I used to make lots of fairy wings from real cicada wings - in Oklahoma you find dozens of them dead on the ground when cicada season is over. The resin though makes them way too heavy to use on an OOAK doll, so I used to cover them with liquid glass, that makes them much lighter and thinner and they're resistant enough. Also putting the cicada wing on angelina film or iridescent cellophane then using the liquid glass makes them beautifully iridescent
Oh man, they turned out SO pretty! That said, I was cringing a bit while watching you do the butterflies. I've done entomology so I know that handling the butterfly wings as much as you were, along with brushing the resin on was actually ruining the finish of them. You were rubbing off the scales (butterfly "dust" ) which is actually what gives them their shimmer and prettiness. I love the idea of setting them in resin and will try that myself, however I totally recommend gently dipping the wings instead of brushing it on for the first coat. I think it would be worth sacrificing a little resin for that. It would make the finish less cloudy as you're not disturbing the scales as much. Those dragonfly wings are gorgeous, I wish they were more readily found where I am.
Great idea. Ive always sprayed the wings I've found for the first few coats with spray varnish to not disturb the scales and it also gives them strength to be handled better. But i like the idea of dipping to save the time and work. Tfs!
I was thinking the very same thing about the wings. I have done things with the real butterfly wings, they are very fragile and even the U-V resin itself can mess this up. We are just trying to help here hon, your work was beautiful. Our experiences here, we hope to help that’s all. ❤️
There really beautiful , I love all God's creatures, in fact about three years ago I had a metallic green dragonfly land on the tip of my finger while out in the garden there were two a purple blue one,, and the green, it just sat on the tip of my finger staring at me for about 5 minutes,,,then vibrated he's wings ready to fly and take to the air,,,, the following year I saw a metallic gold on in the rose bush after the dew,,,, he looked so beautiful with the dew drops on his gorgeous wings that looks like jewels,, but flew away before I could take a closer look,,,,that for me was an experience I'll never ever forget, they are so beautiful,
They lived their lives and died a natural death, then you have brilliantly preserved their beauty forever. Cannot think of a nicer way to pay tribute to such gorgeous creatures.
That’s super cool - not that they died, but what you did with them. I think you found a beautiful way to honor them. I’m sure Mother Nature is proud of you! Thank you for sharing 💜
You are so creative! I love the butterfly wings and the dragonfly wings. Its preserving them, and magnifying the details of the wings, they are beautiful Susan!
When my son was on his senior trip in Florida in 2003, he brought back a shoebox full of sand dollars. I've wondered how to make them stable enough to use in art\jewelry projects. You just solved the mystery! Thank you, Ms. Susan!
Hi Susan, The trick with UVB resin is that it contracts a bit as it cures. You can put resin on the other side of the wing & cure it. That should help a bit with making it want to stay flatter. Great minds think alike; in the past month I have been working on creating some butterfly illustrated motifs to turn into jewellery components.
Now would probably be a good time in certain areas of the US to look for these beautiful creatures that passed due to a freeze etc.......what a wonderful tribute to mother nature and the beauty she creates!
Hi Susan! I've thought of this idea to but haven't found anything yet! Your in Florida so you have all kinds of cool specimens to work with! Love how they came out! Tfs!!
I'm in southeast Colorado but I'm from upstate ny...there are dragonflies but by the water only...🥰 I've got some cicada wings from some dead cicadas I've been collecting. Hope this helps on your journey. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and they are born out of water like mosquitoes too so that's why only water will you find them here as in eastern coast has standing water from all the rain here we have alot drought
Thanks for this! I found a monarch last year and had to keep it. I just covered a teapot with purple and yellow and wanted to add a butterfly. Now I can! A real one
My question is how did you glue those little metal sticks to those wings ? That is the most important thing and you didn’t not mention it I don’t get it
I didn't know that UV resin can go in the oven. I made a pendant recently that I wanted to resin, then make a clay bezel, then bake. I didn't have time to test it, & was afraid of ruining the entire piece. Now i know! Thank you for the tip 😘💖
How wonderful, what do you use to set the resin, I've never seen this. I have a book about making skeleton leaves which is fascinating to me. Your method would take them to another level. On my bucket list of creative pursuits this coming summer. Thanks for sharing something awesome yet again : )
This is ironic as September is migration time for monarchs and did the same thing with some I found dead but I used regular resin but they look like the most intricate stained glass
Very nice! Great wonderful idea! Now you are getting me into making polymer clay figures!!! or place them on a hair clip. Many ideas in my brain!!! LOL! Thanks for the inspiration!!
