Thursday, April 01, 2010

Shredded Paper Nests

No bird ever had it this good. If I was a bird I would want a colorful nest just like this one!

A week or so ago I was perusing my blog list, and I came upon this adorable paper nest tutorial at Alpha+Mom. I filed it away hoping I would have the time to make a few before Easter rolled around.

Two days ago I started the process. Alpha+Mom's version, made from brown bags, is a more traditional looking nest. At the last minute I decided I wanted more color, so I made mine out of colored paper. Either way works!

You'll need to gather the following materials:

Shredded paper
Clear school glue (approx. 1 bottle of glue for 6 nests.)
Water
Plastic wrap
Bowl for the nest mold
Mixing bowl for glue/paper mixture
Old newspapers (to place drying nests)
Mod Podge (optional)

Begin by mixing equal parts of clear glue and water. Start with 1/3 cup each and make more if necessary. Add the shredded paper and mix until paper is covered with glue mixture.

Cover the bowls (nest molds) with plastic wrap and press your shredded paper over the bowl.

After 12 hours carefully take the shredded paper nest off the bowl and peal the plastic wrap off the nest. This enables the nest to dry better. At this point I carefully painted a little Mod Podge on the nests to stiffen them further and add a little shine! Let dry 24 hours.

I thought these would be an adorable enhancement to a table setting on Easter morning. Just place one on the top of each plate...

Or it could be used as an addition to a traditional Easter Egg Hunt. You could strategically place "nests" in the trees for the older (& taller) kids to find...

Or you could use it as an Easter decoration...

Regardless of how they are used, they are colorful and cute! They cost about $.40 each to make. I used one bottle of glue @ $2.49 for 6 nests -- that was my only expense because I already had the paper and the Mod Podge.

Happy Easter!



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