I’ve always wanted to make a huge bird’s nest. Today, some lovely friends joined me in weaving a giant nest in their wild back yard.

Before visiting Georgia and Errol again, I found some furniture bits left on the side of the road for the council’s rubbish pick-up collection. One family had left out the remains of two papasan chairs, and I grabbed one for the nest frame.

Delaney climbing into a Papasan frame, November 2012
Delaney climbs into the papasan frame. She doesn't know what we're doing, but she wants to be part of it.

Georgia and Errol’s back yard has a wild patch where branches have fallen and the garden is not cultivated. It’s perfect for finding sticks, vines and leaves for a project like this! We used all found materials for this project.

Georgia weaving a huge nest, November 2012
We start by wrapping and weaving sticks onto the frame, trying to keep the whole structure in a concave shape.

Weaving a large nest, November 2012
The back yard has vines and long roots which we use to tie the sticks to the frame.

Weaving a large nest, November 2012
I collect a huge pile of dried philodendron leaves to soften the nest.

Weaving a large nest, November 2012
With the finished product, we can't see the wicker frame anymore!

Georgia has ideas of placing the nest high in a tree or suspending it from a low branch with ropes. It’s a fun addition to their back yard, and I can’t wait to see what they do with it!

Balloon eggs in a huge nest, November 2012
A big red bird came along and laid three eggs in our nest!