These Pop Bottle Bird Feeders are super cute and super fun to make! The color possibilities are endless and it was such fun to see what the ladies came up. The finished pictures above were our demos that we made up to promote the craft at church.
Supplies Needed:
- 2 Litre Coke Bottles (we found the Coke bottle worked the best, it had the perfect hourglass shape)
- Acrylic Paint (we used the bottles from the dollar store)
- Paint Brushes
- 1" Foam Brushes
- Sharp Scissors
- Brads (the type they use for cardmaking)
- Single Hole Punch
- Raffia
- Accents (we used heart shaped buttons)
- Twine
- Can of waterproof paint sealer spray (we used the Krylon brand)
- Glue Gun
- Drill and drill bit
How To:
1. Using your scissors cut away the middle section of the pop bottle. See picture below for the approximate amount to cut away. It does not have to be exact, if you want a shorter feeder than cut more out and if you want a taller feeder than cut less out.
2. Drill a small hole through the middle of the bottle cap. The hole needs to be big enough for the twine to fit through, but not too big because you need to know the twine and not have it pull through the hole.
3. In the bottom section of the bottle, cut an opening as big or as small as you'd like for the door of the feeder. Using your foam brush, paint the bottom part of the feeder. The amount of layers you need to paint on will depend on the color you choose. The pink we chose only needed two layers, but the blue needed four layers to cover the streaks. Make sure to let each layer completely dry before adding another layer. Next paint the top part of the bottle...don't forget to paint the bottle cap!
4. Once the paint for the bottom of the bottle is completely dry, take your hole punch a punch a hole at the top of the bottle bottom, about 2" in on each side of the door opening (see picture below). Now take the top part of your bird feeder and place it on the bottom. Mark a spot on the top of the feeder so that you can punch it with the hole punch. Make sure you mark it properly so that it lines up with the holes you punched in the bottom of the feeder.
5. Take your twine (roughly a 3' long piece) and thread one end into the inside of the bottom section of the pop bottle and tie in a double knot. With the same end of your twine, "stitch" it through the top section of the pop bottle. Run your twine through the top and stitch the other side together and fasten it with a double knot. Now take your twine and push it through the top of the bird feeder, through the bottle cap. The long loop that is sticking out is your hanger. This was incredibly hard to explain, I hope the pictures below better explain it!
6. Take your hole punch tool and punch holes on each side of the door opening and at the back of the feeder. Thread your brads through and spread them apart to tighten them up. These are an extra way to reinforce the feeder and nice a decorative touch depending on the type of brad you use. The brads we used were about a 1/4" circles.
7. Once the brads are in place and you have finished adding all your decorative paint touches, take it outside and give it three good coats of spray with your can of waterproof sealer. This spray is pretty potent, so definitely do this part outdoors.
8. Now you can add your raffia and any embellishments you wish to add.
9. Fill it with birdseed and hang it outside for the birds to enjoy!
Side Note: After we completed these we thought that next time we made them, we would add a wooden dowel through it (just drill a hole the size of the dowel you choose under the door and through the back). The dowel would make a great perch for the birdies!!
