A Tea Party for the Birds

What you need:

1. Antique tea cups and saucers (3 of each)
2. Diamond drill bit and electric drill
3. 3 x 6mm threaded steel rods
4. 3 x 6mm Wing nuts and 3 x 6mm standard nuts

Instructions:
Get together some old tea cups and saucers. We purchased a bright coloured mixed set of 3 from our local thrift shop for 50 cents each piece. Sets displayed in odd numbers always look nicer.

Drill holes through the centre of each cup and saucer the size of your steel rod. To drill the holes, place your cup or saucer securely in a vice, wrapped in a tea towel for extra protection. We used a small diamond drill bit to get through the ceramic. It is a very tough material, and it was a slow procedure (about 10 minutes per hole). Go slow and rinse the drill bit with water after every 5 seconds to keep the drill bit cool. There may be other drill bits more suited for this material.

Once drilled, thread a wing nut upside down onto a rod, thread the saucer on top, then the tea cup and then the bolt on top. Tighten the wing nut and bolt so all is secure.

Once finished, you can decide if you want to fill the feeder strictly with birdseed or use the cup for water and the saucer for seeds. Now just sit and wait while your backyard birds sing for their supper. And of course, as with any project, there are as many variations as their are people.