DIY Hanging Bird Bath

DIY Hanging Bird Bath

Once upon a time, we had a hanging bird bath that I absolutely loved. BUT, it was plastic and impossible to clean properly. Needless to say, it didn’t come with us when we moved! Replacing it has been on my upcycling to-do list for quite some time, and I finally set my mind to making a DIY hanging bird bath. And my plan was to use a glass lid from the thrift store.

Glass lids from the thrift store for upcycling ideas

A glass lid is shallow but sturdy, and most importantly, easy to clean!

And with a little chain from the hardware store, it would easily be upcycled as a hanging bird bath!

Upcycling a glass lid into a hanging bird bath

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Upcycling a Glass Lid into a DIY Hanging Bird Bath

To upcycle a glass lid into a DIY hanging bird bath, I kept it simple.

First, I cut a small section of medium-weight chain that was approximately 10-12” long. We used our Dremel tool to do it, but you could use bolt cutters or something similar to do so, as well.

Using a glass lid as a bird bath bowl for a hanging bird bath

I connected the short length of chain to make a “bracelet”, of sorts. I first used an “s” hook, but ultimately replaced them with steel jewelry wire.

Using an S hook to connect the chain under a glass bird bath bowl

This round chain would be used as the “cradle” that the glass lid will rest in when used as a hanging bird bath.

Next, we cut four more lengths of chain that were all the exact same length. Then, we connected them to four “sides” of the chain circle. 

Measuring the chain that is needed for a hanging bird bath

Again, I used galvanized steel wire to connect the four lengths.

Next, I set the glass lid (upside-down) in the center of the chain circle. 

Making a hanging bird bath with a glass lid as a bird bath bowl

I gathered the four long chains of the DIY hanging bird bath and gathered them on a quick link.

Quick links to hold the chains of a hanging bird bath

And just like that, my hanging glass bird bath was ready to hang out in the yard.

Glass bird bath with a pyrex lid for easy cleaning

DIY Hanging Bird Bath

I slipped the quick link on a large carabiner (any spring loaded clamp/lock would work) to hang from the tree.

Then, I just added a bit of water. And voilà, a DIY hanging bird bath that is easy to clean and shallow enough for small birds. 

hanging glass bird bath

Here’s a view of the  hanging bird waterer from underneath. The metal chain holds the glass lid in place, but leaving it easy enough to remove for cleaning. works perfectly.

Hanging bird bath that is easy to clean by upcycling a glass lid

And a clean bird bath is the best bird bath for the health of your feathered friends!

how to make a diy hanging bird bath

It’s also important to note that I hung this under a thick shade tree where no direct sunlight will hit it. If you hung it in direct sunlight, it could scorch the ground (magnifying glass effect).

Just a word of caution if you decide to upcycle a glass lid into a DIY hanging bird bath for your own yard.

Not interested in a hanging bird bath, but would rather create a standing bird bath? I paired up two thrift store pieces to create this one for our yard, as well.

diy birdbath that was made from a vintage lamp and a glass dish

And if you enjoyed this upcycling idea for a hanging bird bath, then you may also be interested in this suet feeder that I made from a coffee mug, too! 

How to make bird suet for a suet feeder in a ceramic coffee mug as a DIY bird feeder for the winter

Craft on!

S

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. What a brilliant idea !!!

  2. Great idea! I thought you drilled through the glass at first, but your idea is genius and super doable. Love it!

  3. Awesome idea!! There are so many of these in the thrift store, now I know what to do with some of them!!

  4. Very ingenious!

  5. This is such a good idea! I see these lids at thrift stores and garage sales… and this is a wonderful use for them. 🙂

  6. I love this. I think it would be fun to “tint” the bottom (top) of the lid to make it a fun color too. I would have never thought of this. You are so creative. Thanks for the tutorial!

  7. What a great idea! Simple and easy projects are the best! Thanks for sharing at Idea Box.

  8. Genius!

  9. Joy schottenloher says

    I love to watch birds. I am moving to an apartment and this would be perfect for my balcony. Thank you. God bless have. A wonderful day

  10. What a great idea! It turned out great, hope the little birds use it!

    Tania

  11. Great idea!! Do you think that macramé would work as well?

  12. Cool idea! I have a glass lid around here somewhere! That will be my next project. Working on making a planter out of a vintage colander….similar idea with the chain and so cute! Pinned!

  13. Jann Olson says

    This is such a cute idea! I saw where you shared it on Hometalk and loved it! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

  14. vmorgan456 says

    So smart! I was thinking this would be too difficult. It looked as though you had drilled through the glass somehow! Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty

  15. Hi, Sarah ~ I’m visiting from the Craftastic Monday Link Party over at Sew Can Do. I love this idea! It’s a great way to reuse, plus I love to watch birds in my backyard, and nothing bring them in like water! Thanks for sharing.

  16. sayhellonature says

    LOVE this idea! How fun! I don’t know if I have any lids like this to make one myself, but I’m definitely going to keep this in mind the next time we head to the thrift store.

  17. How very clever! Great way to use a lid that’s missing the bottom and I’m sure the birds love it. #MerryMonday

  18. This is a great project -Very clever – could add feed too instead of water. Thanks for posting! -Carole

  19. Thank you so much for sharing this with Awesome Things Tuesday last week! Come party with us again, we’d love to have you!

  20. This is brilliant! Thank you for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in this week’s issue.

  21. I had saved this idea a while back and last week while digging around in my garage I found an old lid. I just finished my bird bath but I added some flare to mine.
    I bought a couple bags of rounded glass pebbles at the dollar store and glued them on top and around the edge of the lid.

  22. This is an awesome idea! I love the look of it and I’m pretty sure I have some of those glass lids lying around somewhere. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspiration Thursday! Have a great week.

  23. What a good idea and I don’t even have to go to the store to do it I have a lid and I have some old chain and will just use some wire to hook it together.

  24. What a cute idea! Love this!

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

  25. What a great idea for reusing those old casserole tops. Thank you for sharing at Vintage Charm this week.

  26. Crystal @whattreasuresawait says

    This caught my eye at Welcome Home Wednesdays. I’m actually working on something similar right now. This is a great idea! Thanks for linking up!

  27. Perfect! Thank you for sharing!

  28. Jocelyne Cote says

    Merci pour toutes ces belles idées si magnifiques les unes apres les autres, bravo!

  29. That is perfect for feeding the squirrels peanuts off the ground also Thanks for the idea.

  30. Wow! Very creative! Great idea! Thank you!

  31. Such an absolutely great idea! I love this and have to try it! Thank you for sharing.

  32. This would probably work for a butterfly feeder too. Easy to wash too. Great Idea !!!

  33. Love it and have one. Actually, you can recycle/reuse the chain and clips on a hanging metal planter – which is what I did. And I used a white ironstone tureen lid for the bath!

  34. Donna Halvorsen says

    Great idea. Would be really cute if painted or some kind of fabric decoupage or something else on the underside.

  35. Donna DeVries-Hestand says

    Not as durable, but you could put a lid in a macrame plant holder. I would hang this one where it gets indirect sun.

  36. Great job and i’m a succker for anything bird related!! Thanks for dropping by Throwback Thursday with your post this week! 🙂

    Mollie

  37. I used to do macrame back in the day. This would look good week with jute like the chain you used. Great idea.

  38. Jennifer Angel says

    I am so glad you posted this! I have some vintage glass light diffusers I could do that with. I was going to drill some holes, too, but didn’t want to because I didn’t want to break them. Also thought of using them for hanging plants and use the original holes for drainage instead for hanging.

  39. I just bought a box of 16 glass lids at an auction for $2. My friends are going to be getting bird baths! Thanks for the creative idea!

  40. Ok Sarah, another wonderful project to make in time for our back yard birds and we have lots of them. When we give our chickens what we call their treats, several other birds come around to snack on chickens leavings. Have few pair of doves, little bitty birds, whatever. We’ll see them start lining up on fence waiting for treat time and on electric/phone wires. Think we’ve been feeding several birds since we got our chickens.
    Can hardly wait to make this bird bath for them, won’t they enjoy that? Thx so much for another doable, affordable helpful project.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      Absolutely! I think my favorite part about this project is that it’s so easy to clean, because let’s face it- bird baths can get pretty icky after awhile.

  41. Great idea!! I bet the birds love it!! Thanks for sharing on the Pleasures of the NW’s DIY party!

  42. Oh my gosh I have tossed out so many lids like this! We’ve wanted a bird bath for a long time and this would be perfect. Last year I had a water feeder for the birds and the cackles would bring their prey (baby birds) and wash them in it. I couldn’t stand the sight of that and got rid of it. I think I’m ready to try again with a lid turned bath like this. Fingers crossed! Thanks for hanging out with us again at Celebrate Your Story.

    • Sadie Seasongoods says

      OMG, I can totally understand why you boycotted a bird bath after that! How horrifying for you… 🙁 🙁 🙁

  43. Fabulous project, Sadie! I am doing this, this weekend! A happy follower! Beth.

  44. I knew this would be awesome! Totally sharing this with my mom these would look great on their farm!

  45. I love the idea of recycling my glass lids. I got way too many “orphan” ones! I plan to make one before spring comes: just need to get some chain.

  46. Great Idea

  47. Thanks for sharing this project. I have tried this idea myself and easy to handle for back yard birds.

  48. This is such a clever idea! I love little gems like this, I have a few carabiners lying around at work that will do quite nicely for this little life hack! Bookmarked for other cool ideas for the coming Summer months.

  49. Years later, still great idea. Used older large purplish clear Pyrex lid that’s been taking up space. Put it in a decorative wire hanging basket I had and it’s really beautiful! Filled it just a little for the hummingbirds to freshen up! Thank you!

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  1. […] a glass lid, but no casserole dish it will fit? Transform that odd glass lid into a unique hanging bird bath with this […]

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