How to Upcycle a Teacup for a DIY Bird Feeder

If you visit thrift stores, there seems to be an abundance of tea cups~some as sets and some mismatched. Even though I romanticize having a beautiful cup of tea every afternoon, often I find myself grabbing a mug and making it on the go. However, I do have lovely tea cups that I cherish and would never use for this DIY project. But an old or second-hand teacup (could be chipped) is the perfect item to use for this sweet DIY bird feeder.

Materials You will Need

• Teacup and saucer
• Strong glue
• Twine
• Shepherd’s hook (optional)
• Birdseed

Selecting the Right Cup

The best style cup for this project is one with a straight, rather than V-shaped sides. Cups with straight vs. curvy handles, lend themselves to a level bird feeder.

Directions

Make sure the teacup and saucer are clean and dry. Place the teacup on its side with the handle sticking up. Determine the best place to glue it to the saucer. We place the glue in two spots, where the bottom of the cup is fully resting on the saucer.

And at the top of the cup. Note that the cup is shifted back to the edge to allow room for the birdseed.

What Type of Glue?

My husband is the glue expert so here are the two glue products he recommends.

Gorilla Super Glue XL is a gel formula (nice) and dries within 10-45 seconds. Its service temperature is -65 degrees to 220 degrees F. It will be interesting to see if this does hold during our hot summers.

Loctite Super Glue is clear and resists impact, shock, vibration and temperature extremes. It fully cures in 12 to 24 hours.

If the glue is still wet or drying, you can use painter’s tape to hold the teacup in place until it dries.

Attaching Twine

Once the glue is dry and the teacup is secured firmly to the sauce, attach a piece of twine to the handle.

Find your favorite tree and hang the bird feeder. Fill the cup and saucer with seeds and hopefully, you will see happy birds stopping by to use it. If you do not have the perfect tree to hang this teacup, then a Shepherd’s hook will work.

With Spring weather approaching, the birds are becoming abundant again. I hope you enjoy this easy, sweet DIY and your feathered friends will love it too!

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