Project: Dead Bug Shadowbox

Since I've submitted some blog posts for Craftzine, I've been feeling crafty these days.  My love for scraps has made me start to look at materials in a different way.  My grandmother taught me that what could be trash can easily be transformed into art or something with an upcycled function.

So when I found dead bumblebees in my windowsill, I knew they could be good for something.

A shadowbox!  I love geeky, old-fashioned crafts and this makes the perfect gift for my friend B, who not only loves bees, but is from Utah, where the beehive is the state symbol.  (Interesting factoid, it's the symbol of Mormonism because of the colony of workers that make up the community, and the beehive is on road signs throughout the state.)

Here's what you need:
-a shadowbox
-fabric or paper for backdrop
-dead bugs for centerpiece
-extra embellishments: trim, stickers, ribbon, paper for collage, etc.
-glue

Open shadowbox.

Tuck in fabric, line the back with paper or paint.  Make sure to leave room for your three dimensional object for display.  Decorate with trim.

If using bugs, glue to stiff paper or cardstock.  The bees had long legs, so I trimmed them with a scissors and placed using tweezers.

Add any extra accents, like glitter, pictures, or decoupage.  I added a beehive charm.

Place in the box.

I sprayed the whole thing lightly with glue spray.  It leaves a bit of a coating, but keeps everything reinforced so it doesn't start to droop in the box once it's hung up.

Place the glass and frame over the top and glue to the edges of the box.  Hang and enjoy!