Asked on Aug 28, 2014

Any ideas on how to use this lovely iron bird?

Martha B
by Martha B
It was love at first sight upon finding this iron bird in flight at our local flea market. I plan to use it in our sunroom, perhaps as some sort of lighting. It measures 36" to 36" beak to tail and 36" wing span, with 3 loops for hanging distributed along the top. Any ideas are welcome!
36 x 36" long and 36" wing span. Shabby chic now, but may finish completely white.
  20 answers
  • Brooke Bock Brooke Bock on Aug 28, 2014
    That is an awesome find! You are very lucky. It sounds like you are thinking of using it as an interior piece. The three loops should make it very easy to hang high in a room from the ceiling if you wish. I can also see it as a fabulous outdoor accent hanging from the branches of a tree or from a pergola. I know whatever you decide to do, it will be a great focal.
  • Beaches48 Beaches48 on Aug 28, 2014
    What about hanging outside as a wind chime
  • Lee Cunningham Green Lee Cunningham Green on Aug 28, 2014
    I would paint it to protect it a bit and perhaps use it as a weather vein or just attach it to a metal garden stake and have hovering above a garden.
  • Chris aka monkey Chris aka monkey on Aug 28, 2014
    @Martha B oh my what a really cool find...in my humble opinion i would just spray a clear coat on it so it doesn't rust more it is perfect right now and i would hang it loud and proud inside my house...in a corner or above a fireplace... any where it will fit and i bet you get a ton of compliments i wish it were mine xx
  • Colimbia1 Colimbia1 on Aug 28, 2014
    If you have a deck or patio it would look nice hanging on the side of the house. Love the piece - great find.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Aug 29, 2014
    Fantastic find! Use a wire brush to clean off the rust or a rust cleaner. Then spray with Rustoleum rust protector. I would paint it a bright color(s)...say blue and chartreuse. If you want light, wire it with wire attached under the spine and splice in 3 Edison bulbs sockets hanging from those 3 attaching loops.
  • Martha Overby Martha Overby on Aug 29, 2014
    I see it either hanging high in a sunroom or hanging outdoors from a tree limb
  • Wendy Johnson Wendy Johnson on Aug 29, 2014
    you could just forget those loops , hang it directly to the wall and use rope lights. What you do to the finish depends on what you find aesthetically pleasing. Leave it, pray paint it, wrap it in jute. I am sure there are tons of ideas.
  • Wendy Barden Wendy Barden on Aug 30, 2014
    I'm with Wendy Johnson , Light it up . I would use LED Mini Lights and hang it , or rather suspend it in it's raw state : }'s
  • Michelle Michelle on Aug 30, 2014
    clear coat and keep as it , beautiful
  • BSWW BSWW on Aug 30, 2014
    I like the idea of hanging it from a tree limb, too. Either left al la naturale and protected or a bright color would be fun, too. Post your pictures, however you decide to use it, it is a fun piece.
  • Miz Amerika Miz Amerika on Sep 01, 2014
    I love her! She would look Fabulous on the wall about my bed.
  • Curtis Mikolaiczik Curtis Mikolaiczik on Sep 01, 2014
    Omg, if it fits the decor of your kitchen, you can hang it from the ceiling to be used as a pot rack. That would be awesome.
  • Marcella Hazelwood Marcella Hazelwood on Sep 01, 2014
    WOW.. what a fantastic find.lucky,lucky you. i see it hanging from the cieling or like bsww said- a tree with lots of twinkling lights. 2 beautiful no matter what u do with it. or u could sell it 2 me?!?!? hahahah PS post the end result so we can see it.(please)
  • Opal Opal on Sep 02, 2014
    She is awesome and I am envious. I would hang her vertically just outside my front door and name her Fleur. If she looked more like a hawk, I would paint her Seahawk Blue and Green. Great find, please post whatever you decide as I would love to see it.
  • Martha B Martha B on Sep 02, 2014
    Thank you, everyone, for all the creative ideas. I'm still trying to decide which avenue to pursue, but appreciate all the input. Any more ideas? I'd love to hear more!
  • Georgeen Rose Georgeen Rose on Dec 21, 2014
    I believe the way it is you can actually wire it with electrical lighting, and hang in in your sunroom. ... the hooks can have some chain put through it and adjust the height of where you want it to be. Can be as is or cleaned up and sprayed any color...use your emagination.
  • Some great ideas & congrats on the find. I'll throw another suggestion in. If you have a wall you want to create an outdoor feature on, you could wire the bird to a backdrop. This is what I did for a client as an example of the concept. To create the garden art, I reused some bamboo screen & cut to size for texture and as a frame. This was attached to 2 stakes in the ground so my client could take it with her when her home sold. If using outdoors, I'd suggest preserving the rusting metal with an oil based sealer.
  • Vickie Grimes Vickie Grimes on Jan 05, 2015
    the first thing that popped in my mind was it would make an awesome base for a topiary, decorated with miniature birds and bird houses with possible hanging wind chimes, great for a deck or porch.....love it.
  • Jenny Cox Jenny Cox on Jan 09, 2015
    Add colorful pieces like stained glass, and then put lights above it. Hang it from original loops.'