A Cup of Tea...or Seeds...Please

This summer we were starting to get a lot of birds and squirrels in our backyard again.  When we first moved to our house, 9.5 years ago, we had quite a few.  Then we got a kitty.   Wouldn't you know it, our bird population decreased and it seemed that the critters were talking about our house "Don't go there, they have a kitty".  

Well, now that our kitty is slowing down and becoming bored of her tree friends; the birds and squirrels are starting to come back.   

We put up a small suet bird feeder in front of one of our family room windows.  It was so fun to watch the birds come and nibble on the food so I decided that I wanted to make a few bird feeders with the kids but I wanted them to be whimsical, fun, and eclectic.

Where do you go when you are looking for funky and eclectic?   The local thrift store!  

I was hoping that I would find exactly what I was looking for, (which never happens for me, btw) and wouldn't you know it, I did!!!   I found this tea cup set and a cup and plate set.  I think I paid something ridiculously cheap, like $2 each for these.  I am all about a good deal and snatched these right up and took them home.

Once I cleaned them up, I gathered my supplies and went outside for this project.   The silicon is something you want to use with good ventilation. 

I added a few lines of the silicon onto the cup, opposite the handle, show below.   The handle on the tea cup is what will hold the bird feeder from the tree.

This green tea cup set is my favorite and perfect for using for our birds.

 God has made everything beautiful in its time.   Ecclesiastes 3:11

Once I added my two strips of silicon glue, I simply placed the tea cup on it's side onto the plate.   I did have to hold it there for a few minutes until the silicon really started to adhere the two together.

I let it set up overnight before I hung it from the tree and added bird food to it.

Our birds love it!  And so do we.

The bigger cup and plate set, I used for the squirrel food.   It did not take those critters long to figure out there was food for them.  

As for the string that I used.  I was looking for some twine, however, The Mister is much smarter than I am and pointed out that I needed something that wasn't going to disintegrate under the weather.  I found some nylon "string" for lack of a better word, that I had intended on using for bracelets at one time.  It came in perfectly.

What do you think?  I gave one to my best friend for her birthday and she loved it.