Monday, May 9, 2011

Tutorial - Making bird's nests

Some of my best days creating are the ones I didn't plan. No project idea in my head that I'm painstakingly trying to recreate on the project table with what I have on hand. No expectations or deadlines.  It is all about being spontaneous. Something just inspires me, and I sit down and start creating.  Last week, Kara (my daughter) and Sydney (her BFF) were making birds out of clay at the dining room table. I sat down to check things out. I decided the birds needed a nest, so I began to play too....
I had some wooden spools on hand. They seemed the perfect size and proportion for the birds being made. They would make great little stands for my nests and bring in the wooden element of a tree.  Next, I grabbed some 30 gauge floral wire. I wanted to be able to bend and mold the nest as I was constructing it. Anything similar will work. I actually wrapped it around two of my fingers. I started with a tight wrap and released the tension each time I wrapped around to get the bowl shape you see here. I added a heavy dollop of EX6000 (EDIT: This is a craft glue found at Michael's. Holds heavy embellishments and great for metal) to the top of my spool and placed the nest on top, holding it a minute or so until it set. Time to pull out your floral moss and grass.
I started by adding EX6000 again to the center of the nest on the spool. I then placed a clump of green grass to the top center and held it until set. I then added glue directly to the spool again but this time around the top edges. I added small bits of green grass here to the outside edges to help cover the wire. Now, don't worry about all the excess.  You will trim that later. Be sure not to trim it perfectly.  For a realistic nest, leave long pieces here and there. Create texture with different lengths.
Adding some moss will really make your nest realistic! I added EX6000 all around the outside edges of the nest (wire) this time and added clumps of green moss.  I also added moss in the center of the nest.  I used my fingers to mold the shape. Again, I trimmed the edges at different lengths to create texture.
Now we just need to finish our birds and welcome them home!  I plan to dress up the spools a bit too. This is a work in progress. I wanted to share the nest tutorial though. It was so easy to do and can be recreated on a much larger scale.  How about you? What is on your project table this week? Have you taken any time to play lately? Tell us about it.  Until next time...xoxo

51 comments:

  1. Vicki, I just love that your daughter is so into crafts, you two will always have that bond. Love the birds nest, can't wait to see the finished product! Not long now and we will all meet! What is it with animals and the camera? If you set out to take their picture, they would never sit still, but if you are taking pictures of something else you can't get them out of the way!

    Carol

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  2. Looks great.So fun to lay out some supplies and see what you come up with.Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I love this. What is ex6000? Where do you buy it?
    thanks
    Kathy

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  4. WOW, I just love this! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Love this idea Vicki - thanks so much for sharing! Gonna have to try this one....Can't wait to see the birds the girls did - 'cause every nest needs a birdie!! :o) Have a great week! Smiles ~ Robin

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  6. Vicki, that is so CUTE! Love it! Thanks for sharing the how-to with us!!

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  7. sweet little nest. cannot wait to see birdies on it.
    blessings
    barbara jean

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  8. TOO TOO CUTE! I think the idea will be great for baby shower name cards!
    Thanks for sharing!!
    Patty
    http://www.thismyblessedlife.blogspot.com

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  9. This is absolutely adorable!!! Thank you so much for sharing this Vicki - I'm inspired to make some!
    xo
    Karen

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  10. These are too too cute, can't wait to see the birdies!!!

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  11. That is so cute Vicki. What a great idea with the wooden spool as base. Awesome.
    xo Tina

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  12. Just darling any little bird would be tickled pink with this new home!
    hugs Lynn

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  13. Spontaneous creating, that sound so good.
    Love your nest!

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  14. Hi Vicki,
    I love this little nest! Thanks for sharing it with us! I'm going to try it. Can't wait to see the little birdies.
    Hugs,
    Sonya

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  15. so cute perfect to dress up a boring sewing room

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  16. Hi Vicki,
    These are too sweet, I hope you do a post with the girl's birds settled-in.
    enJOY a lovely day,
    Kimberly

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  17. What a wonderful idea,Vicki.Love your nest.
    TFS.Have a great day.
    Hugs,
    Marie

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  18. What a clever idea. I love it. I'm keeping your special thread spool in my kitchen on permanent display. You do such good work.