I wanna pass out while watching this! I have serious entomophobia! Just thinking of insects gives me anxiety and heart palpitations. While these came out cool, there’s no way I’d ever be able to do a project like this!
Pretend its hair you have to go with the flow the hair and if you go in One Direction you have to go in that direction you can't go back and forth LOL.... just a helpful hand I think but they're absolutely gorgeous and it's a fabulous idea I'm totally impressed with it
I make jewelry with insect wings and have been trying to figure out a way to make them like this. My problem is that the resin peels off from the wings each time I do it and try to screw the hole in it’s driving me crazy!! If anyone has any tips let me know
Yes! It will still come loose! Though, mind you, any resin that touches the baking paper will be matte, because the paper is. To keep the high gloss, even with spills, sticker paper backing would be the thing
They’re gorgeous...no butterflies or dragonflies for me for another 8-9 months though as winter is dug right in here😞I sure hope I remember to try this when they do finally come around... and possibly die of natural causes😬♥️
I would have a hard time with the monarch butterfly.. I rear and release monarch butterflies as a hobby of mine.. so I grow milkweed plants and collect eggs and caterpillars from my milkweed and raise and feed them till they make their chrysalis and then release them when they emerge..I couldn’t bring myself to cut wings even from a dead monarch as my heart is in raising and releasing healthy butterflies.not being negative about anyone else doing this though.
Nice, but resin is VERY toxic, no matter what the labels say. Use gloves and use a popsicle stick to spread the resin. Do this in a ventilated space, like a garage or your backyard. Wear safety glasses, too.
Do you think you could take butterflies wings and place it on cured polymer clay, then resin over both? Or should you resin both sides? Just curious. I too won't be harming any of God's creatures for this
I love UV resin, I do all kinda things with it. Hmmm, maybe a fly just his wings keep his body alive. Help me Help me. LOL Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm joking. I'm 54 yrs old and I covered my eyes back in the day. I was the baby of 4 older brothers so you know I had to be right there beside them. LOL
I used to make lots of fairy wings from real cicada wings - in Oklahoma you find dozens of them dead on the ground when cicada season is over. The resin though makes them way too heavy to use on an OOAK doll, so I used to cover them with liquid glass, that makes them much lighter and thinner and they're resistant enough. Also putting the cicada wing on angelina film or iridescent cellophane then using the liquid glass makes them beautifully iridescent
could you tell me, what is liquid glass? Sounds intriguing!
Remind me to never ever move to oaklahoma!
Oh man, they turned out SO pretty! That said, I was cringing a bit while watching you do the butterflies. I've done entomology so I know that handling the butterfly wings as much as you were, along with brushing the resin on was actually ruining the finish of them. You were rubbing off the scales (butterfly "dust" ) which is actually what gives them their shimmer and prettiness. I love the idea of setting them in resin and will try that myself, however I totally recommend gently dipping the wings instead of brushing it on for the first coat. I think it would be worth sacrificing a little resin for that. It would make the finish less cloudy as you're not disturbing the scales as much. Those dragonfly wings are gorgeous, I wish they were more readily found where I am.
Great idea. Ive always sprayed the wings I've found for the first few coats with spray varnish to not disturb the scales and it also gives them strength to be handled better. But i like the idea of dipping to save the time and work. Tfs!
