design of the month
Charming butterflies, either handmade or realistically faux, wing their way into Mother’s Day designs.
A gorgeous arrangement such as this one will “wow” recipients on its own, but a delightful accessory, such as the ribbon-winged butterflies shown here, is sure to up the fun factor significantly. And to make a busy holiday like Mother’s Day go a little smoother, consider purchasing realistic-looking faux butterflies from suppliers.
If you opt for handcrafted wings, create a template, trace the shape onto a bit of ribbon and cut it out. We clipped this pair from a beautiful embossed ribbon that was a bit stiff, which proved helpful. Cut the wings in multiples in advance, and add the butterfly body parts with adhesive as needed.
MATERIALS: ‘Avant Garde’ and ‘Cumbia’ roses from Royal Flowers; Eryngium (sea holly) and salal from The Sun Valley Group; Ginger Vase from Syndicate Sales; ribbon from Berwick Offray; Oasis™ Aluminum Wire and Oasis® UGlu™ Adhesive Dashes from Oasis® Floral Products.
Snip a length of aluminum wire, and bend it to form a hairpin shape, which will form the butterfly’s antennae and abdomen. Snip another length of wire, and coil it tightly around the bent end of the hairpin wire to form the butterfly’s thorax (central body). Twist the ends of the original wire, the hairpin shape, into curlicues to form the butterfly’s antennae.