We live in an area that has an abundance of a variety of birds. Sparrows, finches, robins, doves, bluebirds, and even some annoying magpies and crows! It’s always fun to listen to the doves and sparrows sing in the morning. As a matter of fact, it’s something one of the members of our household especially looks forward to! This décor piece is perfect to share with a bird lover.
The lattice background and birdhouse files are the basis for this centerpiece. Add some birds, and a leafy garland in an upcycled wooden drawer, and you’re well on your way to creating something similar. And to delight the soul of a bird lover in your family, add a soundbox with some pre-recorded chatter from birds that are native to your area as we’ve done.
Files used from Creative Fabrica:
You’ll also need:
- Electronic Die Cutting machine and software (Skycut and SCAL 5 Pro)
- 11 x 17 cardstock (at least 110 lb)
- 12 x 19 or 12 x 24” mat
- AC cardstock (80 lb), assorted colors
- Ribbon
- Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
- Craft knife
- Double Stick tape
- Small birds in assorted colors
- Brown moss
- Hot glue gun
- Straws (optional)
- Wooden box or drawer
- Invite By Voice EZSound Box (Optional)
- Audio recording of bird songs
- Fairy Lights (Optional)
Download the purchased SVG files. Unzip. Open your cutting machine’s software.
Lattice:
The vertical version of the heart stencil in SVG form was used. Import and place on the mat in the software. For this project, the size needed was larger than the 12 x 12 mat. The Skycut comes with a 12 x 19 mat, and that was used but a 12 x 24-inch mat could also be used. Resize the stencil to the appropriate size. You’ll need at least three cuts for some stability. Cut using the 11 x 17 paper. Glue the layers together. Set aside.
You’ll also need to create two boxes with ¼-inch sides ½ inch smaller than the length of the lattice. Create two additional boxes with ¼-inch sides ½-inch smaller than the width of the lattice. Before closing the box, slide a straw into each box to add a little more strength.
Center a box on the edge of the lattice and glue it in place. Repeat for the remaining three boxes. Set aside to dry. The corners do not have to come together.
Birdhouses:
Open the birdhouse file. Import the file pieces you want to use. We did not use the flowers and leaves, but you certainly could incorporate them into the design of your piece if you’d like.
You can leave the roof in two pieces or connect them into one piece by adding a small rectangle and using Path > Union in the SCAL software if you want to make that change.
Additional pieces of paper were cut 4 x 3/8-inch to create the siding for the front side of the birdhouse. These are optional and not required and are not included in the SVG for the birdhouse.
If you choose to add the “siding,” you will need to adjust the circle-shaped frame for the birdhouse entrance. Use the same size of circle, but use an inset shadow at .70 – .75 for a clean finish on the front. The original circle piece was also used in this project.
Cut the houses, circles, and roofs in desired colors. Before assembling, add the siding if that option is chosen. Glue the first piece and align it to the bottom of the house front. Glue the next piece, allowing approximately ¼ inch of the previous siding piece. Add additional pieces using the same process. Allow to dry. Using the craft knife, carefully trim around the center circle cut on the birdhouse front.
Glue the circle pieces to the front of the birdhouse as shown above. Glue the sides to the front and back. While the sides dry, add a small clip to the side and tabs. We glued the sides to the fronts first.
A “porch” was added to two of the birdhouses. They are optional and just required some folded paper and glue to attach.
Assemble the roof pieces. Set aside. Do not attach to the birdhouse yet.
Place a small amount of moss in the house. Add a bird and place it as desired in the house. You may want to use a small amount of hot glue to secure it in place.
Once that has been done, you can glue the roof in place. We used hot glue, as the roof pieces would not be removed for our project.
EZSound box
This is an option you could choose to add to your scene. We’ve chosen to use a button-activated box for this project. The button will be placed on the back of the drawer using an adhesive dot once the recording has been added to the box following the manufacturer’s directions. It’s easy to add audio and the options provide endless fun. We’ve chosen to use a 2-minute portion of a nature recording we had in our library.
Final Assembly:
Place some filler in the bottom of the drawer. We recycled some used shipping materials. Using the glue gun, adhere the lattice to the back of the drawer. Place the sound box in the drawer, with the button reaching the outside of the drawer at the back. Secure the button using a bit of heavy-duty double-stick tape.
Add the additional moss at this point. Mound slightly for a raised appearance. Make sure the sound box is covered. The sound is very clear. Our garland was about 6 ft in length. We cut it into 7 pieces. Add the garland pieces and weave the ends through the lattice as needed. Five pieces were used. We didn’t use any glue to secure it into place. Lay the remaining two pieces on the moss and arrange them nicely. We had a Fairy Strand of lights and decided at the last minute to add those. We think it adds a nice touch. The on/off switch can be adhered to the back of the drawer.
Using some hot glue, secure two of the birdhouses to the lattice. You may find that you’ll need to press the back of the birdhouse into the glue and latticework and hold it in place until the glue hardens a bit. It doesn’t have to be pretty if you place the back of this project near a wall.
Place the 3rd birdhouse in the moss – TIP: add a small length of cardboard tubing to the bottom of the house using some hot glue.
Open a small space in the moss and place the tubing into the space. Adjust if needed to level the house. No further gluing should be needed.
Place a few extra birds in your arrangement. Our birds are mounted on a wire. You can attach the wire to the lattice or garland. You can also just set them into the moss to for a fun final touch to this piece!
Video of final project
Watch the video of the final result and to preview the sound effect!
Thanks for stopping by today. If you make this or something similar, be sure to share. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook. We’d love to see your work. For more inspiration, please visit Jan’s page here or her blog.
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