Quince branches set the stage for a scene adopted from the newly invigorated outdoors: birds perched beside nests. This flock watches over quail eggs that have been dyed different colors.

Crepe Paper Birds How-To

1. Make head and body: Use a glue gun to affix a small polystyrene ball to the rounded end of a larger polystyrene egg (for each bird, vary placement slightly to create different body postures); let dry.

2. Cut a 7-inch square of colored crepe paper. Lay the body near the bottom edge. Beginning at the breast, wrap the body, stretching the paper to fit the contours as you go. Brush with tacky glue.

3. Taper back end to create tail. Twist front end to create a beak; brush with glue. Trim with scissors while paper is wet; let dry. Wrap beak in brown floral tape; trim. For eyes, press in map tacks.

4. Make wings: Tear strips of crepe paper in desired hues. Overlap strips to create a color gradient, and glue. Cut out 2 rectangles; glue to each side of the bird. Taper ends to form wing shapes.

5. For the breast, cut a paper oval in a contrasting color, and glue.

Make the Coconut-Fiber Nests
Make the Dyed Eggs

Resources

Smoothfoam raindrop egg (for bird's body), #25-12, and Smoothfoam ball #10-12, plasteelcorp.com. Folded crepe paper, craftsetc.com, blumchen.com, misterart.com, and dickblick.com. Brown floral tape, #7-136, sugarcraft.com. Crafter's Pick Incredibly Tacky glue, from Michaels stores. Black map pins, #67-99806, omnimap.com. Coconut-husk fibers for nests, ladygouldianfinch.com. Quail eggs, dartagnan.com.