Now days, seems as if the ‘rustier’ something is, the more we like it, or I do! Normally a pile of old rusty things would go to the recycle bin then off to the scrap metal grave yard. Not this time. A few weeks ago I went up to my gardening shed and realized my hummingbird wind chimes were laying on the ground, broken. Being that they are made of metal, of course they had rusted, leaving just enough color to still be pretty. The strings had rotted causing the chimes to come partially apart. I picked them up and put them inside the shed….. saddened by the fact they were broken and were given to me by my mother n’ law.
Later I was walking behind my shed when I discovered my tomato cages stored underneath but sticking out just enough for the top rings to be rusted and broken off. I had already found a roll of rusted wire a few months ago –so all these ‘rusty’ things came together for me…. yes, a wreath!
Now I love hot glue and I just assume it will make anything stick together. Not metal..nopey! That is where the rusty wire came in handy. Not only did it wire the 2 cage rings together but it wired the humming birds onto the wreath just right. I picked up a rubber stamp at Jo-Ann’s fabric & crafts a couple months ago. I used part of the chimes (shaped kind of like flower) to stamp and to be a focal point of the wreath. I sealed the painted words on with clear nail polish after letting it dry for a few hours.
Picture below shows my supplies and the creation.
This will go outside & hang on an old chair we made into a planter so it can keep on rusting!
Perfect match!
❤ “Laugh Often, Love Much”❤
~Mish
While your visiting, here are some interesting humming bird facts.
All birds are fascinating creatures, but there are many facts about hummingbirds that make them astonishing to even experienced birders. From physiological facts to lifestyle facts to distribution facts, hummingbirds are some of the most interesting of the nearly 10,000 bird species in the world.
- There are more than 325 hummingbird species in the world. Only 8 species regularly breed in the United States, though up to two dozen species may visit the country.
- A hummingbird’s brilliant throat color is not caused by feather pigmentation, but rather by iridescence in the arrangement of the feathers and the influence of light level, moisture and other factors.
- Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop, though their feet can be used to scoot sideways while they are perched.
- The calliope hummingbird is the smallest bird species in North America and measures just 3 inches long. The bee hummingbird is the smallest species and measures 2.25 inches long.
- Hummingbirds have 1,000-1,500 feathers, the fewest number of feathers of any bird species in the world.
- The average ruby-throated hummingbird weighs 3 grams. In comparison, a nickel weighs 4.5 grams.
- From 25-30 percent of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectoral muscles, the muscles principally responsible for flight.
- A hummingbird’s maximum forward flight speed is 30 miles per hour, though the birds can reach up to 60 miles per hour in a dive.
- Hummingbirds lay the smallest eggs of all birds. They measure less than 1/2 inch long but may represent as much as 10 percent of the mother’s weight at the time the eggs are laid.
- A hummingbird must consume approximately 1/2 of its weight in sugar daily, and the average hummingbird feeds 5-8 times per hour.
- A hummingbird’s wings beat between 50 and 200 flaps per second depending on the direction of flight and air conditions.
- An average hummingbird’s heart rate is more than 1,200 beats per minute.
- At rest, a hummingbird takes an average of 250 breaths per minute.
Source: http://birding.about.com/od/birdprofiles/a/hummingbirdfacts.htm
