Weddingbee Blog

When my MOH first saw this craft, she really didn’t understand why it was necessary to have a cage for cards since they, as inanimate objects, shouldn’t wander off.  However, I have been to weddings where they didn’t have a location for cards, and I felt really awkward trying to get the card to the correct person.  While I am a little afraid that people might just walk off with the cards if we put them on a table, I think it’s easier to have a spot for people to put them than to not.

Source: Southbury Treasures on Etsy

I love the idea of having birdcages. I think it’s a great addition that draws in from our garden-type inspirations.

Thus, one of my first impulsive Craigslist purchases ever was for a birdcage for cards. I originally wanted birdcages for the centerpieces, but honestly at $20 to $30 a pop, before the flowers and other parts, I couldn’t really justify the cost of it, especially when I had budgeted $10–$20 per centerpiece.

Ignore the messy dining craft table.

When I saw this birdcage pop up for $10 on Craigslist, I had to have it. It was a little bit beat up, the heart was falling off, and it wasn’t that interesting of a piece, but honestly was anyone else going to notice other than me?

Source: fall in love on Weddingbee DIY

I saw this on Weddingbee, and I knew what my solution would be. To make the birdcage feel a little more earthy, I decided I wanted to line the bottom with a layer of moss. I had other projects I wanted to do with moss, and I was hoping it could help draw everything together. I just loved how lush and unique it looked.

I, however, didn’t want to do anything that would make it harder to resell later (because, let’s be honest, why in the world would I need a birdcage cardholder in the future?).

Supplies:

• 1 Birdcage ($10 dollars—I’ve seen them online for about $20 each)
• Moss from dollar store ($1)
• Cardboard from cereal box (scrounged out of the recycling)
• Glue gun + glue sticks (stolen from my mother [thank you!]—I think they’re usually $10 for the glue gun/$10 for 100 sticks)
• Lace ($0.69/yard)
• Pretty paper/poster board, or if you’re cheap like me, index cards (for “cards” sign)
• Total: $10–$25, depending on how much of the stuff you already have (I only used about a quarter of the moss and three glue sticks, and it took me about an hour total. All and all, I would say it’s a pretty cheap and easy project.)

Steps:

1.) Trace the cardboard from a cereal box around your birdcage.

2.) Cut the cardboard out of cereal box, trim off the excess, and make sure it fits inside the birdcage.

3.) Glue the moss on top with a glue gun. If you’re lazy, you can get rolls of moss that will make this job a lot easier. However, they are definitely a lot more expensive. I don’t think it matters. Tip: if you are gluing the moss on top, I recommend using a Post-it or some scrap paper to help press the moss onto the cardboard. This will help prevent your fingers from getting caught in the hot glue line of fire.

4.) Fill in the bald spots with more moss.

5.) Plop the moss sheet inside the birdcage.

6.) Wrap lace around the middle. I used white thread about the same color of the lace to tie it to the wiring. I hid the ends of the lace behind the card sign and sewed the ends together with a needle and thread. I’m sure you could glue the ends together, or just ignore it since no one else is going to notice but you. (I’m a bad blogger and apparently didn’t take a picture of me actually doing this part, but it’s not that complicated.)

7.) Make the card sign. I chose to use this free clipart, and just removed the crown, added my text in the middle, and changed the color to match the lace, but you don’t have to get that complicated.

When I was making it, I couldn’t decide which font to use: Carolyna on the left, Lady Rene on the right.

I cut out the sign and taped it to an index card (OK, it was two index cards taped together since my index card had a hole on top, but you probably could get away with just one, or just use other pretty paper) and cut out that blue boundary.

8.) Attach the sign to the birdcage. I chose to tape some yarn to the back of the sign and then tie the sign to the birdcage.

9.) Admire your work and how great it looks in comparison to what it originally looked like.

I’m excited to see the card cage in action and, I admit, I love this so much that I might keep this birdcage as decor. We’ll see if PBear lets me. Oh, it’s so pretty. Did anyone else decorate their birdcage? I can’t help but think a little something’s missing. Thoughts?