DIY Bird and Butterfly Decorations

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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Butterfly slippers make lovely handmade gifts for your bridesmaids.

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

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

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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.

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