DIY Bird and Butterfly Decorations

Bird Thank-You Notes

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Jim Cooper

Dainty Victorian-era engravings of birds culled from a clip-art book and then color-photocopied become elegant winged messengers bearing tiny three-dimensional missives of thanks.

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Bird Favors

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James Baigrie

Paper birds keep watch over colorful chocolates. To create, use scissors to carefully cut tulle, which comes by the yard, into 8-inch squares. Deposit several dragees onto each one. Gather up the tulle around the candy, and secure each pouch with twine. Place a die-cut bird on top, knotting the twine around the bird's leg to anchor it. Set the pouches out on trays for guests to take home.

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Embroidered Birds

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Make personalized gifts by embroidering tea towels or pillows with our beautiful bird designs.

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Bird Favor Boxes

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James Baigrie

First have a calligrapher write out the bride's and groom's names and a message, and then have the writing made into rubber stamps. The boxes come flat: Stamp the lids as shown; let ink dry overnight. Poke a small hole in the center of the lid with an awl (available at hardware stores). Fold box and lid. Slip bird's foot through the hole.

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Sweet Bird Box

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Use craft glue to edge the box top with metallic ribbon and to attach the bird. Place a treat inside the box, then set the box in a nest of shredded kraft paper. A calligrapher can create the sign for you.

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Bird's Nest Cookies

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These thin chocolate cookies with ganache icing dipped into grated coconut make the perfect nests for two or three miniature chocolate eggs.

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Dove Note Tree

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Maura McEvoy

Let guests' well-wishes take flight on paper doves. These birds are traditional symbols of love, happiness, and harmony. Anchor bare branches (these are manzanita) in a large, sturdy vessel filled with stones or gravel. Use wire to secure nests, available from craft stores, to branches. Set dove cards -- available precut -- in a dish. Place pencils alongside your tree with a sign asking guests to inscribe a card and to place it in a nest.

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Winged Place Cards

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Perch a dainty paper bird on the rim of each glass so guests can identify their seats. The pretty die-cut cards from Tiffy New York come in pastel colors. With a utility knife, make a slim, 1/4-inch-long notch at the bottom of each card. For the eyes, use a 1/16-inch hole punch. Print guests' names on cards.

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Pussy-Willow Nest

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Here, the downy, gray catkins of pussy-willow branches soften a densely woven nest, while dried grasses inside cushion fragile decorated eggs. Perfect for a table decoration or at an entrance table with your guest book.

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Petits-Fours with Butterflies

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These decorative petits fours with butterflies, a recipe from Karen Porter of Tilly's Cakes, makes the perfect treat to serve at bridal showers and outdoor weddings.

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Floaty Butterfly Place Card

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Charles Maraia

Paper butterflies alight on the rims of champagne glasses, staying still just long enough for guests to find their seats.

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Butterfly Flower Girl Dresses

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Amy Neunsinger

Flower girls look enchanting with butterflies fluttering on their dresses. The appliques are easy to attach with a needle and thread. Ribbons streaming from their bouquets are decorated with the same butterflies, which appear to fly through the air when the girls walk.

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Table Linens

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Cream-colored linen tablecloths and napkins are embellished with iron-on transfer paper printed with clip-art butterflies.

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Program Cover

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Easily dress up ceremony programs, or any paper element, with butterfly rubber stamps.

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Beaded Hair Accessory

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Bridesmaids and flower girls will love these beaded butterflies for their hair.

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Butterfly Paper Lanterns

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Let a flock of colorful paper butterflies loose, and you'll instantly give plain paper lanterns a lift.

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Barrettes for the Flower Girls

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Flower girls will love these beautiful butterflies in their hair as they walk down the aisle.

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Bridesmaid Slippers

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Butterfly slippers make lovely handmade gifts for your bridesmaids.

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Butterfly Patch Flower Girl Dress

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Embellish a solid-colored flower-girl dress with bright butterflies in flight.

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Butterfly Drinks

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For topflight cocktails, make 2 slits in the center of a butterfly cutout, and then slide a straw through.

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Pressed-Leaf Butterflies

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Make these framed butterflies shine at your reception or shower. Hang them on the walls as decorations or give them as gifts to your bridal party.

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Butterfly Favor Bags

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Butterfly Favor bags will surprise and delight your guests. Best of all, they are easy to make and make a beautiful favor table display.

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Beaded Butterfly Ornaments

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Christopher Baker

Glass beads from vintage tree garlands form a butterfly that would look beautiful in any bouquet or table arrangement.

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Shell Butterflies

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Shell butterflies make perfect accents for your bouquet or scattered on a table as decorations.

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Butterfly Bouquet

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Bride Laura Normandin fashioned her breathtakingly beautiful butterfly bouquet from silk and feather creatures secured on thin wires so that they float and flutter realistically.

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Winged Place Cards

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The bride calligraphed the place cards, then rubber-stamped each one with a butterfly, which she cut into a silhouette before folding the card.

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