My Mother died recently and the wind brought a beautiful butterfly to my door. In her memory I would like to mount it and put it in a shadow box. I haven't any skill in this area and do not wish to persue this craft, however this butterfly has a great deal of meaning to me and our family. Is there someone out there who could tell me if? what? I should do to preserve this beautiful creature. I sure would appreciate a response. Thanks in advance. Lorraine
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I'm ASSUMING that the butterfly is dead now and if so, should have been dried. If not, the butterfly needs to be placed on a board with a slot to allow it's body to fit without bending the wings. The wings should be opened and then pinned in place by laying a layer of paper over the wings and pinning OUTSIDE the wings. The antennae should be moved to form a "V". When dry, set aside. A small shadow box can be made, or procured, but it needs to be half an inch thick INSIDE at least. I'd strongly recommend using glass instead of any of the acrylic sheets. You can simply pin the butterfly to the box bottom (preferably covered with white paper) or glued to it with clear silicone. The way I prefer for display however is a little different. I lay a sheet of polyester pillow fill or quilt fill in the box to bed the butterfly in. Snip out a small portion to fit the body into and then glue it down into the poly. I like putting a few both crystals under the poly. There are mites that sometimes attack insects and can destroy the bodies (they seldom bother the wings). Then I'd seal the box with silicone. This should last forever.