Item #2008-0019

This was made with a real butterfly wing that was glued to a coaster and then coated in clear spray many, many times so that it looks like a bug in amber almost! I had to do that to preserve the delicate structure. This was one of two butterfly wings I found in my mother's belongings after she died. I tried my hand at woodcarving for the first time on the coaster, but not the carving on the frame. The frame was made in Thailand and I got it at Goodwill. It had a couple dings in it, so I just spray painted it and highlighted the carving. The backing is made of laminated stationary, and the two golden leaves were earrings of my grandmother's.

I made this for my friend Tina because she was having a birthday party and I wanted to make her something special. I immediately thought of butterflies, because she loves to photograph them - and is very good at photographing them (check out her blog at: http://blackcatsmom.blogspot.com/ - she is a very skilled photographer, having mastered macro shots like I only could dream of). She loved it, and I am glad I could share something special like this with a very good friend.