On Sunday we took Clara on a little weekend adventure. And one of our stops was a butterfly exhibit with all sorts of real live butterflies who were doing their thing:
And thanks to something that we picked up while there, I was able to make this new framed art for our built-ins as soon as I got home:
Wait, it’s not what you think. My little craft isn’t made from real butterflies. It’s actually cut from this information sheet we were given at the exhibit (I asked if I could buy it with this idea in mind and they said that they didn’t sell them but I was welcome to take the one I was given home with me – so nice of them, right?).
See, ever since seeing this post over on Little Green Notebook and a few cool faux butterfly shadow boxes on Pinterest (like this one) I was ready to try my hand at some faux butterfly taxidermy.
So my first step of the whole oh-heck-let’s-see-if-this-works process was to cut out the butterflies (the paper was double sided so I flipped it back and forth and picked out my favorites on each side. Oh and the little flier was laminated, so if anyone wants to try this at home, you might want to print out some small butterfly images on glossy photo paper and cut them out so they have the same butterfly-like sheen (or even get regular printer paper with butterfly images on it laminated at a place like Kinkos for the same effect). I was also thinking that folks might be able to get this look with realistic stickers from a craft store stuck to printer paper or cardstock and then cut out.
Oh and my cutting method was just to use my good sharp scissors and go slow. I wasn’t perfect or anything (and all of the antennas had to go since they were too thin to keep) but it worked out pretty well. And I was left with these babies:
They weren’t especially convincing at this stage. So in another fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-and-see-what-happens move, I decided they would look more convincing if I could get them to fold a little. So I very carefully folded each wing back like a taco:
When I released, they looked like this:
They were suddenly looking a lot more convincing. Then it was time to pad around the house to look for a shadow-box-like frame to use (something with some space between the paper and the glass so they’d have room for the whole folded thing). This old one from Ikea that was already sitting on our built-ins in the dining room fit the bill. And I had zero attachment to the green leafy print inside (an old Ikea poster) so I laid out my nine favorite butterflies atop the glass to play around with different layouts. I decided the three-rows-of-three approach was my favorite:
Then I just used Aleen’s Tacky Glue (it’s the same tube of craft glue that I’ve had since before making Clara’s nursery mobile 17 months ago) to adhere them to a piece of white cardstock that was cut to fit the opening in my frame:
All I did was dab it on the back crease of my butterfly (don’t be thrown off by the blue butterfly image that you see below – that’s the back since the flier was double sided)…
… and then I just stuck them in place (by eye, I didn’t measure but they look pretty good since I tweaked the spacing until I liked it beforehand, and then just glued them down):
I let them lay flat like that to dry overnight before attempting to hang them (I didn’t want them sliding or popping off before the glue had fully cured).
Then in the morning I put my little frame of faux butterflies right back up on the dining room built-ins:
I love how the white frame, mat, and backdrop pop with the moody teal paint behind them (sort of like how all of my other faux animal friends like Mr. Horse, Sir Rhino, and El Bird stand out).
And even if you get pretty close, they definitely don’t look like a free flyer from a butterfly exhibit. In fact I think they could fool my mom (which has been a measure of success for me since I was a tween).
And in case you were wondering where the heck this butterfly exhibit was, I’ll tell ya: Natural Bridge. It’s just shy of three hours from Richmond in Southwestern, Virginia. We picked it as a good little weekend activity because (1) we’d never been there and (2) it was a good place to meet up with John’s BFF Kevin (who’s currently teaching/in grad school at Virginia Tech).
The bridge was more spectacular in person than we had expected. If we understood the guide correctly, it’s what’s left of an underground cavern that collapsed on all other sides. It’s got cool history so it’s totally worth the visit if you’re ever in the area.
Seeing the giant stone bridge was only a portion of the visit. There was also a really beautiful (though humid) path that we all hiked (well, Clara got strollered). It led to a scenic little waterfall, but our only good pictures from that spot ended up being of this butterfly (foreshadowing of the butterfly exhibit to come later, perhaps?)…
We also learned that we have a future geologist on our hands. Seriously, Clara was inexplicably obsessed with this rock:
Speaking of rock obsessions, these beauties in the gift shop did catch my eye. Everyone say it with me: “Oooooooh, shiny.” I didn’t take any home with me (the big ones I loved most were around $80-100) but mark my words: giant shiny rock fragments are the new coral when it comes to natural decorating accents, methinks.
