• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to home navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Top 10 Party Games
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter

Play.Party.Plan

Adding fun and creativity to everyday life

  • Fun Ideas by Occasion
    • Baby Shower
    • Bridal Shower
    • Birthday
    • Game Night
    • Movie Night
    • Super Bowl
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Graduation
    • Summer
    • 4th of July
    • Back to School
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • New Year’s Eve
  • Games
    • Adult Games
    • Baby Shower
    • Bridal Shower
    • Birthday Party
    • Bingo Games
    • Board Games
    • Card Games
    • Christmas Games
    • Dice Games
    • Disney Games
    • Group Games
    • Holiday Games
    • Kid Games
    • Minute to Win It
    • Outdoor Games
    • Party Games
    • Scavenger Hunts
    • Teen Games
    • Trivia Games
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Main Dishes
    • Party Food
    • Sides
    • TikTok Recipes
  • Free Printables
    • Crafts
    • Gift Tags
    • Kids Activities
    • Party Printables
    • Printable Games
  • Travel
    • Caribbean
    • Cruises
    • Disney
    • International
    • Travel Tips
    • United States
  • Popular Posts
    • Girl Baby Showers
    • Bridal Shower Games
    • Bachelorette Games
    • Diaper Cake DIY
    • DIsneyland Food
    • Dunkaroo Dip
    • Fun Math Games
    • Saran Wrap Game
    • SeaWorld San Antonio
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter
  • Join the Free Party E-Club!
Home DIY & Crafts Crafts Easy Tissue Paper Butterflies with Egg Carton Gardens

Easy Tissue Paper Butterflies with Egg Carton Gardens

35 minutes
Jump To Tutorial Print Tutorial
By: Britni Vigil
3/29/2022Updated: 3/29/2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Privacy policy.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

This fun tissue paper butterflies craft is great for little hands with big imaginations! This is a great spring craft idea that allows kids to get creative, colorful, and crafty all at the same time!

tissue paper butterflies on a green egg carton

As my youngest son gets older, he’s getting way more into arts and crafts. Last week he was on on a coloring kick (thank goodness I have all sorts of coloring pages for him to choose from).

And this week he’s on a painting kick, so I thought it would be fun to let him paint leftover egg cartons I had after making breakfast muffins this week.

This little garden craft is super fun because kids can paint their egg carton gardens and then can also make the tissue paper butterflies to stick into the garden – making it like a real little garden!

Plus, kids can decorate their gardens however they want with markers, paint markers, or even stickers if you want to go that route!

My son loved doing this craft, and I hope your kids will! This would also make a simple craft for a kid’s art class, camp, or really anytime you’re just feeling creative!

Pair it with this nature scavenger hunt for some real nature themed fun!

Why You’ll Love This Craft

  • Low mess – unlike a lot of crafts that include things like glitter, the only real mess here is the painting part, which can be contained pretty easily!
  • Kid-friendly – while there are parts of this craft that need adult supervision (like stapling), most of this can be done by kids on their own!
  • Creativity shines – these tissue paper butterflies let you use all sorts of different colors, textures, and designs to make your butterflies look however you want them to! It’s a great way to let kids let their unique personalities and favorites come through.

Supplies

supplies for tissue paper butterflies with labels

Supply Notes

  • Clothespins – any clothespins work, I just liked the bright colors of these ones. If you can’t find colorful ones, you can always paint regular ones as well.
  • Tape – I like to use this double-sided craft tape because it helps sticks things together more securely than typical Scotch tape does. You could also use craft glue, but I find it to be messy and take a long time to stick, so my preference is the tape.
  • Egg cartons – you’ll need one half of an empty egg carton for each of the gardens. I just cut them apart with scissors but you could also use a box cutter.
  • Craft sticks – I recommend the thinner ones like these popsicle sticks compared to the thicker ones (that look like tongue depressors).
  • Paint – I recommend craft paint for these because it dries fast, but it is harder to get out of things like clothes, so if you do go with the craft paint like I did, I recommend putting kids in painting smocks or clothes they don’t mind getting paint on.
  • Paint brush – I used a foam paint brush because they’re cheap but any paint brush will really work for this.
  • Googly eyes – you can really do any size that will fit onto a clothespin, but I highly recommend getting the self-adhesive ones so you aren’t dealing with glue or tape with the little eyes.
  • Tissue paper – you can use any color and size you want – I recommend bright colors! Use any leftover tissue paper to make a DIY advent calendar or punch game!

How to make tissue paper butterflies

These are pretty easy to make but in case you can’t follow with just the pictures, I’m going to walk through how to make these step by step, starting with getting your egg cartons ready to paint!

1 – Prep the Egg Cartons

Cover a table with newspaper or a plastic table covering then add some paint into paint trays or paper plates.

Cut the top and the lip of the egg carton off, then cut each one in half. This will be the base of your garden.

Once that’s done, cut a small 1/4 inch slit in the center of the bottom of each of the cups – this is where you’ll stick your butterflies when they’re done!

egg cartons cut in half

2 – Paint the Egg Cartons

Next, flip the cartons back over and paint the cartons green with the paint. Then set aside and let them dry for at least 10 minutes (craft paint dries fast!).

