I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

A while ago I found a handmade paper birdcage on a design blog.  I saved the instructions but not the name of the blog so unfortunately I can't give credit where it's due.  I immediately thought the cage would be a great place to house the bird from Stampin' Up's Extra-Large Two Step Bird Punch.  And what is the birdcage lined with?  Newsprint Designer Series Paper of course!  Isn't that clever? 

The bottom of the birdcage is actually the top of an ice cream carton.  We have Smart 'n Final in CA where they sell empty white non-printed ice cream cartons.  If you can't find them, you can use any carton top or lid as long as it has a 1/2" lip.  

Start by cutting four 1/2 x 12" strips, one 1 x 12" strip of patterned paper and a circle large enough to line your cage bottom.  In the picture below, I originally cut two strips of patterned paper but only used one.  If you opt not to put the placard on your cage, you may need two strips.  It all depends on how big your birdcage bottom is. 

Punch out the bird and two wings.  Next line up the four 1/2 x 12" strips and poke a hole in the center at 6".  Poke a hole at the top of the bird and draw an eye.

Run one piece of linen thread through the four strips and also thru the bird.  Pop up the wings on both sides with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Then run a brad thru all four strips to secure them and for decoration.

On the side of the birdcage bottom, attach sticky strip.  Then stick the four strips to the bottom leaving even spaces in between.  Tip:  start with one strip on one side.  Then attach the other side.  Attach the next strip in the middle of where the first strip was attached.  It's like dividing a cake.  First you slice it in half, then the half into quarters and the quarters into eighths.  It's easier to get the even spacing if you work in alternating fashion like this.

Now you're ready to attach the patterned paper.  The last step is to add a placard if you choose.  I used two brads on the placard to make it look like a name plate.  Do you love how I photoshopped "Tweetie" into the picture?



Stampin' Up Supplies Used:

Stamps:  None

Ink:  None

Paper:  Greenhouse Gala DSP, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP, Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Extra Large Two Step Bird Punch, Paper Piercer, Stampin' Dimensionals, Rhinestone Brad