And since we hate to ruin the illusion that we rank up there with only the classiest of travelers, you’ll be glad to know that we most certainly did not visit “Foamhenge” while in the area…
Sure, visiting an all-styrofoam full-scale replica of Stonehenge for free right here in the Virginia mountains a would be tempting for less sophisticated sightseers, but not the Petersiks. No-siree-bob.
And even if we had, we definitely wouldn’t have taken pictures with a life-sized Merlin statue that was constructed to illustrate one of the theories of Stonehenge’s mysterious creation. Please, give us some credit people. We’re mature adults.
Good thing Clara doesn’t have embarrassing parents, right? I’m sure she’ll thank us for being so poised and level-headed when she’s 16 and treasure this picture always.
So that was our little Sunday adventure this weekend. Gotta enjoy summer while it’s still here, right? Especially when you can score a free souvenir-turned-project in the process. Has anyone else out there made any faux butterfly crafts? Mobiles? Art? Jewelry? Tattoos? Foam replicas? Speaking of foam, someone else out there has to have witnessed the hilarity that is Foamhenge. Anyone…?
Psst- My BFF Cat is working on her three month old son Edison’s room, so I dug up ten of my favorite nurseries to inspire her over on BabyCenter. So much cuteness, so little time.
Kara J says
Just had to say GO HOKIES!!! (Sorry John)
Shevon says
Love the mounted faux b-flies. Real ones would gross me out. Reminds me of when my bug loving son was little and we visited a museum. I would find shriveled up geckos and cockroaches scotch taped to pieces of paper because he was “collecting” them. Yuck.
Marilyn says
I have said this before: You guys are BRILLIANT!
Oona says
The butterfly display turned out great! I always hesitate to cut out laminated stuff, cause I’m convince it all going to fall apart as soon as I snip… Not sure why.
I think butterflies are going to be the next deer/moose/elk head in home decor. I just bought one at our local botanical garden a few weeks back and I’ve been seeing them all over internetland.
I would totally visit Foamhenge, it looks amazingly fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, interesting prediction about butterflies being the new deer/moose/elk head. Can’t wait to see how that plays out!
xo,
s
sara says
When Clara’s a little older you guys should go back & stop at the haunted house there, too! It’s owned by a family & their daughter (11 years old ish?) was our MYSTICAL TOUR GUIDE. It’s great! There’s also a really crazy dinosaur vs. Union soldier walking path exhibit there, which is insane to say the least.
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds fun and hilarious!
xo,
s
Christina says
Love the butterfly idea!! I love all your gallery walls/book case ideas!
My favorite part- Clara’s face in that last pic of John being silly. I could see her making that face at 16 – she’s almost got an eye-roll going there like “Seriously, I can’t even look at what he’s doing right now. I’m glad that I have this hat to block my view of him. SO uncool.”
When she gets older- just say that the readers (especially this nerdy one) appreciate the silly pictures. Blame it on us- I don’t mind :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, good plan! I’m totally blaming you, Christina The Commenter. Maybe then she’ll forgive us!
xo,
s
Maureen says
Next time you’re out there, you have to go to the Animal Safari. You feed them from the car and it is a hoot. I’ve never laughed so hard as my 2yr old was about to leap out and join the animals and my 5 year old could have been peeled off the ceiling of the car. Too much fun.
Love the site and ALL your projects.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that sounds pretty hilarious!
xo,
s
J'Ann says
You never fail to amaze, this is genius!
Emily says
You guys are hilarious!!
Love that you reused the info guide sheet thingy for your butterfly display. :) That was so much easier than butterfly punches or collecting butterfly images online (or the real thing ha).
Funnelcloud Rachel says
Ahhhh!!! We were just at Foamhenge a month ago! Couldn’t pass up the roadside kitsch on our drive home. We had been staying at Luminhaus (which is definitely worth house crashing if you guys ever need a weekend getaway within driving distance!)
