Bottle Butterflies!

Learn how to make beautiful, realistic butterflies from old plastic bottles. The curve of the bottle will make the wings of the butterfly look realistic and by using acrylic paint, you can make any kind of butterfly you want; real or whimsical!

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Step 1: Materials

You really really need:

*Old plastic bottles (esp 1 liter ones...they have a bigger surface for more butterflies, but any bottle with straight sides will do)
*Push pins (thumbtacks)
*A piece of wood that you are able to push the thumbtacks into
*Acrylic paint
*Sandpaper (220 works best for me! :D)
*Polymer clay (browns and blacks mostly)
*Strong glue (I have used hot glue, but it doesn't seem to be strong enough. I suggest gorilla glue or some kind of epoxy)
*Paintbrushes
*Sharp scissors or an exacto knife

You only sorta need:
*Clear spray varnish (preferably oil-based)
*Pearl Ex-which is a mica-based powder that makes the wings shimmer!
*Black wire
*Small black seed beads
*Gel acrylic medium (matte)

The Dalai Farmer says: Jan 18, 2012. 3:52 AM

OOOooo! Lovely! And I wanna be a Glass Major! Or even a Glass Sergeant!

shortone (author) in reply to The Dalai FarmerMar 27, 2012. 11:34 PM

Good luck, hopefully you can learn how!

Darcy777 says: Jan 19, 2012. 1:13 PM

Great Instructable. Thank you for posting it.

If you are willing to make these for custom order, contact me with the price.

lcruizer says: Aug 19, 2011. 11:42 PM

Great way to re-use what we have in creating art
Good work girl

Mr.Sanchez says: Apr 8, 2010. 5:06 PM

whohoa...its seems that the world is full of butterflies..it´s just to release them of the bottles...

shortone (author) in reply to Mr.SanchezApr 9, 2010. 8:49 AM

that's a great way of putting it! :)

Mr.Sanchez in reply to shortoneDec 6, 2010. 9:19 AM

Hi there Would u pls vote for my entry ...?
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Belt-No-sew/
thnks

cutee says: Aug 26, 2010. 4:37 AM

I like it so much!!!!how awesome is your artwork.....nice!!

shortone (author) in reply to cuteeAug 26, 2010. 6:07 PM

Thanks :)

THYMETOCHAT says: Apr 11, 2010. 10:29 AM

Very pretty! I've wanted to make a couple butterflies to help decorate the butterfly bath I want to make for my garden.

I found some old concrete pieces that were originally used to feed mink at a mink farm and since they're too shallow for a bird bath, I immediately thought of using them as butterfly baths. They are sort of petal shaped and have a bit of a shallow dip in the center that will hold liquid. I plan to mount the mink feeder on top of an old lamp base and wanted to decorate it a bit with a butterfly or two, but hadn't found any recycled butterfly decor. Yours will be perfect for my project!

Very artistic...nice reuse of materials and a well done instructable!

shortone (author) in reply to THYMETOCHATApr 11, 2010. 8:11 PM

Thanks! :)

Keep in mind that acrylic paint can fade when exposed to a lot of sun...I'd recommend either using a paint recommended for outdoors or using a UV resistant sealant. (I'm pretty sure you can get spray-on varnish with UV protection, but if not just get a can of it and brush it on. Don't get water-based; it wont last long outside!)

Hope it works well for you!

Mr.Sanchez says: Apr 9, 2010. 5:01 PM

Nice bottleflies...xD

ellnbchristi says: Jul 25, 2009. 3:46 PM

This is really fantastic..........thanks so much for sharing it with us. Another idea to use these for...............fridge magnets.........or glue a clothespin to the back and then clip them to flower pots, window boxes, ribbons, etc... If you used the tiny little plastic clothes pins you could attach them to gift cards........headbands, etc... This is really a very versatile idea!!! And it would be a great project to do with the kids too.

shortone (author) in reply to ellnbchristiJul 26, 2009. 11:28 AM

You're welcome! Yes, I hope to hear of these being used for plenty of things...and post pictures! I love putting them on my paintings. I want to make a bunch to glue onto thumbtacks and have on my walls. I actually got the idea from a similar project for kids using fake glass paint to make a sort of "stained glass" butterfly...it would be a great project for kids.

