DIY Project #44: Love Heart Bird Feeder

Pete and I love giving non-traditional gifts to each other like vintage garden bird baths (his birthday last year) and crocheted seals (his Christmas the year before that). So this Valentine’s season I wanted to pop up a few DIYs that weren’t just about chocolates and roses, but handmade goodness too.

We had a trip to Bunnings recently to mill around and get inspired and when I saw these tin strips I remembered a gorgeous bird feeder similiar to this I saw a while back, but of course forgot to pin, so if anyone knows where I got the inspiration from, please let me know!

Let’s get started with materials:

MATERIALS //

1. Tin strip, 1 metre long and at least 3cm wide
2. Tin cap (I think the one I found was for the top of a drain!)
3. Chain link (length dependent on where you want to hang it)
4. Steel ring
5. Rivet gun
6. Drill
7. Gold paint
8. Metal glue

NOTE: As with all projects involving tools, make sure you have your safety gear (e.g. closed in shoes, eye and ear protection, clamps to hold down your material for drilling etc).

STEP 01 // MAKE THE HEART

Drill a hole the same distance at each end of your tin strip. bend your strip over and pop a rivet through the two holes to hold your strip together.

You can shape your heart now or wait until the end.

TIP: Don’t muck around with your tin too much shaping it as the more bends you put in it the harder it will be to smooth out!

STEP 02 // ATTACH YOUR FEEDER

Drill two holes equidistant at the bottom of your metal cap which you’re using as your feeder.

Place your feeder onto the bottom of your shaped heart and mark off where the holes in the feeder are on your heart.

Drill a hole each side of your heart – this is where you’ll then rivet your feeder to your heart shape.

Rivet the heart shape in and finish shaping your heart.

STEP 03 // PAINT YOUR FEEDER + ATTACH CHAIN

The final step is to hang your feeder, the chain and your metal ring and then spray paint them gold.

Make sure you do a couple of light coats rather than one big heavy coat as the paint will run (trust me on that one!).

Glue your ring to the top middle of the heart, attached your chain and you’re ready to hang.

We’re totally in love with our feeder and the birds have been loving it too.

[See what else we've been making lately. Go on, get crafty with us!]

Disclaimer: We ask you to please be safety conscious when using power tools for our DIYs. It is your responsibility to read all of the instructions on your tool and follow the safety requirements. Penelope and Pip are not responsible for any injuries resulting from your use of tools for our projects. Go slow, have fun and wear the right stuff. Easy!