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Final run from Carol’s porch in Boone • In 14 active carts • 24 left

Carol's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

Carol's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

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Carol Whitfield
Hand-filled by Carol Whitfield
★★★★★ 4.8 (310+)
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Carol's alpaca-wool nesting heart hanging in the garden

Carol's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

Regular price $39.00
Regular price $39.00 Sale price $59.00
SAVE $20 Sold out
🐦❤️
Handmade in Boone, North Carolina
By Carol & