They're a great way to add a bit of colour to any room. Especially if you're renting and you're not allowed to paint the walls! Here's how to make them...
1. Draw a simple bird body shape on to a piece of card and cut around it with a craft knife.
2. Decide on your decoration. I use pretty patterned paper, magazine cuttings and sometimes watercolours or acrylics to make my own pattern. Cover your bird with whatever decoration you like, (PVA glue is best for sticking) then cut a small hole for the wings to slot through roughly in the middle of the body.
3. For the wings, again choose any paper you want. I've used handmade parchment, but sometimes pages from an old book or magazine clippings can be nice. Fold a small rectangle up in a "concertina" fashion.
4. Push the folded paper through the hole you made earlier so that the middle is pinched to create the effect of two wings. Add a piece of string or thread, and your little paper bird is ready to fly!
Hope you enjoyed my first D.I.Y post :)
x Rachel
Lovely idea! What do you use to stick (?) them on the ceiling?
ReplyDeleteI've used White Tak there - It's a bit better than Blue Tak because it blends in to the ceiling and doesn't leave as much of a sticky mark. But pins would work too :)
ReplyDeletemuy lindooooo!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful idea, thank you! I can't wait to recycle all the cardboard and scrap materials I have lying around. You have such a wonderful blog, you are now at the TOP of my favourites list! x
ReplyDeleteSO cute! will have to make some:)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I will make it with my little boy. The papers are beautiful, ¿where did you buy them?.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Spain.
Thanks! They are just some I have collected from different stationary shops over the years, they often come in little square sheets and in lots of different patterns :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I used these birds to make a November window display for the store I work at! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150912584065223&set=a.330277025222.335132.330243535222&type=1&theater
ReplyDeletebest!
www.geminimiami.com
Hi Rachel,
ReplyDeletejust wanted to say I think this is a great idea. Hope you don't mind but I posted a link to it on my blog. Patent Pending Projects.
http://patentpendingprojects.blogspot.com/
The blog is about recycling and craft ideas.
Sometimes I make my own stuff and post it on the blog and other times (when work gets in the way) I'm thankful that there are creative people out there like you that can inspire others.
Keep up the good work.
Martin
Love your pretty little birds! I've done the same thing only with butterflies. I appreciate this posting. Keep up the fun & creative work!
ReplyDeleteFacil y creativo.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your cute birds tute. I featured it today in a paper-birds-to-make round up.
ReplyDeletei am obsessed with little birds ! thank you for the great tutorial. i am a new follower and plan to stick around :) heartandthrift.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful idea! I'm doing a project in the pre-school I work in about birds and I'm definitely going to use this great activity (maybe I'll do the cutting myself though!)
ReplyDeleteI'm keeping a blog about the pre-school and I was hoping to post a link to your post when I mention the birds project, would that be okay?
Of course, I'd love that! Hope it goes well and the kids enjoy the little birdies! I'd love to see how they turn out :) x
DeleteThanks so much Rachel! Here's the link to the blog, to see how we got on :)
Deletehttp://adventuresatpreschool.blogspot.ie/
I HAVE to make some of these, been looking all over the internet for diy ideas on how to make my student housing more homey, and I think ive just found it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much :D
Vanessa x
Love these thank you for the inspiration! They would look so sweet in a baby's room, as well!
ReplyDeleteSo cute! I saw your flying pigs as well, I am so making some farm-related mobiles soon :D
ReplyDelete