Coffee Filter Butterfly Guide: A Cute Craft for Easter!

Complete Coffee Filter Butterfly Guide: Cute Crafts for Easter & Holiday Fun for Kids and Adults!

Have you ever seen how cute and simple a coffee filter butterfly can be? These pretty, colorful butterflies are perfect for keeping kids busy when you are babysitting or trying to come up with fun crafts for Easter. With very little effort and a few supplies, you and the kids (or grandkids) can easily create this adorable spring-themed craft at home! 

Coffee filter butterflies are perfect for Sunday school lessons, arts and crafts time, or Saturday mornings when you don't have anything to do with the little ones. If you drink coffee as much as we do, you probably already have an abundant supply of filters at the ready! In this guide, we'll walk you through some of the cutest and easiest coffee filter butterfly crafts and how to make them. Then, we will cover how to use these butterflies for thoughtful gift baskets. Let's get going!

How to Make a Coffee Filter Butterfly

Making a coffee filter butterfly is super easy and pretty fun! You can tie-dye these pretty paper critters using food coloring and markers! The effect is stunning with minimal effort. When you are dying Easter eggs this year, it’s really easy to adjust your work surface to make stunning rainbow butterflies and further entertain kids. Or, use these colorful crafts to decorate or accent a gift basket! 

What you need: 

• Coffee filters
• Washable markers
• Pipe cleaners (or clothes pin, wire, or string)
• Rubbing alcohol (optional)
• Flat tray like a baking pan 

Coffee Filter Butterfly Instructions 

1. Set Out the Filters

First, take two coffee filters at a time and set them out flat on a surface like a baking pan. The coffee filter does not need to lie flat all of the way, it just needs to be flat enough for the kids to easily draw on it. 

1. Color the Filters with Markers

Now, let the kids draw fun polka-dot patterns with markers. Putting lots of dots next to each other in a rainbow spiral is a good idea. The more colors, the merrier. Stripes, diamonds, and swirls are all great patterns to try! The more pigments that complement each other, the merrier. The designs you make will bleed through the coffee filter to create a colorful Kaleidoscope look. 

1. Wet the Filters and Watch the Colors Bleed Together

Now, take an eyedropper or spoon and add drops of water all over the colored designs. If you drop water on the inside of a marker pattern, the effect will be different than if you dropped water on the outside of the pattern. More water creates a lighter pastel look while less water lets the darker marker pigments show up. The goal is to get the markers to bleed and create a tie-dye effect. You can also use water diluted with rubbing alcohol if you want to ensure that the colors will bleed better. 

1. Dry the Filters

Now, it's time to dry your coffee filters. If you are in a hurry, you can use a blow dryer to help them dry faster. 

1. Fold and Hold 

Now, fold the coffee filters in a fan pattern. Think accordion-like shapes. They should have 1/2-inch plates. For each coffee filter butterfly, you will use two stacked coffee filters. Put the coffee filters on top of each other and bind them together in the middle with a piece of pipe cleaner, clothespin, or string. Use whatever you prefer! The goal is to create a top wing and a bottom wing in an X shape. 

1. Reveal a Butterfly!

Now, pull the ends of the coffee filters away from each other in a V-like shape. Viola! Your coffee filter butterfly has emerged. These beautiful crafts can be hung by the window to let the light shine through. Or, they can be used with a cute gift basket, Easter basket, or as decorations! 

Bonus Idea: Make A Spring-Themed Coffee Gift Basket 

These coffee filter butterflies go wonderfully with a DIY coffee gift basket! You can use them as a surprise for mother's day or simply as a thank you gift.

If you don't know what kind of coffee to give as a gift, Kona coffee is a great choice. It is the perfect compliment for a brisk spring morning and many people have not tried it. The rich, smooth, bright flavors of Kona coffee are something everyone should sample. To supply the Kona coffee, simply follow this link! Kona is one of the top specialty coffees in the world. It is also made right here in the United States on Kona, "the big island" of Hawaii. You won't find fresher Kona coffee anywhere!

We have some of the freshest and most delicious single-origin coffees around for sale at great prices with fast shipping. Or, choose your favorite coffee flavors to surprise someone in your life. Later, we will create a guide for the best coffee and tea gift basket ideas. 

Coffee Filter Butterfly Guide: Final Thoughts

So there you have it! Now you know how to make quick and easy coffee filter butterflies with the kids this spring. If you have been dying Easter eggs, you can also use an eyedropper to add food coloring to your coffee filters in a tie-dye pattern. This creates a bright, vibrant effect.

Do you have any special methods for making coffee filter butterflies? If so, leave your comments below! Thanks for reading, and happy Easter!