DIY Hummingbird Feeders

As warm days return and the first flower buds begin to peek up through the soil, many of us here are We Care are starting to plan our gardens.  As most horticulturists will know, a garden can’t flourish without pollinators, and some of the most effective, dainty, and desirable to have in your garden are hummingbirds!  To help entice these little birds into our yards, Diane, our resident queen of upcycling, has brought us yet another project using old bottles; DIY Hummingbird Feeders!

What you’ll need:

Bottles (any size or shape – we used wine bottles, but anything will do!)Feeder attachment (we ordered ours in bulk online)Goo-be-goneRubbing AlcoholPaper towelsAcrylic Paint & BrushesThick wireBeads (optional!)

Getting started:

Diane brought a variety of bottles for our artists to decorate.  Prepping the bottles is very simple!  As we have done with bottles in the past, use Goo-Be-Gone to remove any lingering residue from stripping the labels, wipe them clean with alcohol, dry with a towel, and you’re ready to go!

Before you start, make sure the nozzle of the feeder attachment will fit in the mouth of the bottle.  It would be awful to get the bottle fully painted only to realize your pieces don’t fit together!

Now, time to paint!  From here, feel free to get as creative as you like!  Flowers were the go-to design amongst our artists, but paint whatever you like!  Hummingbirds are drawn to yellow and red, especially red, so keep this in mind when you are planning the design for your bottle. 

*Tip!* Some of our artists found it helpful to flip their bottles upside down and put them in jars or vases (see pictures below) to keep them steady and help remove the possibility of dropping the bottle or smudging the paint, don’t be afraid to try your own techniques to help you with your project.

Here are some works-in-progress:

Finishing up: To complete your bird feeder, wait until the paint dries and wrap your thick wire around the bottle, starting at the neck and winding up to the base.  If you feel inspired to, thread large beads through the wire to add another dimension to you birdfeeder.  Create a loop or hook at the end of the wire, so it can be hung! 

Fill your feeder with homemade nectar, set it out, and wait for the birds to come!

Project of the Month - DIY Wind Chimes

By the time February rolls around, we are all finding ourselves aching for the return of spring.  To bring a little bit of warmth into We Care, Terry’s Tuesday class decided to make some floral wind chimes out of recycled bottles!  This open ended project allows for all sorts of creativity, and a dynamic sensory experience.  Here’s how you can complete this fun (and sustainable) project on your own, in only a couple of short hours!

*NOTE: the preparation for this project requires some skill and tools

Supplies:
Empty glass bottle – any kind! We used wine bottles, but any size or shape will do!
Wine corks
Rubbing alcohol (acetone will work as well)
Acrylic paint – any colors!
Paintbrushes (or your preferred method of paint application)
Wire
Beads – any size
Copper coil tape
¾ hooks

Feel free to incorporate any other materials you have lying around the house!  Our teacher Diane was in and out of our craft room throughout the class bringing out strings of beads, pieces of glass, crystals, and many other miscellaneous knick knacks that could be incorporated in the project! Just remember, if you plan to hang your wind chime outside, use materials that can handle the elements!

Process:
There is a bit of preparation to be done before the creativity can begin, but don’t let this intimidate you!  We ran out of bottles halfway through class and Diane prepped more in only a few minutes.

First, you are going to need to cut the bottom off the bottle.  There are several different methods of accomplishing this, depending on the resources you have at your disposal, but three simple methods can be found HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxKZ8hhcmvg) .

Once the bottle is cut and smoothed (we used wet/dry sandpaper), you are going to need to strip the label off.  If peeling it doesn’t do the trick, a bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cotton ball will remove any adhesive residue.  Wash the bottle after you are finished with this, to ensure that the paint will stick to the glass.

Now, the fun part!  Pick any and every color paint you want and decorate your bottle with whatever inspires you!  Below are some of our artists’ chimes-in-progress to give you some ideas!

              

Our artists all took different approaches to decorating the outside of their bottles; a few painted directly on them, one wrapped wire around the bottle, one painted on wax paper and then placed his designs onto the bottle like stickers, and one didn’t paint his bottle at all, emphasizing the original label design and creating elaborate, decorative chimes.

The chimes are made of beading, or wire/string with beads tied to them.  Get creative here too!  Different materials will make different sounds when they come in contact with the bottle, so experiment with anything you have lying around!  We used lots of beads (wooden, glass, and plastic), glass ornaments, wire, and chain, but the sky is the limit here!  Although we didn’t have any handy, one artist mentioned incorporating CD’s, as the light reflecting off of them produces rainbows.

*NOTE: while placing your decorations, or “clangers” as we call them here, make sure they are placed at a length along the wire or chain that it will come in contact with the bottle.  If they are all hanging out of the bottom of the bottle, the chimes won’t chime!

 Assembly and Finishing Up:

Screw the hook into the top of the wine cork, and attach the chimes to the hook using pliers.
Reinsert the cork into the neck of the bottle, with the chimes hanging down into the open bottom of the bottle. 
We wrapped the bottom edge of the bottle with copper coil tape, to help keep the bottle from cracking or shattering while it moves.

Hang on your porch or in your favorite sunlit window and enjoy!!

If you fell in love with one of our artist’s creations, they are available for purchase in our gift shop at 3035 Wilmington in Kettering OH!  Proceeds go to the artist and back into We Care Arts to ensure that our artists have a space and materials to continue their craft.