And I have made several of those butterfly shadow boxes a few years ago – I made mine using a butterfly paper punch and scrapbook papers and gave them as baby gifts.
So many coincidences in this post – I knew I liked you guys! ;) (Though we didn’t have a chance to stop at the actual Natural Bridge, it is on my list. We were worried it was too touristy?)
YoungHouseLove says
Nah, I don’t think it was too touristy. Totally worth it to see the beauty of that awesome honking bridge and take that nice long hike (we brought food and had a little picnic there too).
xo,
s
Crystal S says
What a fun place to visit! I have a question, and I meant to ask it on your post Kinda Blew My Mind. It’s about your pillows, I noticed you switch them up, and my question is how to you store the pillows that you aren’t using. They’re so bulky!
YoungHouseLove says
We only have a few extra pillows (which we store in a closet in the completely unfinished playroom) but mostly we have pillow covers (which is nice since they’re so easy to rotate and store since they can be folded flat. Ikea makes a lot of the ones we have (and some are from places like Etsy).
xo,
s
Jaz says
Sherry, you ‘rock’!
Faux butterfly pins = much more classier and progressive than real ones. Thank you for the great art idea. :-) Neat, neat.
Stefanie says
Haha, I love Foamhenge! Did you guys happen to visit anything else out that way created by Mark Cline?
If you’re not already privy to it, which I’m sure you are, the Roadside America app is really awesome for finding neat little stops along the way while roadtripping!
YoungHouseLove says
We heard he was also responsible for an enchanted castle thing but we didn’t have time to squeeze it in. Thanks for the app tip!
xo,
s
Samantha @ http://shewfits.blogspot.com/ says
Wow, the butterfly display turned out great! I saw a similar one on pinterest that were heart shapes cut out of fun paper, but I like the butterfly idea much better. Thanks for the inspiration to make my own (dragon flies would be a fun one to…hmmm….) Thanks again!
Jamie says
Ahhhhahaha…Foamhenge! That is hilarious. We actually have a Stonehenge replica here in the tiny town of Ingram, TX (where I grew up) made of real stone. Our senior class picture was taken in front of it. Classy, eh?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it.
xo,
s
Katie says
I have so been to foamhenge. REEE-diculous…ly awesome. I went to college in VA and it was one of me and my hubs first dates. I knew I was in love at that very moment. He cracks me up. Loving your resourcefulness with the butterfly project. I love me some $0 craft sessions.
Lisa P. says
OMGorgeous idea! Now I have another to-do project! Thanks for the inspiration.
Audra says
Your collage is really pretty.
My daughter and I are thinking of making this lovely butterfly collage for her bedroom.
Seems easy and fun.
http://ellieandabbie.typepad.com/bright_eyes_blue_eyes/2011/02/butterflycollage.html
YoungHouseLove says
Cute! I love the idea of making it with your daughter!
xo,
s
Krista says
My girls and I made this. It turned out great. It was so easy and you can’t make a mistake!
Rebecca says
Clara really loves her jeggings! I don’t normally notice the clothing you guys wear in your posts (focusing more on the project pictures) but I keep noticing skintight-denim-baby-legs. She’s so trendy! :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we just love them because they match everything and they’re stretchy so she can move around without flashing her big cloth diaper at everyone. Haha.
xo,
s
Lesley says
Love your butterfly art! What a great way to memorialize your trip for years to come.
And you’re not the only ones who like to visit tacky roadside attractions. No, that was definitely NOT me that was majorly bummed when the World’s Largest Prairie Dog exhibit was closed while we were on our road trip West. I did catch a glimpse of him through the fence though.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, our entire family is excited at the mention of the world’s largest prairie dog exhibit (Burger included). We’ll have to check that out someday!
xo,
s
Hilary says
Natural Bridge…haven’t been there since I was school-aged [many field trips].
Love the butterfly art – you have mad scissor skills!!
