I spent Saturday, along with my brother, removing two 25-foot tree limbs from the roof of my house. Fortunately, the roof did not sustain any damage, but the many oak, camphor and crepe myrtle branches in my yard have kept me busy every since. Not to mention the kazillion acorns and twigs that seem to be everywhere!
While diligently clipping away at this multitude of pretzel like branches and limbs, I said to myself, "self, how can you use these fallen tree pieces to make some sort of craft project"?
Well, I started clipping the thin branches in increments ranging from 3 to 5 inches and I envisioned making a miniature birdcage. You know the type, the ones that are made out of bamboo shoots. I was thinking about gluing them together to make the cage, which would be 3 to 5 inches wide and no more than 3 to 4 inches tall with the base looking kind of like a raft and it would have a steeple type roof. Now all this is in my head at the moment, but I don't see any reason this won't work.
As an alternative to the cage, I could make a square basket type affair and add twine to make a hanger.
Once the structure is pieced together and secure, I will add a piece of foam covered in moss and place it in the base of the cage/basket. Next, I can utilize the acorns from the oak along with an assortment of dried flowers, or silk vines to make a very pleasing craft. As an additional feature, I think I will add miniature fake birds or butterflies, maybe both.
I thought I would share this with you, as this is something anyone with trees in their yard can do. Just like the wild vines that grow in your yard that you can use to make wreaths, so too can the assortment of trees be utilized to make a natural bird cage or flower basket.
This is a work in progress as I have an assortment of limbs and twigs collected to use. I believe the crepe myrtle branches, which are twisted in a variety of unique designs, will be the ones I will start with first. I have the last remnants of crepe myrtle flowers on the trees but they are too high for me to reach otherwise, I would attempt to dry them and use them in the basket.
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