Colorful Bird Nests Are Small But Creative Gifts

by Joanie
(Kewanna, IN USA)

Colorful Bird's Nest

An easy unusual craft is a creative, colorful bird's nest you can make as a small gift or for your own home decor.

You'll need:
-- raw spaghetti (enough to fill the space between your thumb and forefinger as if you're making the "OK" sign with your hand),
--2 cups of very strong coffee for a brown nest, or 2 cups of beet juice for a purple nest, or 2 cups water with your choice of food coloring
--8 to 10 small 2-inch colorful feathers you can purchase at craft stores
--half of a strong paper towel
--invisible glue or a hot glue gun with glue.

1. Carefully break the raw spaghetti into pieces that are 2 to 2 1/2 inches long.

2. Dye the raw spaghetti the color you desire by simply letting it sit for a few hours in the 2 cups of liquid. This is the color of the nest, so if you want to color it something other than brown as nests usually are, then try beet juice by itself or food coloring in water. Lay the spaghetti pieces on a cookie cooling rack to dry.

3. Put a half-inch or more layer of spaghetti pieces down on a work surface to form the bottom of the nest, which will be approximately 3 by 4 inches or a little larger. You may need to hold the formation together with something as you put glue all over the top and all throughout the pieces. Then gather groups of spaghetti pieces to glue onto this, one group at a time, eventually forming somewhat of a circle so that there is a hole in the middle of the nest for eggs.

4. Roll up the paper towel (you'll have extra) into 3 neat egg shapes (larger than you want) and make it wet so you can squeeze them into shape and they will hold together. When dry, glue these eggs into the nest.

5. Finally, glue on the colorful feathers around the eggs, decorating the nest. It will be a pretty decoration for your shelf.