A Birdie for Your Birdie

How cute is this?! Something for the files...

Martha Stewart Bird Mobile

Tools and Materials

-Bird template
-Heavyweight paper
-Craft knife
-Screw punch
-White glue
-Embroidery floss
-1/8-inch armature wire
-Wire clippers
-Brown floral tape
-Pink and green card stock
-Flower craft punch
-Leaf craft punch
-Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
-Monofilament

1. Print bird templates onto heavyweight paper. Cut out shapes with a craft knife. Punch holes where marked.

2. Assemble birds, running white glue along the slits to secure pieces in place. Thread a 6- to 12-inch (depending on how low/high you want your bird to hang) length of embroidery floss through each hole.

3. Cut 12- to 18-inch lengths of 1/8-inch armature wire with wire clippers. Wrap with brown floral tape. Repeat with a couple different lengths of armature wire. Attach 3 to 4 lengths together to form branches.
4. Punch flowers from pink card stock. Punch leaves from green card stock. Punch a hole in the center of each flower and bend petals upwards.
5. Double-knot embroidery floss a quarter inch from one end, then cut 2 inches down from knot, creating a stamen (knot and above) and a stem (below the knot). To stiffen embroidery floss, dip it into glue and run through your fingers to spread glue down floss; let dry.
6. Feed the "stems" through the holes in the center of the petals to create small flowers. Hold a flower upside-down by stem, put a dab of hot glue onto the underside of the hole, and add a leaf. Repeat with all punched flowers.
7. Use floral tape to attach flowers to branches. Tie birds to branches, balancing against each other, to finish mobile. Tie a length of embroidery floss or monofilament to the center of the mobile to hang.