A bountiful birdcage

My grandmother always had a love for birds—figurines, photos and drawings of the feathery creatures were scattered about her home, which made my mom fond of them as well. So when I went shopping around Farm Girl Art & Antiques a few months back and spotted an antique brass birdcage, I figured my mom could put it to good use. She appreciated the sentiment and was excited to create a scene of some sort within the wiry habitat.

I was at my parent’s a few weeks ago to catch my dad’s rock ’n roll gig with the ever-popular Chunky Monkey at the Taste of Roselle in my hometown. Not only was I able to enjoy some sweet tunes, but I also got to admire my mom’s latest design creations.

The porch and garden are my favorite areas of the house, and she is constantly updating the layout. They recently had a big storm that took down a lot of large tree branches. Instead of having them taken away, she decided to hang them in the corners of the porch to add a little depth to the space. Genius.

My mom has a real knack for incorporating nature in her design, both inside and out. One of my favorite pieces is an old trunk with a large hasta plant inside that pours over the edges and makes the old piece of furniture feel very much alive.

She also did a swell job creating a happy little scene in the birdcage I gave her. This reminded me of the terrariums that I see in design blogs all the time lately. Apparently this was a big fad in the seventies and is coming back full swing. Instead of a large glass vessel for your terrarium, try a birdcage! I suppose they are a bit different, but they have the same general idea. You can find oodles of birdcages at antique stores; I got mine at Columbus Antiques Mall & Museum—Wisconsin’s largest antique mall!

There is no definite how-to for this, as there are so many options for what you can do with your birdcage scene. I mimicked my mother’s design a little bit and added a few personal touches… and it looks like I gained a fondness for birds somewhere along the way.

My Materials:

Moss
Dried branches
Terra cotta pot and plant (succulents would look great in here)
Rocks from a trip to the beach and Colorado (makes the scene more personal)
Bird figurines (super cheap at Michael’s)

How-to:

I pulled out the tray and arranged a layout of how I wanted the scene to look.

I kept only the moss on the tray and slid it back into the cage—this can get messy.

If you have a small hinged door on the front of the cage, you can add most everything else through here.

Use your scene as a centerpiece on your kitchen or other side table.