Colorful Butterfly Garden

by Linda Olbourne, editor, plant lover, and part-time hippie 

Sometimes, I just need some colorful blooms around my desk to get the creative juices flowing. And sometimes, I just want something nice to look at while making spreadsheets.  Either way, plants are good for the (work) environment!

I was looking at little clover plant on my desk the other day and found myself missing the wonderful white flowers it shows off in the summer. I love that plant, it’s been with Klutz for many years. I’ve had it for at least 5 years and before it was mine, it spent at least another 5 years on a co-workers desk. So I thought, maybe it needs some decoration to keep it company through the rainy winter? I can help!

Clear the way! Coloring Crush to the rescue!   

Coloring is everywhere right now, and with good reason. It’s fun, easy, and it’s super relaxing. But, after spending the time and thought to make a colorful creation, it’s kind of a shame to close it up in a book, never to be seen again.

That’s what I love about Coloring Crush. You get to color some beautiful art, but it doesn’t get stuck on the shelf. After you are done, you can make the designs into postcards, wall hangings, or whatever you wish. The thick pages also hold up well to crafting.

So after flipping through my copy, I decided that my little plant wanted some beautiful butterfly friends. I ripped out the perforated page, grabbed the included pencils, and started coloring.

I will mention, I’m not really fussy about my coloring. I’ve seen people make masterpieces with shading and patterns, and the book gives you some tips on how to do that. But my style is to just grab the colors that I think look pretty and go to work!

Once I was finished, I cut around the butterflies (again, not too much fuss, just left a little border of white). I had originally thought I’d hang them somehow, so I punched some holes, but then inspiration suddenly struck. The smell of joyous java brewing in the kitchen made its way to my nose and it hit me—coffee stirrers!

 You can use chopsticks, small branches, straws, whatever! The soil in my plant is loose enough that the stirrers went in just fine. I trimmed off the holes I had punched, and then put a line of glue on the back of the paper to attach the stirrers.

They needed a few minutes to dry, and then it was time to arrange them in the plant.

A little asymmetrical arrangement around the plant makes for a pretty picture. If you want to make it pretty from any angle, there is enough art in the book to make 6 double-sided butterflies. My plant only faces me, so I just used them on one side. 

I was so pleased with how it looked that I gave my cute clover a little window-time to celebrate.

I hope after reading this, you get inspired to use some coloring to decorate your space. It’s super simple, and easy to do with friends or kids as a group activity.