If you want to attract birds and potential fairies to your porch or garden, give them somewhere pretty to land by creating a perch made from natural items, some found in your own yard. With a grapevine wreath, branch, pinecones and moss or other yard findings, you can fashion a naturally beautiful landing zone. Kids will love to get in on the action with this project as well, especially with the promise of visits from magical fairies.
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Tip
Before you begin, collect small items from outdoors that can be used to decorate your perch. If you are making your perch with kids, collecting can be a fun scavenger hunt.
Things You’ll Need
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Grapevine wreath
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Sturdy branch about 12 inches in length
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Scissors
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Wire (a covered wire is most attractive)
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Wire clippers
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Natural decorations such as pinecones and moss
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Hot glue sticks
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Hot glue gun
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Twine
Step 1: Cut Your Grapevine Wreath
Use your scissors to cut three or four medium thick vines (in relation to all of the grapevines in the wreath) from the wreath. You want them to be about 18 inches in length.
Step 2: Bundle Grapevines Together
Bundle your grapevines together and use a wire about 6 to 7 inches in length to secure them and also create a loop.
Begin by wrapping the wire around the vines a couple of times, and then, use the remaining length to create a loop and wrap the excess around the bundle. The loop will be used to hang the perch later.
Step 3: Attach Your Branch
Now it’s time to secure your vines to your branch, which will serve as the actual landing perch. Cut a piece of wire about 5 inches in length. Lay it down with your branch laying at an angle over it, and one end of your grapevine branches laying perpendicularly on top of your branch.
Wrap your wire around the branch and vines and secure together.
Once you have secured one end, cut another piece of wire about 5 inches in length and repeat for the other end. However, this time you will need to bend your grapevine branches to create an arch before you secure in place.
After the arch is formed and both ends are secure, cut two more pieces of wire 5 inches in length, and wrap each intersection in the opposite direction so that your wires create an “X” formation.
Step 4: Decorate Your Perch
Now comes the fun part! Gather those natural supplies you collected from your yard (or from the craft store as they carry lots of natural accents as well) and get creative. Lay out your decoration placement, and use a hot glue gun to attach them securely.
Tip
If working with kids, let them design their perch, but make sure that an adult does the hot gluing.
Step 5: Hang Your Perch
Run a piece of twine 12 to 18 inches long through the loop on your perch and tie it in a knot. It is now ready to hang in your outdoor space. You can use a hook on your porch, or hang it from a tree branch.
Now you can sit back in your outdoor sanctuary and enjoy visits from your favorite winged creatures.
