It’s almost Valentines Day! That means it’s time for candy hearts, holding hands, secret love letters and lovely dovey craft projects. Yes! To celebrate the snuggliest of all holidays, I made a little love birds diorama. This project would make a cute gift for a beloved, a sweet holiday decoration sitting on a pretty shelf, or a nice centre piece for a Valentines feast.
To make your own love birds diorama you’ll need…
Materials
- Large Glass Jar (The mouth of the jar needs to be large enough for you to easily fit your hand in.)
- 2 Feathered Birds (Vintage birds are available from Etsy and new birds are available from craft stores.)
- Stick
- Fabric Scraps (I chose red and blue scraps to match the colours of my birds. You’ll need a few tiny pieces for the miniature garland and one bigger piece to cover your jar lid.)
- Embroidery Thread
- Iron-on Adhesive
- Faux Grass (This is used in scale modelling and is available from hobby shops.)
- Rubber Band
- Ribbon
Tools
- Scissors
- Needle
- Hot Glue Gun
- Fine Sandpaper
- Small Plate
- Pencil
Instructions
1. Find a nice stick and snap it so that it’s the right size to comfortably sit across the width of your jar. Give it a gentle rub with the sand paper to clean it up and smooth any rough edges.
2. Use your glue gun to stick your birds into position on the stick.
3. Follow the directions of your iron-on adhesive to fuse your tiny fabric scraps so that they are back to back. This will prevent your miniature garland from fraying and make the garland double sided, so your diorama will look cute from every angle.
4. Cut small triangles out of the fused fabrics.
5. Use your needle and embroidery thread to thread the triangles together. Just sew one long stitch along the top edge of each triangle.
6. Tie the ends of your miniature garland to the ends of the bird perch and trim away any excess thread.
7. Put a blob of glue on one end of the bird perch and as quickly as you can, stick it to the inside of your jar. You might like to practice the motion of manoeuvring your perch in and out of the jar without glue first, as this can be a little awkward. It also helps to make a mark on the jar where you intend to glue the perch, so you know where you are aiming.
8. Pour some faux grass onto the floor of your jar and screw the lid on.
9. Use your small plate and pencil to trace a circle on your larger piece of fabric and cut the fabric circle out.
10. Secure the fabric circle over the jar lid using the rubber band, then cover the rubber band with ribbon and tie ribbon in a pretty bow.
Wishing you all lots of Valentines treats and a little time with those you love most!
Well this is the cutest thing ever!! I want one for decoration all year long!
Love this so much! I have my weekend project
This is the cutest thing I ever saw ever! I love it so much!
That is just too cute for words! I may have to put a geeky spin on it so I can make one for Mr. Wonderful.
Oh, yay! If you do make one please share some pics with us! I’d love to see your geeky spin on things!
That is SO adorable!
Jessica | Vixenelle
This is such a sweet little scene & so much more heart felt & creative that a bunch of red roses xx
Well that is just so cute! I’m sure it would look good all year round too =)
Oh my gosh – this is just too sweet! I love it and will simply have to make one of my own! ^_^
How cute! I love it when I come across a DIY that’s so very original! I saw so many Christmas dioramas that all looked the same, but this is so different and lovely
Aw, thank you Jenni! It is really HARD coming up with things that haven’t already been a bazillion times, so I’m really glad you think this little project is original! <3
so so sweet!
Katie, usually I am not a fan of Valentine´s projects, but yours is sooooo sweet and funny, and witty! Very cool work!
Oh, thank you Laura! That is so nice! <3
This is so adorable!
I actually would love to do this for a friend of mine who is going to have a baby.
so sweet!
Thanks!
That’s a great idea! And wouldn’t it be cute if you could get a smaller bird, to make it a mama and baby bird sitting on a perch!? Now THAT would be adorable!
I’m not really a fan of valentines day – but I absolutely adore this! It’s so cute – and a winner all year round! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!
So cute. Nice work.
That is ridiculously cute!
Saw your Love Birds Diorama on Pinterest – crazy in love with it!
So adorable!! Love all the detailed touches
Oh my gosh, this is so sweeet!
incredibly cute!
D.a.r.l.i.n.g.
omg, katie! too effing cute! <3
freaking ADORABLE.
This is just the most gorgeous wee thing!
Simply lovely!
