Make it Monday

Have you heard of "specimen art?" I stumbled onto it last week and I have been unable to get it out of my head ever since. It's based on this kind of thing. The real thing is kind of cool and kind of creepy all at once. It makes me think of Silence of the Lambs ("It rubs the lotion on its skin."). But a crafty, insect-friendly version has been sweeping through bloggy land. First Lady of the House has a great example on her blog, but the trend is not limited to butterflies. Crafty peeps have taken the repetitive and colorful elements of specimen art to new heights with pumpkins, snowflakes, shamrocks, and even spiders!

I had to do this!

I knew I wanted to mix up the sizes of the butterflies, but I really didn't want to buy a bunch of punches. So I found this sheet of stickers. It was on sale for $1.00!

I cut out the stickers of the butterflies, cutting the plastic backing and everything to make them a little easier to handle.

I laid the butterflies on the backside of scrapbook paper, traced around them, then cut them out.

I fussed and fiddled with the arrangement. When I got each butterfly where I wanted it, I used a pearlized pin to attach it to the back board of a shadow box.

Another element of the original specimen art that I wanted to incorporate in my version is the labels. Since I didn't need to classify my "specimens" by genus and species, I decided to just pick out some great words. I love words! I'm sure you hadn't noticed ;-) I settled on the words dream, believe, grow, reach, explore, persevere, transform, achieve, learn.

Here's the finished product! I got that shadow box on clearance at Michael's for $5.99! It needed a little hot glue and a coat of spray paint, but it was still a steal. So fun!

I bought three sheets of scrapbook paper (at $0.59 each) to augment what I already had on hand. All together, I was able to do this for well under $10.00. Specimen art is a fun, cheap, quick way to add a splash of color and a little whimsy to a room. Try it! You'll like it!

Happy Monday!

~B

**I'm linking this to Tip Junkie's link party. Click this button to check out HUNDREDS of awesome projects and ideas!**



**Linking up to Beth's party at The Stories of A to Z. Another great craft and decorating site for you to check out!**