Monday, October 11, 2010

Embroidery Hoop Birdcage

I decided that our Halloween decor needed a creepy birdcage to house a couple of our crows. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on one so I decided to make this one out of things we already had around the house!




SUPPLIES:
2 Hoops
10 Gauge Wire
18 Gauge Wire
Black Spray Paint
Fake Birds
Black Posterboard
Needle Nose Pliers
DIRECTIONS:
1. Trace the inside of the bottom hoop onto a piece of black posterboard (I only had yellow so I just painted it black).


2. Using needle nose pliers, wrap a few pieces of 10 gauge wire around the bottom hoop. It will be covered later so it doesn't have to look pretty, it just has to be able to support the stuff that you put in the cage. For the hoops I used two mismatched embroidery hoops that I picked up at Goodwill for about $.10 The wire was from Home Depot in the picture hanging section.


3. Wrap a 2 or 2.5 foot piece of 10 gauge wire around the bottom hoop with the long end sticking up like this:


4. Stretch the wire up and wrap it around the second hoop so it is however tall you want your cage to be. The distance between my two hoops is about 9.5" The remaining foot or so of wire should then be sticking up like this:


5. Repeat three more times, measuring each time before wrapping it around the top hoop to make sure that the hoops are the same distance apart on every side. It should stand up like this:


6. You could continue doing this all the way around with 10 gauge wire but at this point it was pretty sturdy so I switched to 18 gauge wire which is easier to work with. Whatever you use, continue around the cage until you have the bars spaced out every two inches or so.


7. Now spray paint the hoops and wires black and let it dry.


8. Place the black posterboard circle in the bottom and fill with spanish moss. Mine is from Dollar Tree and was leftover from my mini skull vase filler project.


9. Place your birds on top of the moss and arrange how you like. I picked up these crows at Dollar Tree last Halloween.


10. Gather the top wires together and use one of the 10 gauge wires to form a loop. Wrap the remaining wires around it and trim off the excess. Carefully touch it all up with more black spray paint if needed.


All done! I think it adds a nice creepy touch to the side table in the living room. And the best part is that it was made using stuff I had around the house so it didn't cost me a penny!



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14 comments:

Rachael @ Mrs-Adventure said...

Very cool :+)

Lina Thomlinson said...

This is awesome! Years ago I saw someone's Halloween decorations included an old bird cage hanging from their front porch but instead of a cute bird inside there was some creepy zombie-looking creature leering out from within. Ever since then I've kept my eye open for a cheap bird cage but haven't had any luck. Just might have to give this tutorial a try myself. Thanks for sharing!

The Autocrat: Haley said...

That is so awesome! I like yours better because it isn't "perfect" The crows are lookin' pretty snazzy!

1 Funky Woman said...

This is just so fantastic, I love it! I had to link up Halloween is my favorite holiday!

Megan

New follower, hope you can stop by and see my Halloween decor!

Jami said...

This is very clever of you! I am all about the crows this year. :)

ArtfullyJune said...

Very cool idea. I've been looking for bird cages but the few I find are either too much plastic or too expensive. Now I can make my own! Thanks!!

Jana said...

This is fabulous. I love how simple and creepy it is. I just saw some of those embroidery hoops at the thrift store yesterday too. Hmmmm. Now you have me thinking about ANOTHER Halloween project. I really love your birdcage. Thanks for sharing how you did it.

Cristie said...

What a great idea! I'm going to make one for myself. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

That is so clever! I never would have thought of using embroidery hoops, but they really seem perfect for the job!

Heather - dollarstorecrafts said...

This is an awesome project! I love how the final product looks, too!

Stephanie said...

What a great creation--love it!

Amber *SaltTree Creative* said...

Ugh... this post just made me so ridiculously happy... I can hardly wait to get out shopping for supplies to make my own! Thanks for sharing!

Rhissanna said...

I came here from the Someday Crafts linky

I love the Dollar Tree! The manager at the local one says he has trouble keeping the crows in stock, they just walk out as soon as he gets another shipment (should that be 'fly out?') This is one of the best uses I've seen yet. Anyone could shove plastic birds in a cage, but a tutorial for a creepy birdcage? Priceless. Thank you! (new follower)

Kathy said...

OK now I am heaven, I just love your ideas.
Thanks for sharing, Kathy