I was thinking the very same thing about the wings. I have done things with the real butterfly wings, they are very fragile and even the U-V resin itself can mess this up. We are just trying to help here hon, your work was beautiful. Our experiences here, we hope to help that’s all. ❤️
There really beautiful , I love all God's creatures, in fact about three years ago I had a metallic green dragonfly land on the tip of my finger while out in the garden there were two a purple blue one,, and the green, it just sat on the tip of my finger staring at me for about 5 minutes,,,then vibrated he's wings ready to fly and take to the air,,,, the following year I saw a metallic gold on in the rose bush after the dew,,,, he looked so beautiful with the dew drops on his gorgeous wings that looks like jewels,, but flew away before I could take a closer look,,,,that for me was an experience I'll never ever forget, they are so beautiful,
They lived their lives and died a natural death, then you have brilliantly preserved their beauty forever. Cannot think of a nicer way to pay tribute to such gorgeous creatures.
Love this idea...could you please sometime make a video of your fairy dolls...thanks for sharing as always..
That’s super cool - not that they died, but what you did with them. I think you found a beautiful way to honor them. I’m sure Mother Nature is proud of you! Thank you for sharing 💜
You are so creative! I love the butterfly wings and the dragonfly wings. Its preserving them, and magnifying the details of the wings, they are beautiful Susan!
When my son was on his senior trip in Florida in 2003, he brought back a shoebox full of sand dollars. I've wondered how to make them stable enough to use in art\jewelry projects. You just solved the mystery! Thank you, Ms. Susan!
Hi Susan,
The trick with UVB resin is that it contracts a bit as it cures. You can put resin on the other side of the wing & cure it. That should help a bit with making it want to stay flatter.
Great minds think alike; in the past month I have been working on creating some butterfly illustrated motifs to turn into jewellery components.
Now would probably be a good time in certain areas of the US to look for these beautiful creatures that passed due to a freeze etc.......what a wonderful tribute to mother nature and the beauty she creates!
Hi Susan! I've thought of this idea to but haven't found anything yet! Your in Florida so you have all kinds of cool specimens to work with! Love how they came out! Tfs!!
In Colorado, I never see dragonflies. Growing up back east we always saw them by our ponds and lakes. These are beautiful.
I'm in southeast Colorado but I'm from upstate ny...there are dragonflies but by the water only...🥰 I've got some cicada wings from some dead cicadas I've been collecting. Hope this helps on your journey. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and they are born out of water like mosquitoes too so that's why only water will you find them here as in eastern coast has standing water from all the rain here we have alot drought
Love your tutorials. Thank you for inspiring new ideas and techniques. You're so talented. I'm a huge fan
I’ve heard that laminating them first will not only help prevent them from curling but it’ll preserve their color!
Thanks for this! I found a monarch last year and had to keep it. I just covered a teapot with purple and yellow and wanted to add a butterfly. Now I can! A real one
I'm curious, where is The Garden of Natural Causes is located? 😂
Enjoy your work, thanks for the videos.
Such a great idea! You're right, they are beautiful!
I love your videos thank you. I would love to see your fairy dolls. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in your videos.
What a lovely idea! Mother Nature is such an artist!
Just WOW! Incredibly creative..nature at its best!
Beautiful! Please share what you create with them. Thanks.
These are lovely. Love them.
Thank you! Any thoughts on using another medium? A type of glue? Mod podge? Clear nailpolish? I'd like to work with something I already have...
Absolutely beautiful!🤗💖
Wow, never realized how beautiful the dragon fly wings are. Great way to preserve these beauties.
Omg the crunching sound as you take the wings off. 😭😭😭😭
Love it! And yes, don't let the beauty of nature go to waste.
You need some fine tip tweezers to work with. Also, why the paper? Can't you use wax paper?
Hi Susan!!! I think adding mica powder would be beautiful!!!! 💜
My question is how did you glue those little metal sticks to those wings ? That is the most important thing and you didn’t not mention it I don’t get it
I didn't know that UV resin can go in the oven. I made a pendant recently that I wanted to resin, then make a clay bezel, then bake. I didn't have time to test it, & was afraid of ruining the entire piece. Now i know! Thank you for the tip 😘💖
make sure its uva I tried epoxy epic fail !
