Bird Cage Craft Made From Yarn, Glue & a Balloon

Create a fun bird cage using crafting supplies.

Most bird cages are made out of wood, metal, plastic or a combination of the three. Recreating a bird cage for a craft allows you to use unconventional materials, because the cage is not intended to house a live bird. For example, create a bird cage using a balloon, some yarn and glue. Include a plastic bird in the cage to recreate the look of a real bird cage, and hang the completed craft project in your living room or place it on a desk as an eye-catching conversation starter.

Things You'll Need

• Newspapers
• Trash bags (optional)
• Toy bird, 2-inch
• Balloon, 12-inch
• Eye hook (optional)
• Wallpaper glue, 3 cups
• Bucket
• Yarn
• Scissors
• Hot glue
• Hot glue gun
• 1/2-inch by 9-inch dowel rod
• Tweezers (optional)
• Tongs (optional)

Instructions

1. Cover your work space with newspaper or trash bags.

2. Insert a 2-inch toy plastic bird through the opening of a deflated 12-inch balloon. If possible, choose a round balloon for a circular cage. Otherwise, any shape will do. As you put the bird into the balloon, pull the balloon to stretch it around the toy.

3. Inflate a 12-inch balloon with the bird inside. Tie the balloon off and attach a 12-inch piece of string to the tied end. Tie the loose end of the string to a ceiling light fixture or an eye hook in the ceiling.

4. Empty 2 to 3 cups of wallpaper glue into a small bucket. Place a skein of yarn into the paste. Use your hands to work the glue into the individual strings of the yarn.

5. Place the loose end of the yarn against the hanging balloon. Wrap the yarn around the balloon, overlapping the strings as you go. Leave spaces between the string. Make the space between half inch to 1 1/2 inches each. Once the balloon is mostly covered, leaving gaps in the strings, cut the excess yarn away. Tuck the loose end of the yarn under one of the overlapping pieces. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.

6. Cut the end of the balloon to release the air. Remove the remnants of the balloon from inside the yarn cage, leaving the toy bird inside. Let the yarn cage dry for another three to five hours.

7. Apply 1 inch of hot glue to the center of a half-inch by 9-inch dowel rod. Place the glue down the length of the rod on one side.

8. Insert the dowel rod through the holes in the yarn on the bottom third of the cage. Stretch the dowel rod across the center of the yarn cage and out the other side.

9. Place the toy bird on the center of the dowel rod in the glue you placed in Step 7. Work quickly so the glue does not dry. If necessary, use tweezers or tongs to move the bird around and place it on the glue spot.

10. Adjust the placement of the dowel rod so that a half inch of the dowel rod sticks out beyond the cage on either side and the bird sits upright. Apply hot glue to the ends of the dowel rod where it touches the yarn. Let the hot glue dry for three to five minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• If desired, use a piece of yarn to hang the completed bird cage. Feed the yarn through the holes in the top of the cage and tie it to create a loop. Hang the loop from a hook.