I need places for my beetle people, and this work is an experimental armature for a beetle home! This experiment is currently a tin foil covered dead snag of a tree, but it will become a much more viable and durable (dead snag) home for beetles if my experiment succeeds!

BTW, the tin foil angel is not part of this piece, but is just taking advantage of the photo op!

I started with a heavy cardboard tube, which I mounted to a base. Then I slashed the tube here and there (in an artistic manner of course). I inserted slats of wood into the gashes and fixed them in with hot glue. From there, I attached additional cardboard and some natural twigs to create brutalized broken branches.

Then came the foil, and a lot more hot glue! It took a good part of a large roll of foil to get this thing well covered. I needed it to be crinkly and textured, not smooth. I quite like the look of a tin foil dead tree, but this is just an armature. It remains to be seen whether the end result will be pleasing or durable.