Special Guest Post and All Spunk No Junk link up party!!!

Welcome friends...
Please help us welcome our special guest poster, and friend
Mrs Bloom of We Bloom Here

Fields of Butterflies

a Picture Lantern Tutorial from We Bloom Here

  Dearest Twig, Darling Toadstool – I’m so happy you’ve returned from your year-long hiatus. I’m honored to be your guest today, and, just for you, I’ve created a tutorial for one of my favorite crafts – a magic picture lantern with fields of butterflies.  I really do love making these lanterns and presenting them as tutorials, especially because most children can manage this craft with little assistance from an adult.

For this craft you will need:

-- Wide-mouthed glass jars from jam or peanut butter (wash and remove labels)

-- Mod Podge or diluted white glue

-- A wide paint brush

-- Dark and light green German kite paper or tissue paper

-- A butterfly-shaped craft-punch (this is optional – you can use scissors to cut butterfly shapes)

-- Some patterned craft paper (wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, a colorful magazine photo or a recycled greeting card will work just fine.)

-- A pair of scissors

Start off by trimming your light green paper to fit the height of the jar.  Paint on a thin layer of Mod Podge (or diluted glue) and immediately apply the green paper.  The paper will crinkle a bit when it comes in contact with the wet Mod Podge; please don’t worry about this.  Just smooth down any big wrinkles and apply a bit more Mod Podge along the edges to attach them securely.

Next, trim some grass from your darker green paper.  My grass is about 5 cm (2 in) high.  You may want to trim your grass taller or shorter, depending on the height of your jar.

After your grass is trimmed, use a butterfly craft punch to create butterfly shapes.  As noted in the supply-list, if you don’t have a butterfly craft punch, you can certainly use a pair of scissors to create butterfly shapes!

Having the company of a curious kitty is always nice, don’t you think?

To add the grass to your jar, paint some Mod Podge on the bottom half of your jar and then apply the dark green paper you’ve cut.  If any of the pieces of grass curl up, gently press them down so they stick to the Mod Podge, then apply more Mod Podge over the grass, brushing upwards, from the bottom of the jar towards the top.

To add the butterflies, paint a generous dab of Mod Podge on the spot where you would like your butterfly to hover. Place the butterfly on top of the Mod Podge dollop and then slather a generous amount of Mod Podge on top of the butterfly.  It will look rather untidy, however, once the Mod Podge dries, it will look grand!

When the Mod Podge is dry you can light candles inside your lanterns and enjoy the sparkle of early summer sunshine.  I think I can even hear a flurry & flutter of delicate wings… can you hear them, too?

A special THANK YOU! to the lovely M. Bloom!!!

Please go visit our good friend M Bloom at We Bloom Here

Our lovely friend lives in Northern California near San Francisco. 
Married to the marvelous Mr. Bloom together they have 2 boys, one big and one small. 
He lovely blog is full of craft ideas, recipes, books, poetry, adventures and thoughts about being a parent.

Now it's YOUR turn to share your creativity!

Welcome to our new weekly LINK up party!!!

All Spunk No Junk means we want you to share your crafts that are made with beautiful materials...cloth, wool, wood,  items from nature, preloved...you get the picture! 

Please share your links below...each week we will pick one project and feature it on the side of our blog for the month!  Our link up will run every Monday...and we'll also feature an occasional guest poster.
(If you're interested in becoming a guest poster send us an e-mail)
xo maureen & shanti