While your cartons are drying, you can move onto making the butterflies so you’re not just sitting around waiting for paint to dry!

egg carton that's painted half green

3 – Make the tissue paper butterflies

Each butterfly will need two different colors of tissue paper. Start by cutting six different 5×5 inch squares of one color of tissue paper. Stack them together and set aside.

squares of tissue paper stacked on top of each other

Next, take two pieces of a different color of tissue paper and cut two six by six inch pieces – slightly larger than the 5×5 inch pieces you cut previously.

You can either use a ruler to measure or a craft mat like this one if you don’t have a ruler.

Stack the two pieces of the second color of tissue paper on top of each other (and straighten them out). Then layer the first color of tissue paper on top of the second color, placing them right in the center so you have a 1/2 inch border from the edge of the paper.

blue squares of tissue paper

Once you’ve stacked the two colors of tissue paper on top of each other, fold them accordion style starting at the bottom of the tissue paper until you’ve reached the top.

blue tissue paper folded like an accordion

Hold your stack of tissue papers horizontally and staple the folded stack of the tissue paper so that the staple goes vertical into the center.

I know this sounds confusing but just take a look at the picture below – you can see the tissue papers go right to the left while the staple in the middle goes up and down. This is important as it’ll make a difference in how your tissue paper butterflies fluff up.

stapling a popsicle stick to tissue paper

Once you’ve stapled the tissue paper, cut the corner of each end of the stack diagonally to create the wings of the butterfly.

tissue paper with corners cut off

Then finally cut a green pipe cleaner in half and loop it around the center of the butterfly. Twist a few times to secure it onto the popsicle stick.

Once it’s secure and twisted, cut the top of each of the pipe cleaners to form the butterfly’s antennas.

tissue paper butterflies without sticks

4 – Fluff the butterfly

Now that your butterfly is made, it’s time to make that butterfly fly!

Carefully peel each layer of the center tissue paper toward the center of the butterfly. This will make the wings start to fluff up and look like a big beautiful butterfly.

blue tissue paper butterflies

Repeat step 3-4 to create as many butterflies as you want before moving onto the next step. Or you can just move on, but I like to do all of the tissue paper twisting and fluffing all in one go.

a bunch of tissue paper butterflies

5 – Finish the Tissue Paper Butterflies

To finish the butterflies off, you’re going to add a body and some eyes!

Clip a colorful clothespin to the center of each of the butterflies. Then add a set of googly eyes to each clothespins to make them even more fun!

tissue paper butterflies with clothespin centers

Lastly, cut a 1 1/2 inch piece of the double-sided tape and place one side onto the popsicle stick then connect the popsicle stick to the clothespin to connect everything all together.

And your butterflies are complete and ready to fly in their very own garden!

tissue paper butterflies attached to sticks

6 – Finish the Garden

Now that your egg cartons are dry, add your favorite designs using craft makers – rainbows, more butterflies, bugs, and really anything goes!

Let these dry for just a minute then finish the craft by placing the popsicle sticks into the pre-cut slits in the painted egg cartons.

tissue paper butterflies in an egg carton garden

And that’s it! Everything is ready to play with and enjoy! Kids will love taking their butterflies in and out of the garden and flying them around!

tissue paper butterflies stuck into a green egg carton

Expert Tips

Make this easy for the little ones. Pre-cut tissue paper squares and egg cartons before you even get started. Then the other stuff is pretty simple and kids love to help!

Fluff the tissue paper gently so it doesn’t rip and you have to start all over again!

Cover the table with a plastic tablecloth so when you’re done, you can just fold it up and throw it away – paint marks, extra staples, cut tissue paper corners, and more!

Craft FAQs

How do you make a tissue paper butterfly?

Making a tissue paper butterfly is easy! You just layer squares of tissue paper on top of each other, connect with a pipe cleaner, then fluff! Add a clothespin body and eyes to finish off your colorful creations!

Can you do three layers of colors?

Try out three layers of tissue paper colors by simply adding a third layer of color with squares that just a bit smaller at 4 inches by 4 inches. This will give you a full triple layer color look!

tissue paper butterflies in green gardens

More Fun Spring Ideas

Make these tissue paper butterflies along with any of these fun spring ideas!

  • Easter egg game ideas – host an Easter egg olympics for a fun spring party activity!
  • Spring games – tons of fun spring games to play with the entire family including a hilarious jelly bean challenge!
  • Spring party ideas – everything you need to host any sort of spring event!
  • DIY baby shower decorations – these fun spring inspired decorations are the perfect addition to any spring celebration!
  • Easter bunny cupcakes – let kids make these cute Easter cupcakes, the best spring treat idea!
Want More Fun Ideas?

Want more fun ideas like this one? Enter your first name and email address in the form below to join the Play Party Plan community! You’ll receive weekly recipes, party ideas, games, and more directly to your inbox!

