Sunshine Joy Fairy (freestanding sculpture). Dimensions: 3.5" (h) x 1" (w), with 4.5" wingspan

This tiny fairy doll is hand-made with the wings of a tiger swallowtail butterfly (locally flown and naturally deceased). The body is sculpted by hand of polymer clay, her hair is wool roving, her heart is crystal, and her clothing is lace and sparkle tulle. The butterfly wings are coated and cured in an ultraviolet resin, with fairy dust embedded. A pin is attached to the back to allow you to wear on your clothing or coat, or to hang on a curtain to look over your hopes and dreams.

Mona Margarita has been glorifying insect wings for years, preserving the beauty of fallen insects found on nature hikes (or gifted by friends and neighbors who appreciate her art). With a varied career as a college professor, nature teacher at an environmental center in Philadelphia, and the director of community programs at an arboretum, she recently reinvented herself during this past decade as an innkeeper at The River Gem in Pocomoke, Md. Her fairy wing necklaces and earrings are also on display at Treetops, of the Ward Museum in Salisbury. She has participated in 2 shows with Raw Artists in Baltimore and Philadelphia and was a participant in the 2019 Worcester County Arts Council Small Treasures show in Berlin. Her fairies were accepted into the Spring 2020 Fairy House Festival at the AnnMarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, Maryland (postponed due to the pandemic). Fairy Wings ( and her grown children) are the delight of her life.