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Bird Nerd Easter Eggs

Peculiar things start happening to you when you move to Florida.

For one, you live in flip flops.  “Dressing up” means putting on flats.  You completely give up on blow-drying your hair because “It’s Too Darn Hot” as the song goes.  Children tack “Miss” onto the front of your first name when they address you.  When you flip on the lights in a room, your eyes automatically start scanning the floor and walls for “uninvited guests.”  {Read this post if you don’t know what I’m talking about.}  And you develop a newfound fascination with birds.  You may have never much cared for them before besides remarking on the sight of a cardinal or rare bluejay…but in Florida, the birds are no joke, people.  Especially if you rent a home on a lake.  Here are some snapshots we’ve captured of the lake fowl:

The beauty of Florida birds via thinkingcloset.com

Florida has some big birds.  Some beautiful birds.  Some fierce birds you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.  And when a red-tailed hawk perches on our deck rail, I can’t help but pop up from my seat at the living room table to get a closer look.  Or when the white pelicans make their annual visit to pack-hunt the fish in our lake, you know I’m going to attempt to capture the event on video.  Because, well, I’m just going to come out and say it:

I am a bird nerd.

It was a gradual conversion process, but I full on embrace my bird nerd-ness now.  Especially with the crafty project I have to share with you all today.

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs

Yup.  I did my own take on the silhouette shapes on Easter eggs that kept popping up in my Pinterest feed.  And instead of featuring the silhouettes of chicks and bunny rabbits (who don’t even lay eggs), I decided to feature 17 of the birds that frequent our lake.

Not only will they make for springy decor, but they can invoke scavenger hunts for our houseguests:

“How many of these birds can you spot during your visit?”

I might even need to print worksheets!

Birds of Florida Scavenger Hunt: A Fun Game for Houseguests via thinkingcloset.com

Tutorial

This project is almost too easy for a tutorial…but I don’t think I know how to publish a craft project without one.  {Cheeky grin.}  So, here ya go:

Step 1.  Paint your eggs.  I already had 3 paper mache eggs I had picked up at Hobby Lobby, but I also wanted my eggs to have some heft to them.  So, I ordered three packs of *Darice 2.5 inch Wood Eggs from Amazon (5 to a pack).

How to Create Bird Nerd Easter Eggs: A Tutorial by Lauren from thinkingcloset.com

And then, I had a field day mixing up some pretty brights and pastels with my acrylic paints; most of the eggs took 2-3 coats.

How to Create Bird Nerd Easter Eggs: A Tutorial by Lauren from thinkingcloset.com

If you can imagine, the colors are even more brilliant in person!

Brightly colored painted eggs, prepped and ready for their bird silhouettes! via thinkingcloset.com

Brightly colored painted eggs, prepped and ready for their bird silhouettes! via thinkingcloset.com

Step 2.  Create your bird cut files.  Now, when tracing my bird cut files in my Silhouette Studio software, I made sure that every single one of these bird images was adapted from a free clip art file; that way, I can in good conscious share my cut file with you all fo’ FREE.  Please tell me I’m not the only bird nerd up in here!

FREE Silhouette Cut File of 17 Birds of Florida via thinkingcloset.com

Here’s the comprehensive list, so I can properly source the images:

White Pelican | Brown Pelican | Osprey | Barred Owl | Red-Tailed Hawk | Great Blue Heron | Great White Heron | Little Green Heron | Egret | Anhinga | Cormorant | Mallard Duck | Wood Duck | Wood Stork | White Ibis | Vulture | Seagull

Free Cut File

You can sign up to download your free cut file using the nifty form below or by clicking HERE. {Fine print: this design is for personal use only and is not to be used for commercial purposes. Thanks!}

Step 3.  Cut and weed your vinyl bird silhouettes.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut my black vinyl on the machine’s recommended cut settings, but any digital craft-cutter will do!

How to place your vinyl when cutting with a Silhouette Cameo.

Then, I used my hook tool to weed out the excess vinyl.

Use a hook tool to weed out the vinyl you don't need.

Step 4.  Apply the birds to your eggs.  And now, the fun part: watching your birds take flight on your Easter eggs!  So, I initially used transfer paper for some of the birds, but by the end, I found it was much easier to just peel them off the vinyl backing sheet and apply them by hand.  The shapes are small enough to make this possible; and I found I could better see what I was doing.

Placing the vinyl bird silhouettes onto the Easter eggs!

Sometimes it can be tricky applying vinyl to rounded surfaces; and I found that what worked best was to adhere the vinyl from the middle, out.  So, I would slowly and firmly squeeze out any air bubbles as I went along.  In some cases, the edges of the vinyl would pucker no matter what; so I used an exacto knife to cut tiny slits in the puckers to allow them to lay flat.

