How to decorate a bird feeder. Photo report “Decoration of a bird feeder. Wall "cage" with grain mixture
Today we are making a nice house feeder, but one that will last as long as possible, because it will be placed outdoors in rain and snow. I decided to make a real plywood feeder and show you the simple manufacturing process.
In my favorite store, I bought this blank.
To be honest, I don’t really like plywood blanks obtained by laser cutting. But this feeder seemed to me the most suitable in shape and size (compared to others available).
Under the motive, you definitely need a primer, it will brighten the picture and make it more resistant. I used a non-typical option, it is suitable even for smooth metal, because. becomes airtight and waterproof, which protects the metal from rusting.
This is also useful for street feeders. Bribed the description on the bank: "Can be used to apply to objects that are on the street ..."
We prime the outer part of the roof and leave it to dry for a day, according to the instructions.
We cover the inside of the feeder with a grass-colored stain. I think that the birds will be comfortable in a house with walls of such a familiar color for them.
I used the stain of the wonderful company BORMA WACHS. They sell a stain concentrate that can be thinned with water (or alcohol) to the desired color intensity.
External partitions are painted with ordinary acrylic paint.
Since this blank has perforations on all sides, we make sure that the paint does not flow into the holes (after drying, it will become almost impossible to remove the paint).
Let's take the motive.
Because the roof has an area larger than that of a napkin, for decoration I decided to use decopatch paper.
Decopatch lovers girls, I know how to use this paper and how to glue it correctly, but I didn’t like gluing large areas in this way. The paper stretches from moisture and gathers, albeit in not noticeable, but folds. And the paper is beautiful, the thinnest, like a napkin and strong, like a decoupage card!!!
And I, as a decoupage artist, suggest that you glue this wonderful, bright, thin and durable paper like an ordinary decoupage card. Not a single wrinkle and not a single gap, the charm is simple! To do this, we soak the motif so that the paper stretches and no longer wrinkles.
Remove excess moisture by blotting with a paper towel.
We sand the primed surface, remove the dust with a damp cloth and apply a thin layer of decoupage glue! But not just glue, but a special one - suitable for items that will be used on the street. In my favorite Plaid line of decoupage glues, this is glue in a green jar labeled "outdoor".
Carefully, starting from one corner, glue the image.
Remove any remaining air bubbles with a rubber roller.
Remove excess edges with sandpaper.
For sealing, we additionally coat the picture on top with another layer of glue-lacquer.
Now we will turn our new house into a house with history:
We age all surfaces with ordinary sandpaper so that the paint and motif do not seem so bright and new. Dried acrylic paint is quite difficult to sand, to make it easier for yourself, the emery block can be moistened with water (such a number will not work with sandpaper, it will just get wet).
We dilute white acrylic paint with a medium for transparency and apply white with a dry brush to all painted surfaces.
So the walls seem even more lived.
Darken with liquid bitumen, stain all edges and edges.
We dilute acrylic paint with water and use a toothbrush to spray on the outer walls and roof of the house.
To prevent drops from getting inside the feeder (outside, there is enough diversity), I put paper towels in the “windows”.
We go over the ribs again with an emery cloth.
All sides are varnished with wear-resistant varnish for outdoor use. I have yacht varnish.
Along with its obvious disadvantages: a long drying time (1 layer - 1 day), stink (however, less than other similar varnishes) and yellowness (for aged works, this is only on hand), this varnish has undeniable advantages: ease of application (no stripes from the brush) and excellent performance.
We apply at least two layers, so. it will take at least two days for varnishing with drying!
Because I only had a super-glossy varnish available, which didn't fit with the idea of aging, I turned all the edges from glossy to matte with soft metallic wool and emery blocks.
This will also help the wax adhere better, which we will apply in the next step.
For even greater water repellency, we coat all external surfaces with wax. It is convenient to do this with metal wool. I had two versions of transparent waxes, both of excellent quality.
