Bumblebee Trim

Add a bee to your bird feeder for an extra touch. The glass-bead body and head and the wings made from screen wire are weatherproof for outdoor use, but you'll probably want to make extras to stick into houseplant pots or use as whimsical napkin rings or lamp finials.

A flighty bumblebee makes a
novel trimming for this
whimsical bird feeder.

• Pattern
• Beads: 1-inch-long elongated bead (for body), 1/2-inch round bead (for head), assorted small beads (for antennae and wire)
• 16-inch-long piece of 20-gauge copper beading wire
• 3x3-inch piece of aluminum screen wire
• Tulip Dimensional Paint: silver
• Aleene's Platinum Bond Patio & Garden Adhesive
• Needle-nose pliers
• Heavy-duty scissors

Bee wing pattern

Download Adobe Acrobat

You also can embellish other
garden and home projects
with this playful bee.

1. Download the free pattern for this project. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat.)

2. Cut two 3-inch-long pieces of wire, reserving the remainder. Thread both pieces through the two large beads to make a body and head; separate the wires, adding small beads for the antennae, and then curl all four ends with the needle-nose pliers.

3. Using the pattern, cut two wings from aluminum screen wire. Outline the curve of each wing with silver fabric paint to form raised edges; let dry. Bend the cut edges of the wings 1/8-inch toward the underside and glue them to the body.

4. Thread small beads onto the remaining wire, curl one end, coil the wire around a pencil to make a spiral, and insert the other end into the body; glue it in place.