On Sunday we took Clara on a little weekend adventure. One of our stops was a butterfly exhibit filled with live butterflies fluttering about:
Thanks to a handout we picked up at the exhibit, I was able to create a new framed piece for our built-ins as soon as we got home:
Before anyone worries: I didn’t use real butterflies. Instead I cut shapes from the informational flyer we were given at the exhibit. I asked if I could keep it for a project and they were happy for me to take the one they handed out—so kind.
I’d been inspired by a post I saw years ago on Little Green Notebook and several faux-butterfly shadow boxes on Pinterest, so I decided to try a paper version of butterfly taxidermy.
My first step was cutting out the butterflies. The flyer was double-sided, so I flipped it and selected favorites from each side. The sheet was laminated, so if you want to try this at home print small butterfly images on glossy photo paper or laminate printed cardstock to give the pieces a slight sheen. Realistic craft stickers applied to paper would also work.
I used a pair of sharp scissors and cut slowly. The antennae were too delicate to keep, so I trimmed them off. The simple method left me with a collection of cutouts:
At first they didn’t look particularly convincing. To add dimension, I carefully folded each wing back like a taco so the butterflies would appear more three-dimensional:
When the wings were released they held the fold and suddenly looked much more realistic:
Next I searched the house for a shadow-box-style frame with enough depth to accommodate the folded wings. An old Ikea frame that had been sitting on our dining room built-ins worked perfectly. I arranged nine favorites on the glass and settled on a three-by-three grid:
To attach them I used Aleen’s Tacky Glue and a sheet of white cardstock cut to fit the frame opening. I dabbed glue along the back crease of each butterfly (the blue side you see in some photos is the reverse of the flyer) and placed them by eye, adjusting spacing until the layout looked right:
A close-up of the glued crease shows the simple attachment—just a small dab of glue where the wings meet:
I let the piece dry flat overnight so nothing would shift while the glue cured. The next morning I placed the finished frame back on the built-ins:
The white frame, mat, and background contrast nicely with the moody teal paint behind the built-ins and help the butterflies stand out, much like our other faux-animal pieces do.
Even on close inspection, the piece doesn’t read as a discarded flyer. I think it might even fool my mom—an amusing measure of success for me since childhood.
If you’re wondering where the butterfly exhibit was: Natural Bridge in southwestern Virginia. It’s roughly a three-hour drive from Richmond and made for a nice weekend outing. We chose it partly because we’d never been and partly to meet up with John’s friend Kevin, who is teaching and studying at Virginia Tech.
The stone bridge itself was more impressive in person than we expected. According to the guide, it’s the remnant of an underground cavern where surrounding material collapsed. The history and the setting make it worth visiting if you’re in the area.
A shady, humid trail led to a pretty little waterfall. Our best photos from that part of the hike were of a butterfly—perhaps foreshadowing the exhibit we would later visit:
Clara showed a surprising fascination with a particular rock on the trail—proof we might have a future geologist on our hands:
In the gift shop I noticed some striking shiny rock fragments. I didn’t bring any home—the larger specimens were pricey—but they felt like a fresh natural-decor option, similar to the current popularity of coral accents.
And because no weekend trip is complete without a bit of local kitsch, we of course did not visit Foamhenge during our stay. We also definitely did not pose with a life-sized Merlin statue meant to illustrate one theory about Stonehenge’s creation. We are, after all, mature adults.
Good thing Clara won’t have embarrassing parents—she’ll surely appreciate our composure when she’s a teenager.
That was our little Sunday adventure. It’s nice to enjoy summer outings while you can, and even better when you come home with a free souvenir that becomes a project. Has anyone else made faux butterfly art—mobiles, framed pieces, jewelry, or tattoos? Any other Foamhenge witnesses out there?
Psst—My friend Cat is working on a nursery for her three-month-old son Edison, so I rounded up ten favorite nursery designs to inspire her over on BabyCenter. So much cuteness, so little time.