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Monarch Butterflies

9/30/2019

4 Comments

 
In an effort to help their chances of survival, our daughter's family helps raise caterpillars into butterflies, then releases them into the wild. Apparently only one in a hundred caterpillars in the wild actually survives long enough to become a butterfly, so every bit helps.

The local 'butterfly lady' had gone away on a vacation, and left all her caterpillars with our daughter. These were just some of the hundred or so she was caterpillar-sitting at the moment.... 
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The caterpillars are kept several to one clear container, along with several milkweed leaves, which need to be refreshed daily. The bottoms on their boxes are lined with paper towels to catch all their excrement. It's amazing just how much the caterpillars poop!

When the caterpillars metamorphosis into a chrysalis, they first spin a web attachment to the top of their container, which they then hang from, and then they actually split and shed their skin to reveal the chrysalis INSIDE - they don't spin a cocoon around themselves.  Then the chrysalises are carefully removed and hung along the bottom of a shelf for two weeks, where they can be watched.

​Just before the butterfly is ready to emerge, the chrysalis looks black, because the casing has become transparent, and we can see the butterfly markings inside. This time we actually got to watch a butterfly emerge. it usually happens so fast that we miss it - one minute there's a chrysalis, the next the butterfly is out with wings expanded - so it was a special treat....
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This photo was taken about 30 seconds after it had emerged. The butterfly's wings were still tiny, and the abdomen was huge, and full of fluid, which it will pump into the wings to expand them. Then the butterfly will just stay hanging in place for two hours to let it's wings dry.

After two hours the butterfly was transferred into a mesh 'butterfly box', and taken outside to be released. Our granddaughter likes to dress up in her monarch butterfly costume for the release.

​At this stage the butterflies will sit quietly on a finger to be transferred to a flower.
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There wasn't much blooming in their butterfly garden, so we brought out my daughter's birthday bouquet.... and released the butterfly onto one of the flowers.....
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Which made for a unique photography opportunity....
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The next day there were two more butterflies to release, and we took them along to a park to pick fresh milkweed. There we released them onto the wildflowers, for more photos....
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However, it was cold and starting to rain, and neither butterfly was interested in flying away, so we transferred them back into the mesh 'cage' and took them back home, to be released when it was better weather...
4 Comments

Cookie and Olivia

9/30/2019

3 Comments

 
Last week was the one year anniversary of Cookie and Olivia's arrival, so I threw them a birthday party Thursday afternoon.  However the Internet was down all Friday morning before we left for the weekend, so I couldn't share any photos until now.....

The two girls are sisters and decided they'd share one BIG cake....
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I took a few portrait shots of them posing with their cake...
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..and one with all their friends....
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3 Comments

So Small

9/26/2019

2 Comments

 
Nyssa offered to loan her baby's clothes for the new baby...
"Thank you, sweetheart! That is so thoughtful, and very generous of you!"
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"I made these when we were expecting you and your brother..."
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"It seems like just yesterday..."
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"It's hard to believe  you were this small once..."
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"It will look really nice on the new baby, right Mom?"
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"Yes, it certainly will!"
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"And I promise to take really good care of it..."
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"Well, I better go find something else for my baby to wear now..."
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2 Comments

Baby Clothes

9/25/2019

5 Comments

 
Isis had just finished the sheet and pillow set....
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"This will look so nice in the cradle..."
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When Nyssa came into the room....
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"You said that you gave away all the baby clothes after you had us...."
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"....but I still have my own baby clothes you gave me for my doll..."
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"I thought I would loan it back to you..."
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 "....for the new baby..."
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5 Comments

Baby Bedding

9/24/2019

4 Comments

 
Nyssa was outplaying with her buggy, when she went over to see what her Mom was doing....
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"What are you making?"
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"I'm embroidering a sheet for the new baby's bed..."
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"It looks really nice..."
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"But don't you still have things from when we were babies?"
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"Not really. After we had you and Eric, I gave almost everything away."
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"So you have to make everything all over again now?"
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"Yes, I do, but it's no trouble. I actually enjoy it...."
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After Nyssa left, Isis let out a big sigh....
"But it's like starting all over again, like the very first time..."
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4 Comments

Five Little Elves

9/22/2019

4 Comments

 
Well, technically, only four are true elves with pointy ears, but Talyssa tags along with the others whenever they go. In summer they will often become fairies....
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Layla fit right in...
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Three of the others....
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Santa heard there was a new elf, so came to welcome her....
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4 Comments

Layla in Pink

9/20/2019

3 Comments

 
With Missy looking so beautiful in lavender, I thought I'd try the peach fairy costume on Layla....
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3 Comments

Missy in Purple

9/20/2019

5 Comments

 
I had made two Mini fairy outfits expecting Missy to get the peach one, but I think she prefers the purple one instead. I even had a mauve lambskin wig to go with it...
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5 Comments

Introducing Mini Layla

9/19/2019

3 Comments

 
Two new dolls arrived today, and I wasn't expecting either one just yet. I had only received one of the two Averys I had ordered from DreamHigh Studio, and the second one arrived today.

And then there was Mini Layla.  When I came in second in the 'Christmas All Year' photo contest on Resin Cafe, Kaye Wiggs let me choose any one of her mini dolls as my prize!  I chose Sunkissed Mini Layla Elf.  She mailed her at the beginning of the week, but the tracking number never worked, so I wasn't expecting her so soon.

​What a beauty she is!!  So of course I had to take some introductory photos...
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I already have two bigger Laylas, even a sun-kissed elf, but I love this smaller size even more....
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All I can say, is that I've never been so happy to come in second at something before!!
Thank you Kaye!!
3 Comments

Fairy Missy

9/19/2019

2 Comments

 
I've been having lots of fun photographing Mini Missy.  The second outfit I tried on her was the peach-pink fairy costume that I had made for her. It's a bigger version of Talyssa's.

The biggest challenge was her wig.  I only have a handful of size 5/6 wigs, and they were ordered for my Fashion ladies, so there's really nothing suitable for a younger girl. So I put in a wig order on the weekend, and am just going to have to make do until they arrive.
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    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
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