Teapot Bird Nest

Make an old teapot into a elevated showcase for a bird nest home decor piece, just in time for spring.

Forgive me for only having the finished product but my directions are simple enough for you to recreate this yourself. Again, if you've read some of my other posts you know I tend to dive into a project like a mad scientist once the idea hits, forgetting to take pictures of the before.

 This is a teapot from World Market similar to the ones used here also from World Market. I re-purposed mine as they had become very damaged inside . They sat around my studio for a long time and then I got to thinking about the teapots one day . I was trying to create a faux bird nest when I looked over at these lonely teapots that where begging to have a new life. And what a new life they have.

 There are a few pics that seem similar but I'm trying to show different angles and capture the nest and eggs so keep scrolling.

I added newspaper inside the nest to give the nest a slight base. I added some hot glue and inserted my nest. After , I took some Dollar Tree eggs and old book pages and covered the eggs with the paper mache . I used my paint brush to get them nice and evened out around all those edges. This was a very messy hand on event. I even tinted the pages on the mini eggs using a watered down Mossy Green from Martha Stewart acrylics from Walmart. 

This picture is an awful picture of the glittery foam eggs I used but I pulled this from Amazon to show you what kind of eggs I used. I wanted a solid egg and not the collapsible fillable kind.

I added newspaper inside the nest to give the nest a slight base. I added some hot glue and inserted my nest. After , I took some Dollar Tree eggs and old book pages and covered the eggs with the paper mache . I used my paint brush to get them nice and evened out around all those edges. This was a very messy hand on event. I even tinted the pages on the mini eggs using a watered down Mossy Green from Martha Stewart acrylics from Walmart. This picture is an awful picture of the glittery foam eggs I used but I pulled this from Amazon to show you what kind of egg I used. I wanted a solid egg and not the collapsible, fillable kind.Make sure to snip the ribbons off before attempting the paper mache.

https://www.amazon.com/10-Foam-Hanging-Easter-Eggs/dp/B06X945TPG/ref=sr_1_16?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1490777540&sr=1-16&keywords=foam+glitter+eggs

 I used an old candlestick as a pedestal and using E6000 glue placed the lid from the teapot upside down onto the candlestick . The small knob on the lid gets set into the cubby of the candle holder. This now acts as a more reliable footing to adhere your teapot. Glue your teapot to your new base and allow to dry. Bingo. You are done.

In the end I gave the green one away as a gift but not before adding the word nest right on the front of the teapot . I had ripped around the edges of the word NEST and decoupaged it onto the front. I finished it off with a faux bird from the Dollar Tree. I'll see if I can get a photo of that to add to this post.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you are enjoying the Spring weather.

If you like this post you may also like Love Birds 

Michele Michael 

Coastal Bohemian

www.CoastalBohemian.net

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Crystal Shells -Bling it on.

I've been wanting my friends and fellow crafters to be showcased on my blog as guest bloggers . I've learned so much from all of them throughout the years. This is a guest blog from my first craft buddy, Cathy from LI NY. She sent me a few of these little gems and I was in heaven .

 I remembered that we had grown crystals when we were cub scout leaders together. This is way better.
And now from Cathy.

So my dear friend and fellow bohemian asked me to write something for her blog, so here I go:

During the cold dreary days of winter my daughter and I embarked on a few crafting journeys.  One of them was to turn some of the thousands of sea shells i have amassed over the years into something more  well, worth keeping around.  We decided on a process that would literally grow"crystals" onto the shells.

A very simple process really.  all you need is a flat container ( I used glass) water and borax.

We super saturated the water with the borax (kept mixing it in until the water could no longer dissolve the borax). Next we  put our shells into the solution taking care to make sure they dont touch each other.  Make sure the shells are completely covered with the solution.  Let them sit overnight and viola! Beauties are created!  These shells are going to adorn a picture frame with a nice beach picture of my daughter and I.  I was also thinking they would be amazing in a jar, or used in making bridal decorations...even in a bouquet!!
(Insert  enthusiasm from Michele at Coastal Bohemian here)
"Oh hell yeah!!!
We used small flat shells for the most part, but I'm sure any shell would be perfect. So next time you are itching for a simple yet satisfying craft, head to the laundry room for that Borax!

P.S.  I believe Borax can be harmful if care is not taken.

Insert from Michele at Coastal Bohemian
https://wellnessmama.com/26407/borax-safe/ This is a link to safety and use of Borax.Thx to Wellness Mama.



Cathy,  the other bohemian

Thanks Cathy for sharing your fun and excitement for creating. 
This is an inspiring piece.