Erin says
Oh wow! We went to Natural Bridge when I was a kid. There used to be a laser light show at night and you switched sides of the bridge in the middle. Unfortunately, we did not visit Foamhenge, though I doubt I would have “gotten” it then.
Joanna D.@ perfectly for eternity says
Foamhedge…….hilarious!!!!! My husband and I went on a little flutterby (as the hubster likes to call em) adventure a few weeks ago as well. Now I regret not bringing a guide home……..doh!!
http://perfectlyforeternity.blogspot.com/2011/08/wedding-week-anniversary-adventures.html
Sara D says
Question about Aleen’s Tacky Glue (awesome art btw, love the 3D effect!)..I recently made a shadowbox for a friend and had trouble with my tacky glue…it seems like it will never come out! Feels really hard..not hard like a rock but just really really thick and doesn’t seem to move down the tube to come out. I’d say it’s at least a year old. I gave up and used a hot glue gun which sort of worked. Any advice? Is it just me? Do I just need to buy a new tube?
YoungHouseLove says
It sounds like it went bad and dried up! I’d get a new tube for sure. Good luck!
xo,
s
Kristen says
The butterfly art is so cool!! I’m definitely going to have to try this because I love butterflies!
Suzanne says
We loved Natural Bridge (live in Waynesboro so not too far for us). Have also heard the safari park is AWESOMESAUCE. But haven’t checked it out yet!
When we first relocated to Central VA (from Annapolis, Md) 3 years ago we went to the Luray caverns. I was a nevous wreck that my then 9 month old son would freak out! He actually loved it and could not stop looking around.
So, I would say don’t be afraid to check out the caverns next time you are in the neighborhood!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so good to hear! We worried that echo-ing underground spaces might be bad if Clara started crying! Haha.
xo,
s
beth lehman says
YOWZA!! You got to see Foamhenge???? The um…. 8th wonder of the not-so-natural world??? We took our kids there just this spring and to Natural Bridge. We also toured the cave and the Wax Museum. Crazy, no? Fun times.
sarah b says
Love the butterfly craft idea. recently took four 9 year-old girls to our local indoor butterfly garden place at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD, which was FAB!U!LOUS! This from a bug-phobic person since I was a kid. WINGED BUGS WERE ON MY HEAD and it was actually OK.
The gardens are amazing, too, and they have a fun holiday lights thing in winter. Worth checking out if any readers are in the DC vicinity.
Now I’m inspired to look for some good material for displaying in such a manner…I have some old naturalist-type tomes with great pics. Wish me luck!
susan says
Fake fliers look fine………………..susan
Tara says
If you’re still in the mood to see more butterflies, you’ll have to make the ~1.5h drive down/across to my neck of the woods. The Virginia Living Museum is having their annual butterfly exhibit now through Labor Day. It’s lots of fun with a butterfly house and maze. Plus there’s the whole rest of the museum. Fishes, and turtles on the inside and birds and wolves, etc on the outside. Everything is native to Virgina. We have a membership and go quite often. My 21m old twins love the touch tank the best.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the suggestion. Sounds like a great day trip for another weekend!
-John
Mikaela says
I did something a little different with butterflies. Used a butterfly punch and colorful paper, and then used the individual butterflies to make a whole piece.
Here’s a link to the piece…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37464063@N04/6026386410/
and a close up…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37464063@N04/6026386378/
YoungHouseLove says
So pretty and intricate!
xo
s
jodi says
oooh! it looks so great! nice job, lady.