Trick for Flattening Vinyl that Puckers via thinkingcloset.com

And voila!  Here they are: my flock of 17 Florida birds, the first official Easter decor we have in our house.

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

This colorful basket makes my heart quite happy.

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

And I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a GIF:

Bird Nerd Easter Eggs & FREE Silhouette Cut File via thinkingcloset.com

Bird nerds, unite!

Florida Bird Nerd Tip

If you’re a Floridian or ever passing through, I highly recommend you check out The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey just north of Orlando in Maitland.  According to their website, they focus on “the rescue, medical treatment, rehabilitation and release of Florida’s raptors.”  Here’s a short Instagram video I captured on my phone during our visit there this past January:

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette springy inspiration!

Spring Cleaning - Custom Canisters I Love Paris In the Springtime Etching for Sping - Mug Personalization for the April Silhouette Challenge WHEELY excited about spring No-Sew Fabric & Burlap Peter Cottontail Banner Narwhals, plus friends Gold Fern Easter Eggs Mr and Mrs Easter Egg Head Easter Bunny Plate Welcome Spring - A Sign From Tile Paper Flowers Wall Art DIY: Bunny-Stamped Goodie Bags for Easter Inspirational Window Now We Have Everything Nursery Art Spring' and Flowers Paper Banner Glitter Jars with a Happy, Hoppy Bunny Made with the Silhouette + Free Cut File! Mother's Day Wreath Decorate A Watering Can With Vinyl! April Showers Sketch Pen Printable Spring Wreath Burlap Garden Flag with Heat Transfer Vinyl Pretty Little Herb Pots Peter Cottontail Door Hanger Spring Has Sprung Spring Has Sprung - Subway Art Bloom And Grow Sunflower Bouquet for Teacher Appreciation Sharpie Easter Eggs Tear Open Easter Egg Cards Look what's Blooming! ~ Silhouette Challenge Everblooming Paper Bouquet Silhouette Challenge: Spring Polish Swap Card [B] is for Bloom: Scrap Lumber Flower Vases Tulip Time - Fridge Magnets Neon Paper Pinwheels {tutorial} A Happy Spring Card Sketching Just Got Easier! Spring Bunny Baskets Bird Nerd Easter Eggs Easter Peeps Treats with {FREE} Printables and Cut File Garden Bench Update

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60 Comments

  1. Seventeen types of birds? Holy moly!!! These look so great, and when I saw the picture I totally thought the eggs were pre-painted! These look mega professional, lady! Great job!!! Also, your bird photos are amaze-balls. 🙂

  2. Lauren, these are so, so cool! I think I’d be tempted to leave these out year-round! And I can totally appreciate your bird nerdiness. Fun fact: I worked in the Naturalist department for a local park system during my college summers. So I amassed quite a bit of random nature knowledge, and took quite a few phone calls from people wanting to know what sort of animal was roaming around their yard. Which isn’t easy to diagnose via phone 😉

    1. Emily, as if you could get any cooler in my book, you keep sharing all these random fun facts about you that make me love you even MORE! Love that we are bird nerd buddies…and now I know who to call with exciting bird updates! (Just what you wanted, right? Lol.)

  3. LOVE! I think Fl does that to you. Crazy, I know almost every bird in your egg collection! I bought the best book on FL birds from the Smithsonian last year so we could start identifying what we see in our back yard and the beach. It took my son and I two weeks of discussion to decide we had a green heron living on the boat lines. Here’s to the nerds that make life fun!! Happy Easter

    1. Florida changes us, doesn’t it?! And that makes me smile to know you’ve become such a bird connoisseur that you could identify most of my flock! And I love that you and your son had a green heron mystery to solve…sounds like something Mark and I would do. Also, I’ve gotta get my hands on that Smithsonian bird book! Sounds perfect for our coffee table. 😉 Happy Easter to you, too, friend!

  4. Love your bird eggs! I’m super jealous that you live on a lake. I’d probably become a bird nerd if I did as well! As it is, I would fail your easter egg hunt since I can’t recognize most of those silhouettes *hangs head in shame*, but I’m sure it would still be a ton of fun. I hope you’re having a great day!

    1. Oh, you’d love it, Kristy! The only downsides are the fierce storms we can get because of the lake winds and the big bugs that like to be near the water…but the pros definitely outweigh the cons, ha ha. And although you might fail the Florida Bird Egg Hunt, you win in so many other categories, I know it wouldn’t get you down for long. Still soaring on cloud 9 for you about your recent grant approval! Whoo hoo!

