Our Rustic Birdcage Alternative

Since we're living in an already very full bungalow, Mr. Calico and I are hoping to see lots of cards and envelopes rather than gifts at the wedding. We've registered at Honeyfund.com, so we're also looking forward not only to having our "registered experiences" but also sending out thank you cards with photos of our vacation for those who help us get there.

But, before we could receive any cards, I needed to make a card holder. Somehow, a pile of envelopes just wouldn't look right, you know?

My first thought was a birdcage. Something romantic, a little vintage and not too hard to find, maybe decorated with a few ribbons to match the other decor. Even though Mr. Calico has pretty much gone along with every idea I've had, I ran this one past him and was surprised when it gave him pause.

"But we have a nature-themed wedding," he pointed out. "Does a cage really say 'nature'?"

Uh-oh, I thought. He's right. I brainstormed for other ideas: baskets, a picnic basket, a big recycled glass jar, a bird house. Nothing seemed to pan out. Finally, a poster on the Weddingbee.com boards shared an idea she'd had that turned out to be a little too rustic for her wedding: a stump. I took the idea and went for it! Here's how it went:

My DIY Card Stump
- two round paper mache boxes with lids
- birch bark sheets
- sheet moss
- scissors
- hot glue gun and sticks

A word of warning: I did make one error in this project. The only way to get the cards out will be for us to cut a hole in the bottom of the stump. We've decided to look at that as extra security rather than a problem.

1. Cut out the bottoms of both round boxes, leaving about 1/2 inch around each side.

2. Glue the two boxes together, bottom to bottom. If the lids are removed, you'll have a cylinder.


3. Put the bottom lid back on. (Note: I glued it on.)

4. Cut a hole in the top of the other lid and put it back on. Now you have this:


5. Now it's time to start adding the birch bark. I bought a big box of it from eBay for this and other DIYs, so I first had to look through my stock and pick some sheets that looked similar in pattern and had the right dimensions with the grain going the same way. Once I found what I needed, I trimmed it a bit to square it up, then started hot-gluing it to the cylinder:


I worked my way around:


And finally ended up back where I'd started:


6. Next up: Sheet moss. First, I cut two pieces that would meet in the middle of the top and drape over the edges. Having two halves made it easier to cut the space for the opening, since my particular sheet moss wasn't the world's sturdiest product.



7. The final step was gluing the moss to the top and sides. I also trimmed it a bit and added some pieces where it looked too square, hoping to give it a more organic look. Here's the final result:



I still want to make a little sign that says "cards," but other than that I can cross another DIY off the list.

Is anyone else thinking outside the birdcage?