DIY Bird Feeder

If you have been following The Crafty Decorator you know every Thursday is Thrifty Thursday which means I take items I have found at a thrift store, yard sale, estate sale or antique store and either use them as is to decorate my home or turn them into something totally different.On this Thrifty Thursday I used a heavy metal candle holder I purchased at a thrift store for $4.99 and a antique light cover I purchased at a little antique store for $5 and turned them into this beautiful bird feeder.

Here is a list of what you will need:

• Heavy Metal Candle Holder
• Antique Light Cover
• Vintage Crystals
• 20 Gauge Wire
• Wire Cutters
• Gorilla Contact Adhesive Clear Grip Glue
• Screwdriver
• Needle Nose Pliers

Attaching The Light Cover

The first thing I did was remove the extra metal plate on top of the candle holder, it was only held on by a screw and removing it let the light cover sit down further into the candle holder, next I gave the candle holder and light shade a good cleaning.   After cleaning them I set the light cover onto the candle holder to see where I would need to add the glue then I added Gorilla Contact Adhesive Clear Grip Glue around the bottom outside of the light cover then placed the light cover onto the candle holder, let cure for 24 hours before using outside.

Adding The Crystals

I knew I had to add crystals to add some bling to the bird feeder and it just so happened I had a bag of vintage crystals I had gotten at an estate sale.  First I removed the old hanger pin from the top of the crystal then I cut a 3” piece of 20 gauge wire and put it through the crystal where the hanger pin was, next I attached the crystal to the candle holder by wrapping the wire around one of the metal scrolls on the candle holder then I twisted the ends of the wire with needle nose pliers to make sure it was secure, I added three crystals one to each metal scroll.

The only thing left to do was take it outside add some birdseed, I did bury the bottom of the candle holder a little into the ground just so it wouldn’t by chance fall over.  I hope I have inspired you to think out of the box when you are looking at second hand items, there are so many ways you can transform them into something new and unique.