  5. Your eggs turned out beautiful. Life is grand when you live on the lake isn’t it? It’s amazing all the things that go on when you sit and really watch. On our lake we have Osprey that when they were first tagged and recorded, flew from Ohio to Venezuela and then returned in late March the next year. I’ve had a pair of bald eagles fly about 10 feet over my head. In the spring, I sit and watch mama duck teach her ducklings to fly. Of the 6 or 7 babies, there is always one that doesn’t want to learn so mama will get behind it and start nipping at its rear to make it flap and run. It is so funny to watch. I love living on the lake.

    1. Yes, Karen! Now that we’ve been renting a home on a lake for nearly two years, I think we’ve been spoiled for life! Especially in a city like Orlando…it gives us the sweet taste of country living. And that’s incredible that they were able to track the Osprey’s flight from Ohio to Venezuela and back again! Wow…it makes me wonder all the places these birds have been. Ha ha, and your description of the Mama duck nipping the reticent baby duckling makes me chuckle. I think appreciating the simple joys like these is such a gift…one I am learning to practice.

  6. Love it, Lauren! I loooove birds too! I’ve loved birds all my life and decided early on that my dream was to be owned by a parrot. I’ve had my baby bird for 11 years now. She helps me bird watch too. She slicks down, gets real quiet, and just stares at any bird of prey. I had a hawk land on our backyard fence. I would have never noticed if it wasn’t for her reaction. It was pretty cool! I would LOVE to go to the Audubon Center. Beautiful birds!

    Hugs!

    ~Bethany

    1. I love that your dream was to be owned by a parrot (instead of owning one). You make me smile! Aw, and I love that you are a bird owner, too. I don’t know if I remembered that about you. Yes, I imagine she’d be keenly attuned to birds of prey; how neat to see the world through her eyes sometimes!

      Yes, if you ever make it down here to Orlando, I’ll have to take you to the Audubon Center. You’d be in bird paradise!

      Hugs back. 😉

  7. These are amazing! Please do create a worksheet…I’ll use it for a science lesson in our homeschool! I glanced at pinterest and saw the term “Bird Nerd” and thought “oh, that’s got to be Lauren. Who else?” Imagine my surprise when I then saw the link back to you.
    Having never been a bird fan myself, I have to agree that Florida boasts some beautiful birdies. We were amazed by all the loose chickens running around on the island of Key West.
    Happy Easter, my friend!

    1. Ha ha, that makes me smile so wide to think that you saw me in this craft before even clicking over. That makes me feel so known! And there were loose chickens running around in Key West? Wow, that slightly terrifies me…and intrigues me all the same.

      And if and when I make a worksheet for our houseguests, I’ll send a copy your way for homeschooling, for sure! (P.S. Homeschooling in your household sounds AMAZING, and I want to be your student. And no, I haven’t forgotten about your email! Just have been running around like a chicken with…well…I’ll stop there. Lol. Will write soon!)

  8. I’m in awe of how long it must of taken you to track down all these images to convert them into cut files. So good of you to share your resources too 🙂
    Love the Eggs and the Birds – what a lovely and original idea.

    1. Ha ha, Pam, it took me FOREVER, not gonna lie. I probably should have just purchased images, but I’m stingy, and once I get on a track, I can get a little obsessed. But it makes it worth it to know others can use them, too, now! Thanks for the comment love, friend.

  9. I’m sure you knew I would just adored this egg-stra special crafty flight of fancy of yours. Your sister said I had to guess what birds they were before I looked at their names. Got 12 of the 17, and I think I would have gotten the owl and the cormorant if I’d seen the larger images at the end of your post. I definitely would have gotten the cormorant if he was sunning himself by the pool on Captiva Island! Where’s the red-winged blackbird that Mark and I saw at the other end of the lake?! Did I say that the eggs look just amazing in black silhouette. So detailed and breath-taking. Thanks for inspiring our ornithological genes with such beautiful stunning boids, Lauren!
    Your NY dad (would you believe it snowed this morning).

    1. Ha ha, yes, I KNEW this would be a favorite of yours, my boid-lovin’ Eagle scout of a Dad! We actually referenced your Field Guide when narrowing it down to 17 birds. I’ll have to ask Mark about the red-winged blackbird…sounds like we might need an 18th! And I’m not at all surprised that you were able to guess most of the bird names. Also, I learned a new word tonight with “ornithological.” Thanks Dad! -P.S. I can’t believe it snowed! Then again, I do recall an April in Wheaton when it snowed…just after a really warm spell, too. We were all so over it!