ermaanni says: Mar 28, 2009. 2:57 AM

Here is my version yours a much nicer

shortone (author) in reply to ermaanniApr 1, 2009. 2:14 PM

those are pretty! they would be great as a mobile in a girls room, i think. :)

MakersBox says: Jan 22, 2009. 6:48 PM

Do you have any problem with the acrylic paint flaking off? (i.e. would they hold up to kids playing with them)?

shortone (author) in reply to MakersBoxJan 22, 2009. 7:11 PM

hmm...I have had few problems with this, especially with a few coats of clear coat, but I think it would probably be better to keep the wild playing to a minimum... I think actually the greatest concern would be the bodies..using hot glue, i have had troubles with them breaking off...but with a stronger glue I think they'd work OK Also, I don't recommend wire antennae if you're making it for a child. Good luck!

xirekaj in reply to shortoneMar 9, 2009. 4:54 AM

If you lightly sand the plastic before you paint it it should give the paint a better area to stick to.

Tintan says: Jan 21, 2009. 6:51 AM

Oh, how lovely! Thanks for sharing. Are the there other re-purposed things used in your art?

shortone (author) in reply to TintanJan 21, 2009. 5:23 PM

Oh I LOVE to use re-purposed things! Yes, the board in the painting was a scrap piece of plywood that would otherwise have been thrown away. The background of the painting is painted with leftover wall paint from several projects. I have also made glass beads out of bottles too (the glass ones, that is) and have many many other recycled projects. Send me a message if you want to know more! :D

Tintan in reply to shortoneJan 25, 2009. 6:47 PM

Thanks shortone, I've been saving some thicker and nicer colored glass bottles since you sent this message. (Along with a million other things that I save). Now I need to know HOW you make the glass beads. Do you use a rock tumbler? I don't have one - if I did, I'd give it a go. Also wondering, since you use bottles, do you have a good method to cut a bottle in half?

pirate00girl in reply to TintanFeb 19, 2009. 7:47 PM

regarding cutting glass bottles...i think after experimenting with a lot of different methods, i have this one down. i use a mini-diamond rotary saw blade on my dremel. like a mini-circular saw blade. i get them way cheap at harbor freight...$5.99 for a pkg of 6. $2.99 on sale quite frequently. i leave the labels on my bottles while cutting because they are usually aligned straight...for marking my cut-lines, and the paper helps to keep glass flying if it cracks or shatters. be sure to wear eye protection!! a dust mask, and long-sleeves shirt. minute glass shards in your skin and eyes is hella painful and hard to get out. i use green or blue painter's tape because it has a bit of stretch to it, and i just free-hand it around the bottle where i want to cut...just roll it around and press it firmly. then i either cut right along the tape line, or sometimes i mark a line on the edge of the tape line with a sharpie marker. depending on the thickness of the glass, you might have to go around your bottle and cut-line several times...you just get a feel and "sound" for it after you've been doing it awhile. after the bottle is cut apart, i sometimes sand it with the diamond saw blade...this takes a bit of practice, as you can really get the cut out of alignment and crooked. or i use emery cloth, sometimes i use my dremel belt sander...whatever does the job on that particular piece. i've cut bottles as large as carboys with this method, that came out perfectly...verses using a tile saw, bottle cutter, etc. none of those worked too great for me, and they're somewhat expensive. anyway, try it out and see if it you like this method. cheers, pirate girl ;oj

shortone (author) in reply to TintanJan 26, 2009. 8:18 PM

Oh boy...umm I actually use a glass bead-making torch. I suppose there are other ways to make the beads but I donk know of any.. there are lots of instructables on how to cut the bottle in half...I used the technique where you tie a piece of string soaked in gasoline around the bottle and light it on fire, and then dunk it into cold water... but there are more "sophisticated" techniques on here..just look around!

Ronafluttabye says: Feb 3, 2009. 5:43 PM

These are beautiful. I really want to try this out. you dont know how to make butterflies from feathers do you?? Thankyou for posting.

shortone (author) in reply to RonafluttabyeFeb 4, 2009. 7:15 PM

I don't...but today I got a rose made out of feathers at the $ store so I'm thinking I might try making one of those...if I ever have time for it! If I do, I'll be sure to post it just for you ;) thanks