Loading
Print Rate
5 from 1 vote

Tissue Paper Butterflies

This fun tissue paper butterflies craft is great for little hands with big imaginations! This is a great spring craft idea that allows kids to get creative, colorful, and crafty all at the same time!
tissue paper butterflies on a green egg carton
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 empty cardboard egg cartons cut in half
  • 2 oz green craft paint
  • tissue paper in various colors
  • 6 green pipe cleaners
  • 12 colorful clothespins
  • 12 popsicle sticks
  • double-sided craft tape
  • 12 googly eyes

Instructions

  • Cut the top and the lip of the egg carton off, then cut each one in half. This will be the base of your garden. Then cut a small 1/4 inch slit in the center of the bottom of each of the cups.
    2 empty cardboard egg cartons
  • Next, flip the cartons back over and paint the cartons green with the paint. Then set aside and let them dry for at least 10 minutes.
    2 oz green craft paint
  • Start by cutting six different 5×5 inch squares of one color of tissue paper. Stack them together and set aside.
    tissue paper in various colors
  • Next, take two pieces of a different color of tissue paper and cut two six by six inch pieces – slightly larger than the 5×5 inch pieces you cut previously.
  • Stack the two pieces of the second color of tissue paper on top of each other (and straighten them out). Then layer the first color of tissue paper on top of the second color, placing them right in the center so you have a 1/2 inch border from the edge of the paper.
  • Once you’ve stacked the two colors of tissue paper on top of each other, fold them accordion style starting at the bottom of the tissue paper until you’ve reached the top.
  • Hold your stack of tissue papers horizontally and staple the folded stack of the tissue paper so that the staple goes vertical into the center.
  • Once you’ve stapled the tissue paper, cut the corner of each end of the stack diagonally to create the wings of the butterfly.
  • Then finally cut a green pipe cleaner in half and loop it around the center of the butterfly. Twist a few times to secure it onto the tissue papers. Cut the top of each of the pipe cleaners to form the butterfly’s antennas.
    6 green pipe cleaners
  • Carefully peel each layer of the center tissue paper toward the center of the butterfly.
  • Clip a colorful clothespin to the center of each of the butterflies. Then add a set of googly eyes to each clothespins to make them even more fun!
    12 colorful clothespins, 12 googly eyes
  • Lastly, cut a 1 1/2 inch piece of the double-sided tape and place one side onto the popsicle stick then connect the popsicle stick to the clothespin to connect everything all together.
    12 popsicle sticks, double-sided craft tape
  • Now that your egg cartons are dry, add your favorite designs using craft makers – rainbows, more butterflies, bugs, and really anything goes!
  • Let these dry for just a minute then finish the craft by placing the popsicle sticks into the pre-cut slits in the painted egg cartons.

Tips & Notes:

Make this easy for the little ones. Pre-cut tissue paper squares and egg cartons before you even get started. Then the other stuff is pretty simple and kids love to help!
Fluff the tissue paper gently so it doesn’t rip and you have to start all over again!
Cover the table with a plastic tablecloth so when you’re done, you can just fold it up and throw it away – paint marks, extra staples, cut tissue paper corners, and more!

Nutritional Disclaimer

Author: Britni Vigil
Did You Make This?Tag @PlayPartyPlan on Facebook and Instagram and hashtag it #playpartyplan so I can see your creations!
  • Facebook

you may also like…

  • collage of turkey crafts
    Crafts
    30 Easy Turkey Crafts for Kids
  • Easy Valentine's day decoration idea
    Crafts
    XOXO Valentine's Day Decorations
  • collage of DIY ornaments for kids
    Crafts
    25 DIY Christmas Ornaments for Kids
  • Love this idea of doing a gold foil inspired graduation advice tree, perfect to show off graduation announcements and get advice and congratulations!
    Crafts
    DIY Graduation Advice Tree

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you and seeing what you made!
rate this recipe:




text here

Previous Post
Easy Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
Acai bowl being held by a woman's hand
Next Post
Best Anna Maria Island Restaurants

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm
Britni

I love sweet treats, my family, games, and anything fun!

Read More

Ideas By Theme

Baby Shower Birthday Bridal Shower Disney Game Night Holiday Just For Kids Movie Night Outdoors

Popular Party Ideas

Bridal Shower Games

woman blindfolded with her hand in a plastic cup

Party Games

Kids Board Games

Blindfolded blocking is one of the best baby shower games

Baby Shower Games

Top Recipes

slice of chocolate dr pepper cake on a white plate

Best Party Foods

Wooden spoon stirring a batch of homemade Chex Mix

Homemade Chex Mix

cropped-best-buffalo-chicken-dip-recipe-11-of-14-e1609965122832.jpg

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Slice of peanut butter pie on two plates with a blue napkin

Reese's Pie

Free Party Ideas E-Club

Loading
As Featured On
connect
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter
  • Play
    • Board Games
    • Kids Activities
    • Minute to Win It
    • Scavenger Hunts
  • Party
    • Food
    • Games
    • Printables
    • Themes
  • Plan
    • Disney Trips
    • Easy Meals
    • Family Travel
    • Gift Ideas

Disclaimer

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Back to Top
  • Contact
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
© 2023 · PLAY PARTY PLAN · Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window