They differ from each other in hardness (Stamperia is softer), but both are excellent, professional pastes that I recommend for use.
After the wax has hardened, polish all waxed surfaces with a felt cloth (woolen cloth, felt, etc.).
For additional fixation, I decided to use perforation.
To do this, we release the holes and lace up in any way.
You can lace up like this ....
Or so...
For lacing, I used a thin hemp cord! This is a great and durable material, perfect for our task.
"Hemp rope is one of the most durable. Hemp is a natural fiber that is extracted from the stalks of industrial hemp.
Hemp rope has several advantages:
- it is resistant to the effects of the sun, primarily ultraviolet, which has a disastrous effect on many natural materials;
- it is environmentally friendly and does not accumulate static electricity;
- it is strong and reliable.
The disadvantage of hemp rope is its high hygroscopicity - it absorbs moisture quite easily. However, even when wet, it retains its qualities, thanks to which it is successfully used on ships.
We hide all the knots inside the feeder and coat them with a drop of glue so that they do not come undone!
In order to hang our feeder on a tree, we are preparing a strong and beautiful cord.
Weave a pigtail from a hemp rope (I have two types).
We hang feeders ... and do not forget to add grains, bread crumbs and unroasted seeds to them.
Birds living in the wild need protection and care. It is especially difficult for them during the winter: when it is cold outside, it is so hard to find shelter and food.
That is why caring people try to feed our younger "brothers" as much as possible. One of the ways that will not only help the birds, but also decorate your garden, is a feeder made from improvised materials.
In this article, we have collected some of the most affordable options - focusing on descriptions and photographs, using already unnecessary items (plastic bottles or old dishes), you can easily equip a place where flocks of birds will gather.
Material selection
After evaluating the resources you have to create a feeder, you can choose an idea to your liking. However, it is worth remembering that not only its appearance depends on the configuration, but also practical characteristics such as stability.
That is why a good feeder must meet the following requirements:
Wear resistance and durability. Preference should be given to wood or plastic that can withstand weather conditions without getting wet from rain and snow, without collapsing under gusts of wind.
In addition, the birds themselves are often the cause of damage to the feeder - in search of crumbs, their beaks and claws scratch and tear fragile materials.
Proper size. Remember that if you cut a small feeder, for example, from a tetrapak, then large birds will not be able to eat from it, and small ones will start fights for a place and shake out food on the ground.
No sharp edges, "pulling out" carnations, etc. Birds are very delicate creatures, their feather protection and skin on their legs cannot prevent cuts from sharp objects, so make sure that your feeder is not dangerous for them, especially if it is made of glass, plastic or knocked together from planks!
Location and installation
Choosing the right place is extremely important!
Having chosen the most suitable position in terms of landscape design, evaluate:
Accessibility for birds. Perhaps the feeder will be closed from them by thick branches, or, conversely, too open, and then, with a strong wind, the birds simply will not be able to get close to it.
Difficulty for cats. These animals are excellent hunters, especially those who live in villages and holiday villages. They are stronger, faster and more agile than their domestic counterparts, and therefore, sneaking up to the feeder, they can cause great damage to the bird community.
Ideas for creating a do-it-yourself feeder
There are a huge number of different types of feeders - it all depends on your imagination and the materials available.
We will try to consider both the simplest and the most original ideas.
House made of wood or plywood
Despite the apparent complexity, such a design can well be assembled with unnecessary boards, pieces of wood, glazing bead, plywood and, of course, special glue or nails.
Note!
The base should be a heavy flat plank. For the manufacture of walls and roofs, you may need a drawing, however, it is quite possible to get by with an eye.
A wooden feeder, depending on how much attention you pay to it, can become not only a place for feeding birds, but also an elegant decoration of your garden.
Plastic bottle feeder
This type of feeder is very easy to make and is great if you decide to involve children in the process of creating. You need to cut one or two holes in the bottle in such a way that it is possible not only to pour the food, but also access to it is not difficult.
