As promised, I have a wonderful tutorial today by Laurie Cinotto of La La Laurie. She designed these adorable Bird Cage Lanterns and pulled together an easy to follow diy tutorial. These bird cage lanterns would look amazing strung as garland at a birdcage themed bridal or baby shower. They'd make a cute addition to a playroom or nursery, too. Thinking outside of the party world, they'd also just be a fun rainy-day craft with the kids!
What You'll Need:
An assortment of patterned and colored card stock
String or crochet thread
Double-sided tape
Plastic lids (ice cream pint lids work great!)
Small brads
Small hole punch
Paper cutter or straight edge and X-acto knife
Scissors
1. Begin by cutting 12″ x 1/4″ strips of paper with your paper cutter or straight edge and X-acto knife. You will need four strips per bird cage. (see image A)
2. In the center of each paper strip, punch a tiny hole with your hole punch. Set aside. (see image B)
3. Download your bird template and print it out on heavy card stock. Cut out the bird, and trace around it on one of papers. Cut out your bird, and punch a hole in the center of it’s back. (see image C).
4. Cut a 14″ length of string. Tie your bird to the end of the string, and the tie a not in the string 1.5″ above the bird. (see image D)
5. Thread the string through the holes in your four paper strips. Slide them down the string until they meet the knot. (see image E)
6. Secure the strips together (just above the knot) by running a small brad through the holes. (see image F)
7. Run a strip of double-faced tape around the edge of the lid. (see image G)
8. Take your bundled strips, and fan them out like a starburst. Stick the ends of the strips to the edge of the lid, keeping them evenly spaced. (see images H, I and J)
9. Cut a strip of card stock 1.5 inches wide and long enough to wrap around the lid diameter. If your lid diameter is greater than the width of your paper, cut two strips.
10. Wrap the strip around the tape-coverd edge of the lid. Press down and smooth with your fingers. (see image K)
Voila! An adorable bird cage lantern! Make several at one time. To display them, consider running them together on string or ribbon as garland. They also look great hung from tree branches.
Again, thank you Laurie for a wonderful tutorial. Everyone please be sure to check out Laurie's blog - it's full of amazing ideas and inspiration!
