By Jill of Shindig Invitations.

Nest Framed Blackboard Signs.

I am not a bird. I don’t eat like a bird. I don’t sing like a bird (I’ve been told), and I certainly can’t build a nest like a bird. So why do I find myself in the precarious position of having committed to the construction of nests around two signs for Bridget and Nicolas’s bird themed wedding?

Of all the pieces I created for this wedding I saved these signs for last. I walked by, glaring at the materials for a week while I tied twine at the top of menus, rubber stamped goodie bags and stained manila tags with coffee (Chapter Three!). Finally, I couldn’t avoid it any longer. The challenge before me, I knew I had to persevere.

And you know what? It wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought and the results were pretty fantastic if I do say so myself. Seems there’s a bird inside of me after all (although if I had my choice of bird-like abilities, flying would probably top nest making). Maybe there’s a bird inside of you too! To find out follow these simple instructions.

First acquire the following ingredients:

• Two store bought wood framed black boards. I found these at Lee’s Art Shop on 57^th Street. Lee’s is usually overpriced, but there is a world of wonder behind those doors. These 12” boards were shockingly only about $5.

• White paint pens (these are to simulate the chalk you don’t want to use so that your sign doesn’t
get smudged or erased all together).

• Some kind of non-toxic, non-flammable stain. This sign may be going somewhere near food or flame, so you don’t want any dramatics. I used concentrated watercolor in “Coffee Brown” which worked perfectly. Also bought at Lee’s.

• Glue gun and glue sticks

• Hemp Twine (of course!)

• Twigs. I used a gnarly variation of pussy willow, broken into pieces, but you can just go out and forage for fallen twigs too.

Next stain the frames. This is, by far, the easiest part of the process. If you’ve got a fairly steady hand and a brush it’s pretty self-explanatory. I added a little water to the watercolor concentrate. The more water you add the lighter the resulting color of your stain.

Once the frames are stained it’s time to do some drawing. I know this goes without saying, but you must layout what you are going to write in pencil (or actual chalk) before you paint it for life or longer. If you’ve got a lot to say I’d keep the design around it simple. If there are only one or two words feel free to adorn away.

Now comes the hard part. Up until now I felt safe having had the ability to paint and draw my whole life, this was nothing new. Nesting, literally nesting, not the slang term people use for decorating a new home, I was heading into foreign skies.

I started by breaking apart the twigs into small pieces about the size of the frame. Don’t be too concerned with getting them the exact length of the sides. This is a nest after all and should be fairly free form.

After you break down your pieces begin applying them, one by one, to your frame. I picked out four, one per side, to be my anchor branches. Use your sturdiest pieces as your anchors. It’s a good idea to use twigs that are a bit warped so that you can thread twine underneath them in spots when you begin adding more.

Give the glue time to dry in between applications. If you work in a rotation, moving around the frame, by the time you come back around, each side should be set. Treat the process like a puzzle, filling in holes where you see them with other twigs that fit. Wrap, dig and press the pieces into other sticks then tie them together with twine and hit them with a shot of glue.

As with any challenging craft project it’s fascinating when you step away from your work and evaluate the finished product. It actually worked!

Once I actually committed I attacked this project with the ferocity of a hawk and surprised myself in having the honed architectural prowess of a sparrow. Who would have thought? Now it’s your turn!

Stay tuned for Shindig Real Weddings: Chapter Three.

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