Amazing beetle tattoo

So those of you who really know me, are aware that I have beetle tattoos all over my back.  Well, I have been outdone.  This tattoo is amazing and to be honest, makes me a bit jealous.....

2018 Holiday Gift Wish List

It's that time of year again!  Do you have an arthropod lover in your family?  If so, then here are some great gift ideas!

Metal "beetle" art piece by Paul Sumner.

First up is an art piece that I find utterly charming.  The artist is Paul Sumner and you can find his work here. I think that he calls his pieces beetles, but I think they look more like cockroaches (big shock why I love them....).  I found this one particularly unique because it is made from a can of Black Flag insecticide.  What can be more ironic?

Cicada brooch by Molly Burgess Designs.

The next one is fiber art cicada brooch by Molly Burgess Designs.  You can find her items on both Instagram and Etsy.  She has both larger plush items that you can hang on the wall, or smaller plush items that can be worn as a brooch.  She also takes custom orders if you are interested in that.  I am awaiting the piece that I ordered from her and very much looking forward to it!

Bee spoon ring by Spoonier.

Item number three is a piece of jewelry- a bee spoon ring- from an artist that I purchased from earlier in the year (my items had a dragon and griffin on them instead of insects).  Spoonier takes antique spoons and turns them into spoon rings and bracelets.  You can find their items for sale on Etsy, but you can also follow them on Instagram.

Plush spider by Alvamade Toys.

Alvamade Toys makes plush toys and sells on Etsy.  I love her plush spiders!  You can also follow her on Instagram here.  She not only makes plush spider toys, but also other items such as Pokemon, mushrooms, owls, raccoons, pigs, cows, and various other creatures.

Butterfly wing pendant by Elemental Urchin.

If you are looking for a necklace charm, Elemental Urchin has created beautiful pendants that encase butterfly wings.  She also has some really cute whales, octopodes, and other creatures.  You can buy her items on Etsy and follow here on Instagram here.

Pillbugs by Art by Ariel.

The next item is another clever piece of art that my husband came across. It's from Art by Ariel and she sells on Society 6 here and you can follow her on Instagram here.  I love the print because it's such a good pun.....get it? .....Pillbugs.....

Yellies! by Hasbro.

The last item is mass-produced, but still fantastic.  One of the "hot toys" of the season is called a Yellies!  It's a mechanical plush spider, but that's not all.  Apparently, the more you yell at it, the faster it moves.  That's some serious therapy for arachnophobes out there!


Here's hoping that you have a wonderful holiday season!

Insect Nail Designs

When I was in middle school I was somewhat obsessed with creating various nail designs with a different color and design on each nail.  Obviously, I had way more time on my hands back then as this was before all the fancy things available now like decals, nail wraps, airbrushing, etc.  I would meticulously color each nail a different color, wait for it all to dry and then move on to creating stripes, dots, or whatever my brain could think up.  While I rarely paint my nails anymore, a part of me wants to change that when I saw some of the insect nail art that is out there.

Honey bee nail art by WonderfulWolf

First there is Wonderful Wolf Nail Designs.  While I have a slight bone to pick with her lumping snails in with arthropods, I can't give her much flak as many people do this.  She has several designs on her blog here.

Here's a YouTube video by Ane Li on how to create monarch nail art.

There are stickers with insects that are especially made for applying to nails. 

There are also stamping plates for insect nail art (I'm really out of my bailiwick and have no idea how these things work.....).

Spider nail art by Deadlydesigns

And the coup de gras, and what inspired this particular blog post is the nail artist that tops them all by putting real, but dead, bugs into her nail art pieces.  Here's a link to an article.

This article  has nails that remind of insects trapped in amber which I really like.

Anyone have insect nail art?