Of course, you should try to make the cut edges come out neat and not too sharp (in addition, it is advisable to glue them with tape).
If you are using a small bottle (1.5-2 liters), then you can do it in two ways: cut a square or rectangular hole in the bottle, or prefer a U-shape so that you can bend a piece of plastic and make a visor.
In the event that you decide to use a large bottle (5-6 liters, in which drinking water is usually sold), you can make a large side cutout. So it will be possible not only to fill up more food, but also give the birds room to maneuver.
Note!
In order to prevent the wind from ruffling a light bottle, it is worth putting a stone or a brick fragment on the bottom. This also applies to the next type of feeder.
Tetrapack bird feeder
In order to make a bird feeder, you can also use juice or wine boxes.
To do this, follow the same technology as in the previous case: mark the place of the cut, cut it out in shape, glue tape (or adhesive tape) on the underside of the opening, then make holes for a strong rope in the upper part of the tetra pak. It remains to hang the feeder in the place of your choice.
Shoe box feeder
The cardboard from which the shoe box is made cannot be considered a durable material, but it is sufficiently resistant to moisture, and if it is cold outside, such a feeder can hang until spring.
The manufacturing technology of the feeder, as in previous cases, is also very simple: make four to six holes for the rope, cut on the sides and put a weight on the bottom - for stability.
Note!
Other options
The above options are extremely popular - such feeders can be found in any country house. If you want to make a unique feeder with your own hands, you should take unusual materials, for example, old tableware: a cup and a saucer.
In the autumn, you can cut a product from a pumpkin or zucchini; in winter, halves of an orange peeled from the pulp are suitable for this. Such feeders will surprise your neighbors and will undoubtedly decorate the garden!
DIY bird feeder photo
Master class decoupage feeders
The feeders are located under the windows of the hotel rooms and the cats can clearly see how various birds fly there, which are very numerous outside the city. These are sparrows, and titmouse, and bullfinches, and some other small birds with orange feathers. It’s a pity that I didn’t manage to photograph the birds, but I think there is still time and I will get interesting pictures.
Decoupage bird feeders
As a blank, I used these wooden feeders from the OBI store. To be honest, these wooden products are upsetting, everything is assembled clumsily, sanded very badly, the ends are not processed at all. I understand that these are not blanks for artistic decoupage, but then the price, in my opinion, should be appropriate.
So, to decorate the feeders, we need the following materials:
- wooden blank feeder,
- acrylic primer for wood
- wood putty (Tex),
- sandpaper,
- palette knife, spatula,
- flat brushes (synthetics),
- copy paper,
- three-layer napkin,
- file, foam sponge
- decoupage glue, acrylic matte varnish
- self-hardening mass for modeling (Darvi rock)
- decorative alkyd-based antiseptic (texturol rosewood)
- yacht varnish.
Step #1. Sand the wood blank. The entire surface of the feeder must be covered with a protective impregnation with an antiseptic, we used Rosewood Textureol. Irregularities on the part of the roof that is intended for decoupage must be leveled with wood putty.
Step #2. On the other side of the roof, which will later imitate tiles, it is necessary to apply a layer of putty on wood. It is convenient to do this with a spatula or palette knife. You can level the surface with your fingers moistened with water.
Step number 3. To simulate a tiled roof, a slightly dried surface must be drawn with a palette knife or a thick needle.
Step number 4. After the putty dries, the surface must also be sanded. If the drawing is not very clear, you can modify it with a needle file.
Step number 5. Since I wanted the colors of the feeders to match the colors present in the design of the hotel, I also tinted the tiles with a rosewood-colored texturol. If you do not adhere to any specific colors, then it is better to make the tiles brighter, for example, burgundy.
Step number 6. The second side of the roof of the feeder (putty, sanded) must be prepared for decoupage. Namely, primed and painted white. If we want to make the figures of birds and their house three-dimensional, it is necessary to transfer their contours from the napkin to the roof. This is easy to do with carbon paper.