Amie says
hahhaha I love that you stopped at Foam Henge, it is the freaking best!!! I also love the “zoo” that’s just a little ways down the road from Foamhenge. Glad to see we’re not the only parents taking our kids on embarrassing photo-ops :)
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely killed some time in the “zoo” gift shop while waiting for our friend to arrive (who was meeting us halfway from Blacksburg). It was definitely no San Diego Zoo…
-John
Meredith says
Great idea! It fits perfectly on those awesome built-ins. Speaking of, do you guys have a source list posted for this house? Specifically for the built-ins? It’s probably not at the top of your list since many of the things you have in this house were in the previous one. I only ask because I am becoming increasingly obsessed with your gorgeous built-ins. :) I keep trying to recreate the look somewhere in my house, but I find it hard to branch out from using only books, storage bins, and picture frames to “style” my bookcases. I don’t want to go out and buy things just to display them, so do you have any hints – like that stack of white frames that looked deceptively like a white box? Thanks so much!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, that’s the only hint that comes to mind. Haha. We get lacquered boxes from TJ Max and Target when we see them. And we just collect things that have meaning to us (framed keys, ceramic animals, etc). Sadly we don’t have a source list for this house yet (or a paint masterlist page) but it’s definitely on my list! Until then maybe keep an eye out for interesting planters, frames, vases, books, boxes, shells or faux coral, etc. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jenn says
I dragged my husband to Foam Henge one weekend. He was completely embarrassed that I had more fun there than Monticello, Montpelier and all the other historical places of central Virginia. I told him he should be happy because I just saved him thousand of dollars because now he doesn’t need to take me to Stonehenge.
Melody says
Sherry, what a great idea! I’ve thought about doing something similar with a butterfly poster that I have.
Rachel Tatem says
I love the episode of the office, too funny!
Wom-mom Ethne says
Reminds me a bit of the Black Hills, SD – totally worth a visit if you make it to the Midwest. The Needles Highway and the Flintstones – how can you go wrong?
Emma says
Your butterfly art is WONDER-FAB! I’m so impressed. Thanks for sharing.
Pam Tucker says
Love it! Looks great on your shelf.
Maggie says
Your faux butterfly display did look good. You could have used pins, the kind with big round plastic heads, to “skewer” the “butterflies.” Probably would have grossed out Mom! The left-hand picture’s shiny rock is Iron Pyrite, or “fools gold.” In the right hand picture, various quartz crystals. I love rocks, crystals as decor also.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I thought about using pins but worried it might make me feel weird. Stabbing innocent faux butterflies. Haha.
xo,
s
Kacie says
I love this! Wow. You are so awesome! What an easy arts and crafts project. The little one I nanny for would be soooo into this!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/
Jessica says
Hi Sherry,
Totally unrelated to this post, but I found this bean bag tutorial and thought about you and Clara’s awesome closet and wanted to share. http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/1999/01/rollie-pollie_28/
YoungHouseLove says
Love it so much! Already pinned it. Haha.
xo,
s
Courtney Severs says
Hi there! I came across your blog while searching for wedding ideas and I am absolutley in love with your wedding! If you have time I would love to get some more detailed information on a couple of your ideas! Thanks so much!
-Courtney
YoungHouseLove says
Check out the tab at the top of our site (under our header) that says “Our Wedding” for lots of info! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
paula says
Wow, that butterfly shadowbox is crafty!
I had no idea Foamhenge was there! We live in Charlottesville. Definitely something we should do. :)
Elizabeth says
What a great idea. I did a real butterfly project when I was in elementary school. Looking back, I realize how sad it was to capture them for my project. This is a much better idea. Will definitely remember this one!
Lauren says
The Office thing is so coincidental. I wrote out a grocery list like two days ago and had ‘beets’ on it. While shopping I went to check the list to see what else I needed and noticed that my husband had written in ‘bears’ and ‘battlestar galactica.’
The butterfly art is super cute. I love that no butterflies were harmed in the process of making that frame.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- grocery list humor is the best.
xo,
s
Theresa says
ahh, I love everything about this post! An Office clip (one of my all-time favorite shows), cool DIY art (ps your built-ins with the teal background are one of my most favorite things in your house), your darling baby girl, and giant foam stones! What’s not to love? :) Keep up the great work!
Heidi Nicole says
That is by far my favorite Office clip! I love it and giggle uncontrollably as soon as the episode starts! Second favorite…when Jim replaces Dwight’s desk with wrapped Christmas presents!
Love the butterfly idea. I’ve randomly followed links to your site but just recently added you to Google Reader, so glad I did! Now I just need to buy a house…. ;)
Julie says
My husband and I both went to VT. What is your friend studying there? GO HOKIES!!!
YoungHouseLove says
He’s in the computer science program (getting his master’s).
xo,
s