How to Make an Insect Specimen Board for a Doll's Classroom

 

A finished specimen board inside of a vintage
looking frame. The insect stickers even cast
shadows as these do in real life!

      To make this pretend bug taxidermy you will need the following supplies: nail art insect stickers, scrap cardboard, white school glue, Mod Podge, recycled clear plastic sheeting from dismantled packaging, and masking tape. 

       I used the insect stickers made for nail design because these tiny critters are a realistic size comparison to the 18 inch dolls. They are also very clearly printed so that their details may still be seen by the naked eye. When you purchase these stickers, they come already displayed on top of a transparent sheet; so there is no need to remove these; they only need to be mounted properly in order to see the stickers 'cast' a very realistic shadow, just like real insects pinned inside of a display box. 

       Specimen boards help students who are studying in the field of entomology observe insects up close. The process is not performed on living insects. To observe an expert build a real board like this pretend one visit the Queensland Museum at YouTube here.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Measure with a ruler, the size of the insect stickers mounted on plastic packaging. Cut from cardboard a rectangle or square shape approximately 1/4 an inch larger around this to use for the backing of the display frame. Set the stickers aside; they are not to be mounted in the frame until "step 4."
2. Cut multiple cardboard frames all of the exact same size. I cut six of these.
3. To begin, glue two cardboard frames on top of the cardboard backing and on top of each other. Line the inside of the frame using white paper.
4. Glue on the clear plastic piece of nail stickers on top of these first two frames. This will create the 'casting of shadows' from the stickers inside of the frame in the future.
5. Next glue on two more frames on top of the first ones, lining these up perfectly as you go. This will make a raised space above the insect stickers that also add to the three dimensional illusion.
6. Tape on an additional piece of plastic on top of this second set of frames. Cut the second sheet of plastic slightly smaller than the frames so that it may be tapped securely between the layers of cardboard. Not only does this create a convincing 3D illusion but it also prevents little fingers from rubbing off stickers during play.
7. Now on top of this, paste on your last two frames. Let the glue dry completely.
8. Cover the entire finished display frame with masking tape and Decoupage it with colored paper to finish. You may wish to cover the outside surfaces with any paper you like. I simply used brown paper and a permanent ink pen to draw a wood grain motif. But you could make your version gold, silver, or any color of frame you think would look nice in your doll's classroom or dollhouse.
9. Brush the paper surfaces of the frame with Mod Podge. Let dry and mount on the walls of a doll room for display.