Design Team: Jennifer McCrae Week 7 Term 3

Jennifer's Butterflies

We end the week with a cheap, yet impactful way to bring interest and texture to a plain wall. To do this, you need paper, your eCraft, and glue. Don't belive us? See how Jen did it!

"Butterfly Fly Away"

 

You tuck me in,

Turn out the light

kept me safe and sound at night

little girls depend on things like that

 

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair

had to drive me everywhere

you were always there when I looked back

 

You had to do it all alone

Make a living, make a home

Must have been as hard as it could be

 

And when I couldn't sleep at night

Scared things wouldn't turn out right

you would hold my hand and sing to me

 

Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be

can't go far but you can always dream

Wish you may and wish you might

Don't you worry, hold on tight.

I promise you there will come a day

Butterfly fly away

-Miley Cyrus

In every child’s life there comes a time when they shed the toys, the dolls and for my daughter, the bubblegum pink bedroom.  Her room didn’t change overnight from being a child’s room to a more adult room; it was a gradual change.  It started with color changes; out with the pink and in with blues and oranges.  Those colors lasted about a year before she decided the style still wasn’t quite right.  So out went those colors and in came black.  Thankfully there wasn’t an inner ‘emo’ emerging LOL  Instead it was a very mature Paris theme with greys and beiges to soften the black.

First step; paint an accent wall -- which my daughter got the biggest kick out of doing!  Color me surprised LOL  Last I checked, that was manual labor and not something teens are naturally prone to doing ;-)

Next step; add decor.

Throughout her room there are posters of Paris, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe; along with a few picture frames.  I wanted to add an artistic touch that would convey a message in a subtle fashion and look cool doing it.

Enter Mischief!  LOL

Let me just say that I LOVE the ‘tile’ feature in eCraftshop Pro!  LOL  Made this project sooooo much easier...

There are, literally, hundreds of little black butterflies in my daughter’s room...  They float around pictures and are placed randomly around the room near the floor, by dressers, everywhere!

And just like a butterfly, this project took flight...

These butterflies are going into a teacher’s classroom at her school.  Not just any teacher, but a very special math teacher whose style of teaching has made an enormous impact in my daughter’s life.  If I could package that woman up and send her over to the high school, I would!  She’s that amazing...  She also lost someone very special in her life and that loss is represented by the butterflies.  She LOVES butterflies and fell in love with what I had done in Sam’s room...  She just wasn’t hot on the color LOL  So I made ones that are bright and cheery :)

 

What I Used:

eCraft/eCraftshop Pro

Various card stocks

Glue Dots

Paintbrushes in a variety of sizes

How I Did It:

I took a basic (but pretty!) butterfly shape and used the ‘Tile’ feature in eCraftshop Pro to fill up my 12x12 sheets of cardstock with however many it could fit on the single sheet.  For the multi-colored/sized butterflies, I just increased the size in 1/2” increments for each shade of card stock selected for the project.

Once Mischief cut out all the butterflies, I used the paintbrush handles to curl the wings and give them some depth.  Affix a single glue dot and press onto the wall, repeatedly, until you’ve used up all the butterflies :)

 

It's a simple project, but the effect is stunning once they’re all in place.

-Jennifer


How amazing are those butterflies?! Talk about getting bang for your buck! We bet Jen's daugher and her teacher are thrilled by Jen's craftiness!

To see more of Jen's creations, visit her blog here:
http://www.firestormdesigns.com/