This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Gardening with kids Tea-riffic gifts


Up-cycle old teacups into beautiful birdfeeders to give to mom this Mother’s Day. By Tania Moffat


Repurpose unused household items, like teacups, into quirky and imaginative birdfeeders. E


very year on Mother’s Day we host a tea party and it is always tied to gardening. It’s a tradition


I look forward to every year. From the elaborate floral decor to the finger sand- wiches, homemade raspberry iced tea and lemonade, I go all out. Our Moth- er’s Day presents are usually part of the decor. Over the years they have included fresh herbs in pots decorated by the boys, tea roses or osteospermums to be trans- planted into the garden later, and colour- ful floral boxes filled with an assortment of bulbs. Each year the boys and I devel- op a new project for them to present to their grandmas and great grandma. This year I decided to break down and make one of the projects I have been wanting to try – teacup birdfeeders. I love “junk beautiful” decor – perhaps because it is quirky and imaginative, but I also love the up-cycling and repurposing of items aspect. Taeven and I had a blast checking out


china, teapots and some wrought iron stands at a local thrift store. We found all the items we thought we could fashion into a centerpiece for under $20! There really isn’t any advice I can give for pick- ing out your cup and saucer or whatever


28 • Early Spring 2016


then roughen up the edges that would be glued with the sandpaper before I set the cups in place with the fast-drying epoxy. After your cups are dry you have sever-


al options: you can add a ribbon or chain (best) to hang your cup from the tree, wind wire or roping around the cup to create a sling to hang it, luck out with a wrought iron hanger to hold your cup or create a stand for it. Since we wanted our craft to have a dual purpose, table centre and birdfeeder, we decided to use a colourful ribbon to hang the cups the boys were going to give their grandmas. If you want to place your bird feeder on


Des hanging his birdfeeder, he couldn't wait for Mother's Day.


you choose other than let your imagina- tion flow. After the thrift shop we made a pit stop


at a local hardware store for some paint, epoxy and sandpaper. Taeven had already picked out his cup, but we let Desmond choose his. I had the boys place their cups exactly where they wanted them and


a stand you need to purchase a copper cap and pipe, found in the plumbing section of the hardware store. Have the store cut your pipe to the height you want; you can get two or three stands off of one pipe. Glue the cap to the underside of the saucer and then glue in the copper pipe. After the epoxy has cured you can push the feeder into the ground and fill it with seed. What's wonderful about this project is


that it is easy and makes a beautiful gift, not only for moms but teachers, friends or anyone. Each cup is completely unique – unless you make them from a set – which


localgardener.net


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40