You can find stacks of tin containers at thrift stores and often at garage sales, they are really easy to work with if you have tin cutters!  I got this pretty little tin container at a rummage sale last weekend:

I have made many tin birds through the years, I usually put legs on them so they hang on a wall.

Check out this tutorial if you want a step by step to make the birds with legs.

This bird is intended to be a gift tag and will look so pretty perched on a package!

Tin containers are easy to cut.  I start with a can opener to remove the bottom:

 

Then use wire cutters to open the side so you can press the tin flat.

Cut out a house shaped piece and two wing pieces.  TIP: don’t use felt pen on the painted side of the tin, it is impossible to get the felt pen off without ruining the finish.

I save pictures of birds!  When I go through a magazine if there is a bird, I tear it out.  I have about 100 bird images and I sort through them and this bird was perfect.  I back the magazine image with cardboard so it is sturdy.

After I made the tin bird I had some left over tin and got the brainstorm to make some earrings.  They turned out pretty cute and would make such a nice gift with the tin bird perched on the box as a gift tag and the coordinating earrings inside the box!

When I purchased the tin container at the rummage sale and I knew it would make a cute bird, but it was a nice surprise to get the earrings too…….. a perfect two-fer!