Tea Cup Bird Feeder

Still trying to decide what to give for Mother's Day this year? I really love to make and give handmade gifts, and these tea cup bird feeders were my gift of choice last year for both our mothers. They are fun and easy to make. You can find many different styles and sizes of tea cups and saucers. The spoon creates a nice perch for your birds. I love how beautiful and elegant the tea cup bird feeders look in a flower bed, or a garden. I got the idea and directions from Cap Creations.

Tea Cup Bird Feeder

You will need:Tea cup & saucer (I had a good luck finding these at our local thrift store)
Metal spoon
1/2 inch copper pipe (I bought this at Home Depot in the pluming section, they come in several different lengths so you can decide if you want a tall or short feeder)
1/2 inch copper cap (also from the pluming section)
All Purpose Adhesive, like GOOP
Sandpaper

To start, sand the bottom of your tea cup pretty well. This will help your adhesive to adhere much better. Sand the part of the saucer too, right where the tea cup sits. Put GOOP adhesive around bottom ring that you sanded.
Make sure the entire bottom ring is covered in GOOP.
Press the tea cup into the saucer firmly and hold for about 30 seconds. You can weigh down the cup into the sauce with a big book if you wish. Sand the bottom of the spoon and the part of the spoon handle where it will touch the saucer. Use a small amount of GOOP on the spoon bottom and on handle. Press firmly onto the saucer. Hold for 30 seconds. Now you need to wait for the adhesive to cure for 24 hours or however long your adhesive of choice takes (read the directions on the back). This is important, do not move to the next step until the adhesive is cured.
The next day you should be ready to attach the copper cap to the bottom of the tea cup. Again, sand both the bottom of the cap and the spot on the back of the saucer where it will go (right in the center). Use a little bit of GOOP to attach the cap. Now leave it to cure again for another day.
This stuff is a tad smelly and strong, so if you can, do this in a basement, outside porch or somewhere where the smell will not bother you.

Place the copper pipe in the ground where you want the feeder to go, and carefully attach the tea cup and saucer to the copper pipe. Fill the cup with water and the saucer with bird seed (or the cup with bird seed) and enjoy!My mother-in-law, Jan, loved this tea cup bird feeder I made for her. She has beautiful flower and herb gardens at her home. She spray painted her copper pipe so it was black. You can do that, or leave it copper if you prefer, the birds don't have a preference, they just like the food.
Isn't that beautiful? It is such a nice gift to make for any tea, bird, or garden lover!