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  19. I just love this! We are all fascinated with everything birds, and I was thinking about what the reason might be... I think it's the nesting that they do! We can relate, we are all trying to create the best most fluffy nest we can for our families!
    I love that you sat down with the girls to play... one of my favorite things to do. Play!
    xoxoo

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  20. Wow, Vicki that really does look real. You are so smart!

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  21. The little nest is precious, but I think the real lesson I learned here today is to make time for the people we love while creating memories. Beautiful.
    Debbie

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  22. I love itty bitty bird nests! Thank you so much for sharing this.

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  23. SO cute, Vicki!
    I love the way your creative mind works. :-)

    XO,
    Anne

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  24. Great project! I love the way the nests turned out.
    Jane

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  25. Vicki,
    What a fab tutorial! I am so doing that one today. I think my kids would like that too. I am late telling you this but..............Congrats!!! I was on my way to Karla's birdsong event last week & we stopped at the bookstore to stock up on the new stampingtons for the drive & what do I see??????????? I flipped right to your project, not knowing who it was, just knowing I loved it. Then I saw your name. WooHoo! The only thing better than being published is seeing your friends get published too.
    Lisa

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  26. so sweet..so simple...so adorable! TFS!

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  27. What a neat idea!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Prim Blessings
    Robin

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  28. I have no idea what EX600 is, but the nest is really gorgeous, it looks so realistic!

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  29. That is so pretty. Thanks for sharing how you make your nests.

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  30. What a fabulous idea. I love anything to do with birds these days.
    My project table has tags on it.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  31. Thanks for sharing your tutorial. I'm going to give it a shot! Between home improvement projects, I try to make it into the craft room every night just to work on something, like ATC's for a swap or long overdue projects in the to-do box.

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  32. Vicki, it is so sweet and so real looking- I love the idea with building it on the spool.
    xo-Dorthe

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  33. Thanks for the sweet tutorial! You're right, I cant seem to finish a collage lately! But your nest is beautiful, came out really nice! And teaching the girls creativity is very important too! Great!

    Hugs,

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  34. This is very precious! And a cute project for those empty spools I have saved! I'm still sewing! lol Enjoy your day! It's hot, isn't it? ♥

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  35. I would have never thought to use the wire to help mold them. Great idea!

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  36. How cute is that ~ lovely tutorial ~ thank you ~ ! ;-)

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  37. That is adorable Vicky. You are so right, if I try too hard and over think, my projects are a mess. When I just do them on a whim..I am pleasantly surprised. This is a good one!~

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  38. What a cute little nest! I love when something comes from nothing, no plans, you are so right, sometimes those are the best projects. :)

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  39. Vicki,
    Perfection!!!! I love this. I have often wondered how to make a nest, and you have done it with flair!
    xo
    lynn

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  40. GENIUS Vicki!!! I love this little nest and as soon as I saw it I was in love!!! Gonna have to mark this as a fave so I can make my own!!

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  41. A super beginning and I can't wait to see the rest of your nest...I'm sure it'll be wonderful.

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  42. What a clever idea! Just stopping by via Karen Valentine! Just love her =)
    diane
    xo

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  43. Just adorable!! I love anything "tiny" and these little nests are perfect!

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  44. Sooooo cute, Vicki! You did a fantastic job making them look so realitic! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  45. Hi Vicki,
    Oh--I love your bird's nest! It's precious. I have been working on one this week too and it will be posted in the next few days--We must be on the same wavelength!!! I hope you're having a great weekend--and oh, I was so happy to hear from you!!
    XO
    CIndy

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  46. Vicki,
    Your bird's nest is perfect for a miniature garden! We thought our customers would enjoy your blog post, so a link to your blog was pinned on our board.
    Thanks!
    Miniature-Gardening.com

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  47. Thank you for sharing ... very inspirational!

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