Paper Crafting

Percher Bird templates          Cereal box      Pencil        Scissors for cardboard       Masking tape        Newspaper        Ruler       Scrap wire      Wire cutters       20-gauge straight stick floral wire      Thin liquid glue such as Mod Podge       Small dish       Papers        2 foam brushes       Polyurethane (optional)

1.   Open the cereal box and lay it out flat. Using the pencil and templates, trace two bodies, two wings, one breast, and one tail feather on the box. Cut out the pieces with the cardboard scissors. Holding the two body pieces together, attach them along the head and back with a piece of masking tape. Keep applying masking tape where the bodies meet to secure pieces.

2.   Slip the breast piece between the body pieces, inserting the pointed end at the head and curving the breast piece slightly so that it aligns with the bottom of the body pieces. Use masking tape to secure the breast piece along the edges where it meets the body. Stuff a little newspaper inside the body to fill out the bird and make it a bit stiffer. Tape the wings in place on either side of the body. Bend the wings a bit so that they come away from the bird. Reinforce with tape as needed to keep the wings in place. Fold the tail feather piece in half to create a crease. Tape in place at the back of the bird. Cover the entire bird with masking tape, using plenty of tape to make the bird stiff, especially in the wing and tail feather areas, but be careful to apply the tape evenly so that the bird is not front or back heavy.

3.    On the underside of the bird, at about the center of the bird’s belly, make two marks with the pencil, each about ¾ in/2 cm from either side of the underside of the bird. Using a piece of scrap wire, punch holes for the legs. Widen these holes with your cardboard scissors. Using the wire cutters, cut an 8-in/46-cm piece of floral wire, then cut it in half. Hold the two pieces of wire together (as if you have one piece of wire) and push them into one of the leg holes. Push the wires through the bird and out through the other leg hole. Pull until you have an equal length protruding from each hole. Bend each end to make feet about 2½ in/6 cm long. See if the bird will stand. If the legs are in the right location and the feet are big enough and the right distance apart, the bird should support itself. It may take a few tests before you get the placement right. If the bird is front or back heavy, you may need to make cuts into the belly and move the legs back or forward until the bird stands on its own. Once the bird stands, secure the legs at the entry and exit points with masking tape.