The Green Day Fair is a wonderful event in the life of Miami Shores. We close our main street to traffic, and come together as a community to shop for food and plants and gifts, to chat with neighbors, to listen to live music, to eat all sorts of delicacies, and, if fairgoers stopped by Bound by Beauty's booth, to be awestruck.

What struck people with awe? Was it our booth, which was like no other, thanks to the easy-to-install, beautifully constructed cedar walls created by the talented Mike Oliva for his lovely wife, Melanie, an artist and activist extraordinaire (click here and here to learn more about this amazingly talented human being)?
Or maybe it was Maria Font's warm and winning smile as she greeted those who entered through the back door (besides being powered by passion for pollinators, Maria is a truly gifted photographer who could find magic in the mundane. Click here to see her marvelous images)? Plus, we were the only booth with a back door....and we had awesome vintage Polish cutouts of brightly colored birds and flowers, visible in the background, and all sorts of other unique and wonderful nature-themed items for sale. And did I mention we had oodles of handsome guys helping out, like that guy back there?
Or were passerbys awestruck by our amazingly stylish friends, like Wendy Doscher-Smith and Jill Leslie? Too bad you can't see Wendy's go-go boots in this photo!
Come to think of it, our outfits were pretty awesome. I mean, who doesn't think Monarch wings and antennae are the next "hot" thing in Miami?

Maybe it was our beautiful and unusual notecards featuring -- you guessed it: butterflies -- which proved a favorite with the crowds?

Was it our wonderful educational tools, that highlight the magical process of metamorphosis?
No, I think the answer was right outside our amazing booth, as filled with treasures as it was. What are they looking at?

What was at the root of this beauty and magic and wonder? It was our wonderful Monarch tower, made by Geoff Lee for the love of his life, Jean (I think we have a theme going here) and donated to Bound by Beauty, bejeweled with gold-crowned jade chrysalises and pupating caterpillars. Talk about performance art!


All in all, it was a most wonderful day, and Bound by Beauty is grateful to the Chamber of Commerce for having conjured up a Green Fair. All of us at Bound by Beauty thank everyone who came by and supported our critical mission of transforming how we interact with neighbors and with nature, using butterflies as the catalyst for change. All of us at Bound by Beauty are passionate about safeguarding the beauty of nature for future generations. #GreenDayMiamiShores