Taxidermy is the art of preserving and mounting the carcasses of dead animals or insects so that they retain a lifelike appearance. Taxidermy displays are fascinating renditions of nature and often including material that mimics the models natural environment. Taxidermy displays appeal to both natural historians and those who would like a touch of nature or wildness in their homes. However, many today do not relish having dead creatures in their home. A faux taxidermy display featuring paper butterflies allows decorators and crafters to include a bit of nature in their home without destroying it.
Supplies for a Butterfly Globe
Globe shaped bowel
- Metal or glass base that will support the bowl and its contents
- Moss
- Twigs from the yard
- Butterfly paper punch
- Paper
- Small fake flowers
- Buttons or beads
- Hot glue
- Rocks
Instructions for a Butterfly Globe
- Fill the base with moss.
- Arrange a twig or twigs to stand in the moss. Glue them in place if necessary.
- Glue a rock in place at the base of your arrangement.
- Dismantle your flower. Glue the petals to the twigs to imitate real flowers. Glue a small button or bead to the middle of each flower.
- Punch out several butterflies for your display.
- Fold them in half and then unfold so that the wings look natural.
- Glue the butterflies to the rocks and twigs in your display.
- Place the globe over the display.
Ideas and Suggestions
- It is important to check the size of your arrangement against the interior of your bowl several times so that you know it will fit.
- Add enough detail to your arrangement so that it is interesting to look at but don’t clutter your bowl up too much.
- Make a faux butterfly mounting board to compliment your globed display.
Definitions of Types of Taxidermy
- Taxidermy is the art of mounting dead animals for display as a trophy or for study. In addition to classic/scientific taxidermy there are several other fields of taxidermy.
- Rogue taxidermy is the art of making displays of fictional or mythical creatures. Like ‘real’ taxidermy the idea is to make these creatures as real looking as possible so they are often made with parts of ‘real’ creatures modified to make the fake creature. A good example would be the popular jackalope.
- Anthropomorphic taxidermy is a taxidermical offshoot where real animals are posed to look or act like humans. For instance you might see a chipmunk riding a bicycle.
- The butterflies in the sample display would be considered rogue as they are not a faithful reproduction of a real variety of butterfly.
Melissa Howard - I am a stay-at-home Mom. My college education was in English and History and my last job was as a Technical Writer. Now that I ...
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