Spring is the season when fresh buds bloom, hibernating animals wake up and everything else on earth seems to come to life again. This is when you see the chirping birds around, making their nests.

The little fellow is so inspiring that today’s craft is based on it, that is paper birdhouse. The craft is very easy and looks amazing whether you hang or place it anywhere in the house.

Things you need:

1. Hard paper (brown colour)

2. Hot glue/white glue

3. Small birds: two (available at any stationery shop)

4. Green paper (one)

5. Decorative material like leaves and twigs or dried grass

6. Scissors

Directions:

1. To make the base of the bird house, you will need any round-shaped jar or bowl. Draw an outline and cut it out, picture 2.

2. Cut eight, 1-cm wide and 12-inches long strips from the brown hard paper, picture 3 and 4.

3. Place one strip horizontally, then paste the remaining seven strips onto it vertically (by dabbing some glue in the middle) as shown in picture 5.

4. Paste green paper on the circular base, glue some dry twigs or dry grass on it, then glue the birds sitting over it, pictures 6 and 7.

5. Take the base and start pasting the strips under the base, leaving half-inch space in between, as in pictures 8, 9 and 10.

6. You will notice the stripped structure coming into form, the middle horizontal strip you pasted earlier will come on the top, you have to hold it tight as the upper part of the strips will be criss-crossed. Keep pasting them on each other. Also try to maintain the gap between each strip; picture 11.

7. Paste the remaining part of the strips inside the upper structure. Make an opening by cutting off one strip, see picture 12. Decorate it with dry twigs or artificial leaves etc. Your paper birdhouse is ready!

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 6th, 2019