@@TurtleSoupBeads 👌👍 thank you 😘
What a great idea! It’s cold in Ohio now so we won’t be having any winged creatures for months. Hopefully I’ll try this when they come back
Well its the year of the cicada so this may come in handy#
Fly wings, too, are gorgeous but way smaller. Irridescent. I wonder if that would be preserved when resined.
Brilliant. Thanks
Thank you sharing. I also found just the wings of a butterfly. Wasn't sure how to do this process. Guess I need a light & resin
You can use epoxy resin just takes longer same result
How wonderful, what do you use to set the resin, I've never seen this. I have a book about making skeleton leaves which is fascinating to me. Your method would take them to another level. On my bucket list of creative pursuits this coming summer. Thanks for sharing something awesome yet again : )
UVA resin and you use a UVA light which are very inexpensive from eBay
My two favorites! Never clicked so fast!
me too! hehe
This is ironic as September is migration time for monarchs and did the same thing with some I found dead but I used regular resin but they look like the most intricate stained glass
Beautiful idea for preservation...will you make a clay body to complete them? 😍
no I have another idea
Very nice! Great wonderful idea! Now you are getting me into making polymer clay figures!!! or place them on a hair clip. Many ideas in my brain!!! LOL! Thanks for the inspiration!!
Very neat and unusual. Cool
I loved it all thank you
Wow! Stunning.
I wanna pass out while watching this! I have serious entomophobia! Just thinking of insects gives me anxiety and heart palpitations. While these came out cool, there’s no way I’d ever be able to do a project like this!
how long did you leave them in the uv light for?
I hate bugs but I love you and your work so I’m going to watch this even though I might throw up 😂
Haha
😂your a true fan 😍ty
Could you demonstrate how you make you small dolls? 😍
Ive been saying samething to her for over a yr i wish she would omg did u see her fairy in her house she is out of this world .
Thanks
😮Whaaaaat? These are gorgeous!
Pretend its hair you have to go with the flow the hair and if you go in One Direction you have to go in that direction you can't go back and forth LOL.... just a helpful hand I think but they're absolutely gorgeous and it's a fabulous idea I'm totally impressed with it
I make jewelry with insect wings and have been trying to figure out a way to make them like this. My problem is that the resin peels off from the wings each time I do it and try to screw the hole in it’s driving me crazy!! If anyone has any tips let me know
Currently trying to figure this out!?
Those are amazing!
Abu, your Mom did pretty things today!
Can I just use wax paper…?
Yes! It will still come loose! Though, mind you, any resin that touches the baking paper will be matte, because the paper is. To keep the high gloss, even with spills, sticker paper backing would be the thing
They’re gorgeous...no butterflies or dragonflies for me for another 8-9 months though as winter is dug right in here😞I sure hope I remember to try this when they do finally come around... and possibly die of natural causes😬♥️
Next time I find a dead cicada I will try this
Beautiful. 💚💜
I would love to see them on the dolls
I would have a hard time with the monarch butterfly.. I rear and release monarch butterflies as a hobby of mine.. so I grow milkweed plants and collect eggs and caterpillars from my milkweed and raise and feed them till they make their chrysalis and then release them when they emerge..I couldn’t bring myself to cut wings even from a dead monarch as my heart is in raising and releasing healthy butterflies.not being negative about anyone else doing this though.
Could I get the name of the resin you used? Where can I get it?
Ebay wish aliexpress all have it it's called uva resin
I just found a dead cicada with beautiful wings
Nice, but resin is VERY toxic, no matter what the labels say. Use gloves and use a popsicle stick to spread the resin. Do this in a ventilated space, like a garage or your backyard. Wear safety glasses, too.
Do you think you could take butterflies wings and place it on cured polymer clay, then resin over both? Or should you resin both sides? Just curious. I too won't be harming any of God's creatures for this
It's so delicate idk
What a wonderful idea! You have given new life to those beautiful creatures.
I love UV resin, I do all kinda things with it. Hmmm, maybe a fly just his wings keep his body alive. Help me Help me. LOL Do you know what I'm talking about? I'm joking. I'm 54 yrs old and I covered my eyes back in the day. I was the baby of 4 older brothers so you know I had to be right there beside them. LOL
Wonderful, thank you!