These coffee filter butterflies are so simple to make they can be made in one afternoon.

Hello, my name is Amy and I blog at amylanham.com. My kids love crafts and building things so as they are getting older we’re trying to come up with more projects and activities.

4 pictures, top left two coffee filters folded, top right, coffee filters inside a pip cleaner, bottom left pipe cleaner being twisted, bottom right coffee filter butterfly

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We also have a big garden that the kids love. So anytime we can create an activity around the garden is a win. We’ve had lots of butterflies lately in the garden, so I thought we should make some butterfly art!

purple red and yellow coffee filter butterfly

How To Make Coffee Filter Butterflies

Talk about butterflies and the amazing transformation they make while you create some beautiful coffee filter butterflies of your own.

What You Need:

Here’s what you’ll need from the store. The exact amounts are in the printable craft card at the bottom of this post.

Craft Tools Needed:

Spray Bottle with Water

Supplies Needed:

Coffee Filter Butterfly Tips

Stack the Coffee Filters

There are two coffee filters needed for each butterfly. It can be difficult to get the same design on each one. So rather than making the design twice, stack the coffee filter on top of each other.

Then color on the top one. The colors will bleed through onto the bottom one. Especially once wet.

The colors will all bleed together when wet and will saturate both the top and bottom coffee filters.

child holding water bottle spritzing a colorful coffee filter

The bottom coffee filter will be slightly less vibrant and more muddled, but I didn’t think it made that big of a difference in the final projects.

Water bottle spritzing a colorful coffee filter

If this would bother you, then you can color each coffee filter separately in the exact same way.

Try to Create the Same Design All Around the Coffee Filter

Each butterfly is made up of two coffee filters and the coffee filters will be stacked together. So one coffee filter will make the top wings and one will make the bottom wings.

close up of a pipe cleaner shaped like a butterfly body with the left side wings open

Stacking the coffee filters ensures the design between the two filters are the same, but keeping the same design all around will ensure that the left and right wings look similar.

So if the top of the coffee filter is pink and the bottom is blue, then the butterfly might end up with the right side top and bottom wings blue and the left side top and bottom wings pink. This is not a problem, it’s just aesthetically what you like.

We ended up with multiple butterflies that have different color left wings from right wings. But it’s something to think about as you are designing. To try to keep the colors even on all sides of the coffee filter.

Orange and black coffee filter butterfly

It helps to work around the coffee filter rather than side to side.

Lay Them Inside To Dry

If you get any wind at all where you live, leave them inside to dry. We made a few sets and they were sitting outside to dry when a huge gust of wind came!

When I say that these coffee filters took off like a rocket. They zoomed so high into the air and were gone and out of our neighborhood so quickly.

So don’t make my mistake. It will take a little bit longer for them to dry, but keep them inside. Unless you know it won’t be windy at all.

Protect Your Work and Drying Surface.

In my experience, washable marker can still stain. Especially white furniture. So I recommend protecting the working and coloring area and also protecting the surface where they lay to dry.

The water that creates the beautiful tie dye effect, also causes all the colors to drip. So it will get everywhere. All over hands and surfaces.

We always use trays for crafts, but tin foil, parchment paper, or butcher paper can also work to protect the space.

Coffee filters colored and laying to dry on tin foil

Print It Pin It Save It

Coffee Filter Butterflies

Create these easy coffee filter butterflies with just three supplies!

Total Time1 30

Keyword: butterfly, coffee filter

Cost: $$5

Equipment

1 Squirt Bottle With Water

Ingredients

10 Pipe Cleaners
20 Coffee Filters
Washable Markers

Instructions

Stack two coffee filters together and color with washable marker.
Leaving the coffee filters stacked, spritz the filters with the spray bottle full of water. Don't saturate, but spray well enough to allow colors to mix.
Separate coffee filters and lay aside to dry.
Once dry, fan fold each coffee filter. Keeping the pair of coffee filters that were stacked together.
Fold pipe cleaner in half. Make a twist about a third of the way down to create a loop. Loop the top ends to create an antenn.
Put two matching coffee filters into the loop. Then continue to twist the pipe cleaner down to the bottom, securing the coffee filters towards the top.
Fluff out each coffee filter on the sides to create the four wings.

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purple, yellow, and red coffee filter butterfly

What’s Next?

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