Everyone feathers her nest to
make her home meet her needs and dreams.
Gathering materials, one little twig, leaf, or grass tuft at a time,
a little chickadee weaves her nest all together into a refuge against the weather.
Yet, who hasn't seen a bird's nest also with something a little sparkly in it,
sunlight glancing off a piece of tinsel,
or a stray snag of ribbon fluttering in the breeze?
My little feathered nest is created with eye-catching appeal by
looking for great discounts,
making homemade one-of-a-kind items,
using objects in unexpected ways, and
repeating colors and themes within view of each other.
Nest feathering involves more than creating a safe haven from the world,
more than gathering the essentials needed for a shelter.
Nest feathering includes finding the little tinsel to brighten our nests,
or finding that snag of ribbon to flutter in the breeze,
those special things that make our nests comfortable
and welcoming to family, to guests, and to ourselves...
and that makes our nests uniquely ours.
and that makes our nests uniquely ours.
Looking for those special touches to weave into my home,
I found these blue and white checked placemats from the
Pottery Barn Outlet earlier this summer.
(Someone please straighten those mats!)
The shade of blue is a perfect companion for the
I like leaving the mats on the table even when there aren't
any dishes on them. Plus I like using one as the base
for a small collection of other things that feather my nest.
Creating items myself is one way I feather my nest.
The blue nest sign is the latest addition to my ever growing
collection of handmade garden signs using reclaimed wood
and photo canvas signs printed on the computer.
Many of us find making items ourselves is a way to save money
allowing us greater choices in how we spend our incomes.
For me, there are two other major factors in making something myself.
First, by making it myself I create things I cannot find in a store.
I get to have a BLUE nest sign.
Most of the garden signs are in shades of green or brown,
traditional colors for gardens that appeal to many people.
These signs will be part of my annual French Country Christmas event.
The BLUE ones, however, are to feather my nest.
They are the tinsel that sunlight glints off in my breakfast sunspace.
The second other factor for making things myself is I enjoy the creativity.
I can spend hours finding just the right twigs for the birdhouse perches,
winding a slender vine so that it flutters around, tying an ultra narrow
snippet of silk lavender ribbon, and positioning a single stalk of lavender.
Creating each little birdhouse so that no two are alike...
A decorative birdhouse emerged from a plain 2"x4" pine stud.
Its roofline is two simple cuts to form a peak, its tin roof was cut
from a small sheet of tin from the hardware store, and its entrance
holes and perch holes were cut using two different sized drill bits.
By flecking the tip of a small artist's paint brush loaded with red paint
onto the painted white background, the spatters add visual interest
and depth to the birdhouse's finish.
A small spotted brown REAL bird feather gives the impression we just missed
seeing the bird fly away. If we had just turned our heads a second sooner!
Unexpected uses catch the eye...like tinsel and ribbon...
and stretch our resources in our feathered nests.
The blue ceramic platform holding a small bird surrounded by
speckled blue eggs is a drink dispenser stand, another great
buy from the Pottery Barn Outlet, but used in an unexpected way.
Nest feathering...
Using collected objects that are connected by color and by theme,
like the garden signs and table vignette, creates maximum impact.
A blue nest sign on a stake stands near the other garden signs.
Variations on a theme, with no two exactly alike.
Just as no two bird nests are exactly alike.
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