Hi all, I made some new Butterflies for the Butterfly Project being contributed to by a wonderful group I follow called The Limelight. In a previous post I shared the first 12 butterflies I submitted, and now I have 8 more (and 2 more coming soon) to add to the collection. As a reminder, here is the information on the project and our goals: http://limelightscrappers.blogspot.com
In a nutshell, they are supporting the Holocaust Museum of Houston's Butterfly Project, which is honoring the 1,500,000 children who perished in the Holocaust. The exhibition, which is currently scheduled for Spring 2012, will display 1,500,000 handmade butterflies. As of Summer 2008, they have already collected an estimated 400,000 butterflies. The Limelight has a goal of submitting 1,000 handmade butterflies for the display. At least 14 of them will be from me. :)
You can click on the images to see larger versions.
Butterfly 1 is stamped and embossed with this saying: "Within your heart keep one, still, secret spot where dreams may go . . . - Louise Driscall" The sparkle embossed version is hard to read but I love the mirror effect of the sentiment. I also made a butterfly 'window' using clear acrylic that was once packaging. I stamped a silver butterfly on the background then attached a purple stamped version on acrylic on top of it for a cool 'reverse shadow' effect.
Butterfly 2 is on a Chipboard background making it much stronger. I found the Jewish Star badge that children in GERMANY, ALSACE, BOHEMIA-MORAVIA would have had to wear on this website: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/badges.html. I made it by printing the image, laminating it and then attaching tiny glass ball beads to the front of it to soften and magnify the harsh symbol. It came out great, even though it was hard to photograph. I also used brads, ribbons, 'skittles', wire, and more. I love how this one came out!
Butterfly 3 is a bit more somber than my others, but I know that there were children of all temperaments caught in this awful situation, so it still feels relevant to me. It is black and irridescent glitter with a floral pattern in the center. It was made on thinner weight paper, giving it a further fragile appearance. Somewhere there was this child in a camp that was delicate, fragile, serious, and beautiful . . . and they were never allowed to grow up.
Butterfly 4 is chipboard again with a glass 'face', butterfly paper, blue fabric trim, and delicate swirls highlighted with stickles. The paper I used to make the swirls is glittery adding even more elegance, and the hearts in the center ribbon body are holographic. This one is substantial feeling and pretty!
Butterfly 5 is more of a 'scene' than a solitary butterfly. I created a 'prison cell' of sorts that shows the effect of the beautiful Jewish child's decline and death in her imprisonment. She is unique, colorful, beautiful and free until labeled with a holocaust badge (this one worn by a child in BELGIUM) and locked away to blacken and die. Her antennae peek out in a final whisper of hope.
On a lighter note, Butterflies 6 and 7 shows represents the "Dreamer Children" who turn to fantasy and daydreams to deal with the horrific conditions of the holocaust. Fairies, flowers, sparkles, and color help the children to "fly to freedom" in their mind. The first is more of a whimsical fantasy escapism, the second is more of a rebellious dreamer defending her last bastion of defense. I used sparkly chalks as a base for the first paper butterfly, and a gorgeous 9more substantial) irridescent lavender interference painted chipboard background for the second.
The 8th and final butterfly in this set was created on a similar background as the one above, although I used green interference paint on chipboard instead of lavender. It has a glass 'face,' a soft suede ribbon body, and states the key to the holocaust museum's purpose "Remember because this must never never happen again" - reinforced with a small metal key charm.
I hope that with these 8 new butterflies, I have managed to capture the spirits of 8 children whose lives were cut short by the holocaust and that the lives of all the young victims will remain in the forefront of our minds as a reminder of the cruelty people are capable of, and the necessity of our action to prevent this from reoccurring.
Unfortunately, holocausts still exist around the world, so we haven't learned this quite yet . . . but please don't stop trying.
