By 
Spring weather is finally here and these birds couldn’t be happier! I’ve had this idea in my head for a few weeks now, but originally I had thought I might paint the giant fava beans yellow to look like chicks. After thinking about it though, I realized the beans were already the perfect bird color – a nice reddish brown – so why cover that up? And I love the subtle speckled pattern on the pinto beans and how it almost looks like feathers! If you want to add some more variety to this project, you could definitely paint the beans for different colored birds (or even just their tummies or wings!) but as-is this project comes together super quickly and simply without worrying about the sometimes finnicky task of painting beans.
what you need:
- Giant fava beans
- Pinto beans
- Sticks
- Cereal box cardboard
- White glue
- Paint (blue and black)
- Paintbrushes
- Yellow paper
- Scissors
how-to:
Step 1
Cut your cereal box cardboard into ovals – or circles, rectangles, or whatever shape you prefer!
Step 2
Apply a coat of pale blue paint to look like the sky and let dry. Or have fun with other colors as the background, just keep in mind that the brown fava bean will be going on top, so you’ll want some contrast. Let dry.
Apply a coat of pale blue paint to look like the sky and let dry. Or have fun with other colors as the background, just keep in mind that the brown fava bean will be going on top, so you’ll want some contrast. Let dry.
Step 3
Arrange your found sticks and twigs onto the cards so that they look like tree branches. Use scissors to trim the excess stick from the edges and use white glue to secure the branches in place.
Arrange your found sticks and twigs onto the cards so that they look like tree branches. Use scissors to trim the excess stick from the edges and use white glue to secure the branches in place.
Step 4
Place giant fava beans on the branches to look like birds! You’ll notice that some of the beans have little curves and dips in them that look almost like little bird heads facing up to the sky – embrace this when you notice it, but not all the beans have it. Glue the beans in place.
Place giant fava beans on the branches to look like birds! You’ll notice that some of the beans have little curves and dips in them that look almost like little bird heads facing up to the sky – embrace this when you notice it, but not all the beans have it. Glue the beans in place.
Step 5
Place a pinto bean on top of the fava bean to look like a wing, and glue in place as well.
Place a pinto bean on top of the fava bean to look like a wing, and glue in place as well.
Step 6
Fold a piece of yellow paper in half. Along the fold, cut a triangle so that when opened up, it looks like a diamond. Keep it folded though to look like a slightly open beak. Apply a tiny line of white glue along the folded edge and place onto the side of the fava bean.
Fold a piece of yellow paper in half. Along the fold, cut a triangle so that when opened up, it looks like a diamond. Keep it folded though to look like a slightly open beak. Apply a tiny line of white glue along the folded edge and place onto the side of the fava bean.
Step 7
Use the end of a discarded twig from earlier to make a tiny dot with black paint to be the bird’s eye. Let dry.
Use the end of a discarded twig from earlier to make a tiny dot with black paint to be the bird’s eye. Let dry.
Happy crafting!