Volumetric decoupage master class
Step number 7. You can create a relief on the surface using a self-hardening mass for modeling.
Step number 8. In order to decorate the decoupage feeder, the image must be torn out, and then the napkin must be stratified.
Step number 9. Since the image is large, it will be more convenient to transfer it using a file. The torn picture must be placed face down on the file and moistened with water. With a fan brush, you need to smooth out all the wrinkles, then you should put the file on the roof with the picture down, so that the image matches the relief. After you make sure that the drawing is in place, you need to smooth the image with your fingers or a brush, right on top of the file. When the picture is completely adjacent to the roof surface, the file must be removed and the image covered with a layer of decoupage varnish.
Step number 10. After waiting for the drawing to dry, it is necessary to finish the needles. Then you can apply a structural relief paste imitating snow to those places where snow is drawn.
Step number 11. To highlight the relief created by the structural paste, you can cover it with a heavily diluted blue acrylic paint. I also additionally made a splash with the same paint.
Step number 12. In order to make the image more interesting, you can use a foam sponge to imitate scuffs. To protect the image, you need to cover it with a layer of acrylic varnish. Several snowflakes on a dark background were drawn with structural paste.
Step number 13. The "entrance" to the feeder can also be decorated. I did this by applying a snowflake pattern over it with a stencil and putty, what I got a little like a snowflake, but also pretty.
Putty in decoupage
Step number 14. You can also “snow” the entrance to the feeder like this. This is easy to do with a piece of foam sponge and bluish acrylic paint.
Step number 15. For complete weather protection, it is desirable to cover the entire feeder with an alkyd-based varnish.
Step number 16. This is what ours looks like now bird feeders.
And here are five feeders under the windows of our favorite animal hotel "Mumbling Cats".
Korshunova Oksana especially for the site: Good IDEA http: // site
Master class on decorating the feeder using volumetric decoupage technique
Master class on decoupage technique and painting. "Christmas bird feeder"
Bird feeders
Timosha and I all day
We drink and beat
My fingers already hurt
from such work.
We are making a feeder
The cold has come
Need to feed the birds
To not starve.
All done work
The thread was found
We tied the feeder
Well, they didn't take food.
Timosha ran into the house,
I took millet and crumbs,
Just like that, but at the feeder,
The cat perched.
On a clothesline,
Cat won't get
Sparrow from the feeder
Already ate crumbs.
In my opinion, this is the easiest and most fun way to achieve amazing results by creating unique, spectacular objects with your own hands. Therefore, this master class will be useful not only for teachers, parents, schoolchildren, but also for preschoolers of middle and older age.
As part of the Feed the Birds in Winter project, we invited the parents of the pupils to take part in the manufacture of bird feeders. The blank for this master class was a bird feeder made of wood and plywood. I propose to observe her transformation, which is made using the decoupage technique.
For this we need: decoration item (feeder), three-layer napkins with New Year's motifs, white interior paint (water emulsion), gouache, brushes, varnish, PVA glue.
To begin with, let's prepare New Year's motifs with which we are going to decorate the feeder. We take a napkin and separate the layers so that only the top layer with the pattern remains in the hands.
Then we tear off the fragment we like, the picture. I don't use scissors, as the jagged edges will then be smoothed out, and then this will give "liveness" to the composition.
After we have prepared the napkins, it is necessary to prime the surface. To do this, we use water-based paint.
Now we are preparing PVA glue. It must be poured in a small amount into a cup and diluted with water 1: 1. Thus, the glue will not be too thick, it will become more transparent, it will be better to soak the napkins.
We take a fragment of a napkin, apply it to the surface of the feeder and, using a brush, apply diluted PVA glue to the napkin. We apply glue over the ornament, from the center to the edges. Gradually, the napkin is completely moistened and covers the surface with a thin layer.