3 Step Cheap Tea Party Bird Feeders

This was, yet again, a very inexpensive craft. I went to the local thrift store, and found some cute teacups and saucers (about $0.30 each.) I had the epoxy at home. It took about 30 minutes to clean and ready the plates and saucers, and an hour of waiting for the epoxy to dry.

You will need:
saucer(s)
cup(s)
epoxy*/glue
weight to help the cup and saucer set
bird seed

* you will also need something to mix epoxy in if you decide to do it the way I did.

Step 1: Clean the saucer(s) and cup(s)

Step 2: Mix and apply epoxy/glue             

I keep lids from jars and Yoohoo bottles to mix this stuff in. 

Step 3: Wait for the glue/epoxy to dry

I weighed mine down with some books, because I was worried the glossy finish of the cup and saucers wouldn't hold. Later research told me that sanding the bottom of the cup would have been sufficient, BUT I had no problems with it staying after doing it this way.

Step 4: Fill with bird seed, and enjoy!

            

I also picked up a cheap bonsai tree and a tea-kettle for about $1.50.

And that, my dear friends, is a cheap craft that you can do in an afternoon if you want to charm the birdies into visiting your place. You can also attach these to poles and posts, but since I live in an apartment complex, there is no yard for me to place the poles in. 

Cheap DIY Monogram Wreaths

I made these wreaths for about $9 each. I wanted to spruce up the patio doors, and a neighbor gave me this idea.

Materials:

Wreaths (2) - $1 each at Dollar Tree
Ribbon (2) - $1 each roll at Michaels
Flowers (4) - $1 for each bush at Dollar Tree
Wooden Letters (2) - $2.99 each at Michaels
Wirecutters
Hammer
Push Pins
Hot Glue Gun

Here are the essential components of the project.

First: Wrap ribbon around wreath. I tied both ends, and secured every other spiral with hot glue.

I left space for the flowers, which also saved some ribbon length for later use. I don't see a need for wrapping it if it is going to be covered by flowers!

Second: Cut flowers from stem using wire cutters.

I cut them long, then trimmed them after they were free from the bush. I also removed the leaves, but that is just a personal taste.

Third: Insert flowers into wreath, making sure to hot glue the bases so they will stay. [I didn't get a picture of this, sorry!]

Fourth: Cut four equally long pieces of ribbon to tie on your letter. [I liked to set the letter where I wanted it in the center of the wreath, and measured out the length of ribbon needed.] Then, secure those pieces on the back of your letter using a hammer and push pins as shown below:

I'm sure there are better ways of doing this, but I used what I had laying around the house and knew that would hold the weight of the letter. 

Fifth: [This was probably the hardest part for me.] Attach the wooden letter to the wreath using the attached ribbon lengths. 

I found it easiest to attach the letter when the wreath was vertical, because that allowed the W to be pulled by gravity, which allowed me the chance to properly attach the ribbon in the desired location. I just double knotted the ribbon onto the back and used a dab of hot glue to make sure it stayed.

Six: Enjoy your new wreath(es)!