A Lunch Date with my Love and...

Every once in a while, Gorg leaves work for his lunch break and I am able to sneak off to meet him. This week we crossed paths at Panera Bread, which just so happens to be in the same plaza as the craft store, Michael's. Currently, I'm in the middle of knitting a shawl/wrap and had run out of yarn. I figured that I would kill two birds in one fell swoop and headed over there after we had split up for the afternoon.


Michael's always seems to have clearance merchandise out on the side walk to entice shoppers passing by. I'll usually give everything a quick once over because I never know when I'll stumble across cheap art supplies for myself or something to keep the kids occupied on a rainy afternoon. Today, however, I hit the jackpot! There, buried underneath all of the partially opened markers and pillaged silk-flower stems, I found a large shadowbox frame. Not only was it large, but it had (for a run-of-the-mill mass-produced item) style. 

I had been looking for a shadowbox for ages now, but could not bring myself to spend a ton of money on a plain, black frame simply because it allowed a few inches of space between the back and the glass. This was a $50+ frame that swung open from the front and had a linen covered, foam backer board for mounting collections and it was only $15. Normally, I'd even balk at that, but given how long I had been searching and the lack of deals that I had come across, this one was going home with me. A few tiny scuffs translating into a 70% savings is something that I'm not going to feel guilty over. The only thing that would have made it better would have been my coupon being applicable to clearance "As Is" items :) (And, yes, I did remember my yarn!)


Now, I'm sure that you can think of a million and one reasons for an organized, hate-to-store-'stuff' personality, such as mine, to wish for a shadowbox. I have so many collections that I can't wait to display and therefore put to 'use' (i.e. seashells, foreign currencies, antique laces; just to name a few), so which one would be getting its long awaited home? Well, the Art Nouveau/Victorian influence of my decorating muse had been longing to display our.... bug collection. Yes, you read correctly. I collect odd, large, and/or iridescent bugs =) Here it is in it's partially complete state....

Beautiful, no? The camera just couldn't do it justice. These particular creatures were collected by myself, the kids, and even a few friends who just couldn't resist the beauty of some of God's creepy crawlies. Most of them were found already dead (such as the female Hercules Beetle in the bottom left corner), hence some torn wings or missing limbs and scales. The kids found and 'hatched' the Prometheus Moth in the center and the Luna Moth in the upper right corner. (We've caught, observed, and released more caterpillar-to-moth/butterfly transformations that I can count anymore and the excitement and awe on the kids faces is priceless every time.) These amazing bugs had been languishing away on cardboard in the library, just waiting for me to find the right showpiece for them. After displaying these, I was able to clear out the freezer for a few hours, at least until my oldest found an electric green beetle to save, and the next round of beetles and butterflies is now drying in the library, soon to have their home with these specimens.


I know that this may not be to everyone's taste and some may find it cruel, but I think that it is a wonderful opportunity to show people that not all bugs are gross and to celebrate the beauty of a world that we are often too busy or removed from to appreciate. Bringing the outdoors in is one of the trademarks of the Victorian/Art Nouveau style. I love to use nature to decorate my surroundings. After all, it's hard to improve upon the beauty given to us by our Creator =)