  10. We are definitely our Father’s daughters…I’m becoming a bird nerd, too, more and more. Because of Dad, I think, as well as my increasing number of trips to FL in which the variety and beauty of birds are plentiful. As Mom was looking at this post and the 40 Spring Silhouette crafts, she cutely said, “I think Lauren’s craft is my favorite. I know I’m a bit biased, but hers is just the best.” I’m with Mom on this one. Your easter craft is striking (the contrast of black silhouettes on the bright spring colors is breathtaking), as well as educational and fun. Are you going to have the nieces/nephews come over for a scavenger hunt?? And also, those real photos are unreal. This whole post makes my heart happy!

    1. Your and Mom’s favoritism warms my heart; I’m delighted that you’re drawn to my little eggies. Oh, and I wish I could play a little scavenger hunt with the nieces and nephews…but if not this weekend, then soon! Who says Easter eggs have to be put away after Easter? Especially when they’re educational! Right?!

      Looking forward to your next Florida visit and spying some birds TWO-gether!

    1. Wow! That’s high praise! And my hubby agrees with you about the contrast of the black on the color; who knew “black” could work for Easter decor?! 😉 Have a happy one, Cindy!

  11. Lauren, the eggs are so colorful and the 17 different silhouette birds really make a nice contrast in black.
    I’ll have to do this project one day especially since your dad loves bird watching so much! All the pictures of real birds are just breath-taking, too!

    xxoo

    1. Don’t tell him, but I’m going to see if I can figure out a way to re-work this project into a Father’s Day gift for him…we’ll see if I can make it happen. 😉 Thanks for the love, Mama!

  12. I am a total bird nerd- I just cant be annoyed by their beautiful chirp- ever….this turned out so pretty and colorful! I like using the wood ones too cause they will still be great for next year or a wreath down the line!

    1. Aw…and I’m now imagining you as Mary Poppins singing with a bird on her fingertip! (If only we could snap our fingers and have messes cleaned up in a jiffy like Mary can!)

      Also, thanks for planting the seed of an idea in my mind about re-using the eggs in the future for a spring wreath! I love how you think, Kelly!

  13. I agree with you on everything just change Florida to Ga. I miss just wearing sandals year round and not having to wear heels when you dress up! And boy did I have an uninvited guest problem! That is something they should warn northerns about when they cross into the state or even before! I have goose bumps and not in a good way thinking about it!

    What a great and innovative project! I love it!

  14. My 5 year old would appreciate that you displayed birds that actually have that ability to lay eggs on the Easter eggs. Well done Lauren.

  15. So pretty Lauren! I love how it’s a little education too, and it’s amazing that you found all the silhouettes as free clip art. Great job!

  16. Absolutely love these! I’m a “bird nerd” too…also from the North, and loved looking at the different birds when we visited Florida a couple of years ago. Envious! Thanks for sharing this beautiful project.

  17. I am a bird nerd who lives in Florida too!!! I love this idea. Thanks so much for the link! I found you via the Silhouette School picture and I have to say the Great Blue Heron dominated the pic (IMO) and I am visiting your blog for the first time ever.

  18. These are adorable. I fell in love with the pelicans when I as in Tampa/St Petersburg on vacation a few years ago. Love taking pictures of them!

  19. Lauren, You’re adorable! I can tell that you love and embrace LIFE! I like birds a ton, too. Last week I was visiting my dad in Oklahoma and saw my first Cardinal – – -you’d think I’d been offered dark chocolate or something!!! They’re gorgeous. Here in the PNW(pacific northwest) we have many terrific birds, too. My husband and I like to drive through our wildlife refuge and photograph them with our long lenses. Then there’s always kayaking and looking up!
    Your bird eggs are very cute. Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you!

  20. You should have put this on your blog days ago!!! Just sent a package to my daughter and grandson in Florida. I would have loved to do this for for them. It would be such a great learning tool for our 3 year old! Really neat idea 🙂

  21. Lauren, this was some incredible attention to detail, which I think makes a good birder! Really cool project. I enjoyed talking bird specifics with you as well. I think my favorite part of this post is the “planted” sighting of K in between shots of owls.

  22. Lauren — I LOVE these beautiful eggs!! Being a Floridian myself, I so appreciate the majesty & beauty of these incredible birds! My favorite is to watch the clumsy pelicans soar & dive for their dinner in the evening sunset on the Gulf!! And I’m very familiar with “uninvited guests”! You make me homesick!! Thanks for the files – -they are great — and inspire me to get busy & create!! I love how you’ve taken eggs to a whole new level! Terri

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