Your little birdies are so adorable – I love this idea and will definitely be making my own version.
Thanks for the inspiration.
My pleasure Jo! If you do make your own, I would LOVE to see some pics!
Gosh this is the sweetest thing I have ever seen! Forget about saving my jars for matzo ball soup! This is goin to be my NEW obsession!
Super cute! I linked at the Dollar Store Crafts FB page: https://www.facebook.com/dollarstorecrafts
Oh, yay! Thanks so much for sharing Heather! <3
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments everyone! I’m so glad you guys like this project! <3
Aaawww! How cute!
Very cute but I always wonder about stuff like this… Where the heck would you put it? I could be seen as the crazy lady with the collection of birds or butterflies in mason jars! LOL
Oh my goodness so cute! I shared your link with our Bowdabra Facebook Fans and added your craft to our Bowdabra “Rocks Our Socks Off” Pinterest Board. ADORABLE!!
This is so adorable! I love the bunting detail.
that is sooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I love this idea. I am going to make one for my daughter. Thank you so much for sharing!
Just happened upon your blog and encountered the post about knitting and crocheting and masculine vs. feminine pursuits. I’m writing a dissertation on the intersection of domesticity and feminism (in the neo-Victorian novel) and was really excited to see some real-life breakdown between domesticity and typical feminine association. Bravo to you. And, would you teach me to knit???
That is so beautiful! So much colour and so lovey dovey. How creative!
Just pinned this on pinterest and it spread like crazy within just a minute!
It is so cute, I can’t wait to make one like it!! Thanks for sharing!
Sweet idea for a lamp in a nursery….take a clear bottom lamp base, some don’t have a bottom so you can make a wood base or cover a piece of cardboard with the hobby grass and seal it at the end…Cover a lampshade in a complimentary fabric….again sweet idea, nice to have fresh inspirations.
We loved your craft so much we featured it on our Bowdabra Blog Feature Friday post!
http://wp.me/p1xtT7-1Qt
Aw, thank you so much Sarah! <3
LOVE this idea–so incredibly cute!
Hi Katie and Reuben, I cannot believe that I didn’t know about your delightful blog before now. Your bird diorama is seriously the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I can’t wait to make one! xx
This is about THE cutest thing I’ve ever seen! I shared it on my tumblr craft blog –craftdiscoveries dot tumblr dot com– along with a link back to your blog. Thank you for allowing this option, it’s very much appreciated. I believe this post will be reblogged again and again it’s just so adorable. I’m a new subscriber and enjoying browsing your blog very much, you guys are awesome!
Absolutely lovely!
I saw your lovebirds on Pinterest and had to stop by and tell you how sweet they are! Thanks for sharing the how-to!
I just linked over since I copied you idea! I was walking through the dolar store & saw some cute birds & moss right next to each other right after I saw your adorable birds on pinterest
Thanks for sharing your idea! Now my mom has a sweet set of birds on her orch for the summer 
This is sooooo cute! I wanna make one to sit at my desk!
Lesley
http://byporchlight.blogspot.com
I love this, because I love birds! Have you tried suspending the perch from the top of the jar on fishing line? It would swing, then. I may try doing that by punching holes in the lid. This would also be an adorable wedding centerpiece if made with love birds. Adorable.
This is truly adorable! If I may ask, what size jar did you use? And the size of the birds? Thank you!!
did you put any type of adhesive for the grass? or will it move around? Id like to make this for my mother in law for christmas
but id have to wrap it.. im afraid the grass might move around?
Hi Mirna! No I didn’t use an adhesive for the grass so if you tipped it, it would move.
Hi Katie
I found your love bird diorama when browsing for inspiration for a bridal shower gift and fell in love with it. I would really like to do my own take on it but just wondered about the measurements of the birds. I am based in Northern Ireland and am finding it difficult to source them here so will have to get them online. Your help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hi, Katie!! Love this idea!! Where did you find the birds?
I just bought them at my local craft store
do you know about how big the birds are from beak to tip of tail? I LOVE this and am making one for my little girls “garden” bedroom!
Loving this idea! Your execution is excellent! I’m going to make this for our Valentine’s dinner! I do a dinner every year for my hubby and 4 girls and I always do something special! Last year I did fairies in a jar, this year will be your love birds! Thank you!