and half of a long oval for the body. Cut this out and unfold it for a complete butterfly pattern..
3. Smooth the surface of the sand with the back of the spoon. Lay the butterfly pattern flat on the sand. Insert the tip of the pencil into the sand on the edge of the pattern. Draw around the edge of the paper pattern in the sand. Remove the pattern and set aside.
4. Remove sand from inside the butterfly outline with the spoon to a depth of 4 inches. Remove another 1/4 inch of sand for the body and head of the butterfly. Smooth the bottom and sides of the sand mold with the back of the spoon.
5. Use a twist tie to tie each wick you are using to the dowel that is longer than the butterfly-shaped hole. Position the wicks on the dowels so that they will be where you want them when the wax is poured.
6. Set each dowel across the butterfly-shaped hole. Poke holes in the sand into which to place the loose ends of the wicks. Press the loose ends of the wicks into the sand holes at the bottom, packing sand onto them.
7. Set a pot on a burner and place several inches of water in it. Simmer the water. Place a bowl over the top of the pot and set the wax in it. Heat the wax until it melts.
8. Pour the melted wax into the butterfly shaped sand mold. When the wax cools, untie the wicks from the dowels. Set the dowels aside and remove the candles from the sand. Brush off excess sand.
9. Place a variety of large artificial flowers around the butterfly candle.
10. Draw, cut out and attach small, colorful paper butterflies to the flowers with double sided floral tape. Set small seashells among the flowers. Among the flowers and shells, set small baby figurines and baby carriages.
Decoupage Candle Holders Centerpiece
11. Draw and color butterflies on tissue paper with colored pencils and cut them out. Mix equal parts white glue and water in a bowl. On each heatproof container, brush the glue mixture onto a section you want to decorate and place a cutout butterfly on it, smoothing it onto the jar.
12. Set a candle in each jar. Set the candles on the candle holder.
13. Make a chain of artificial daisies and wind it around the base of the candle holder.
Lollipop Bush
14. Paint a large terra-cotta pot with rattles, rubber ducks, bottles and bows. Place floral foam in the pot.
15. Make origami butterflies in pink, blue or yellow. Tape either one butterfly or rows of them to wooden skewers using floral tape. Tie or glue bows to the skewers: blue for boys, pink for girls and yellow for an unknown gender.
16. Arrange the lollipops, at least three times the number of guests, and origami butterflies by sticking them into the floral foam. Arrange plastic grass on top of the floral foam. Set small artificial flowers into the plastic grass.
Tags: baby shower, floral foam, artificial flowers, back spoon, butterfly pattern