Upcycled Bird Feeder

It seems only fair to turn one of our snack containers into one for our backyard friends.

What you’ll need

1 small nut can (about 3 inches in diameter)
Scissors
One 6-inch stick
Tacky glue
Outdoor green craft paint
1-inch foam brush
Twine
2 wooden beads

1. First, empty the can: peel the foil cover halfway back and remove the nuts. Cut off the unattached foil, then cut a 1⁄4-inch slit vertically in the center of the remaining foil and fold the edges down on both sides to create a wide V shape. (We want the birds to enjoy their meal without injury.)
2. To create the perch, punch a small hole near the bottom of the attached foil with the end of the stick and push the stick through. Before the stick hits the back of the can, apply glue to the bottom edge of the stick and let it rest standing up in the bottom, back edge of the can until dry.
3. Paint the outside of the can and let it dry. Add a second coat if necessary.
4. Cut a piece of twine that’s 5 feet long, plus as much as you’d like to use to hang the feeder. Find the center point of your length of twine and place the bottom edge of the feeder on it. Wrap each end of the twine around the can about three times, until both ends are once again at the top. Tie a knot, thread the beads over the two ends of the twine, and hang your feeder outside for your feathered friends.

Excerpted from Project Kid by Amanda Kingloff (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Alexandra Grablewski

 

Don’t forget to check out the book!

About the Book:

Perfect for crafty parents who are eager to get their kids excited about DIY, ProjectKid is everything you could want in a craft book: 100(!) stylish, inventive projects; step-by-step photographs; tips for the novice crafter; easy-to-follow instructions; and a fresh, modern look. What really sets these projects apart are the unexpected, ingenious ways Kingloff uses everyday objects and materials. (Did you ever think a body-wash bottle would make a perfect rocket ship?) And these are projects for things kids want to make—and keep—from a juice-box owl to a pirate ship to a curio cabinet for displaying all of their treasures, plus games, jewelry, and more. Also included in the book are basic crafting lessons (such as pom-pom making and weaving) to help children of all ages build a DIY arsenal, a handy guide to must-have tools and materials, and a source directory.

Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | Workman