Create A Charming Yard Feature For Hummingbirds Using Simple Thrift Store Items

Finding ways to brighten your outdoor living space can be a challenge on a budget. Fortunately, there are always natural elements to add color and flair without spending a fortune, like wildlife stations. While there are some common birds you don't want to spot flying anywhere near your yard, there are those that most welcome with open arms, like hummingbirds. You can DIY your own feeder for these tiny winged jewels with a simple item or two from your local thrift store, like a glass bottle and some metal wire.

The magic behind this charming sugar water distributor is that you're saving a glass container from the landfill, and offering your feathered friends a spot to eat. The wire wraps around the bottle, cradling it, so you can hang it from a tree branch. A feeding nozzle is added to the opening to release the liquid inside. You don't even need to thrift for this project if you don't want to leave the house. Simply save your old glass jars to DIY a simple hummingbird feeder on a budget instead. It's a super-easy craft and very customizable. However, it's important to remember that glass bottles with liquid can freeze in cooler temperatures, so this is a project you'll want to bring inside for winter.

To begin this DIY, check your local thrift store for a bottle that suits your aesthetic. This is a great time to seek out something that offers an antique look or a sea glass color. Find some thick wire while you're there. If you can't find any metal band to wind around the glass, buy some for jewelry projects, like Hosifiy's 8-Gauge Aluminum Craft Wire on Amazon. You'll also need some pliers to bend the metal, and a nozzle for the birds to drink from, like these Tucnoeu Wine Bottle Feeder Tubes with a floral tip. Now, you're ready to craft.

Thoroughly clean the glass, inside and out, and wind the wire around it. Then, fill the container with your sugar water mixture, usually one part sugar to four parts water. Push in the stopper, and hang the bottle upside down from a tree with string, or by extending the wire up into a hook to loop around the branch. Decorate your bottle however you please, by tying a ribbon around it, gluing on some faux flowers, or painting it with glue and food coloring for a non-toxic stained glass effect. With your new affordable and eco-friendly feeder, your yard is sure to come alive with beautiful wildlife visitors. Now, you just need to figure out when to put out hummingbird feeders to draw them all in.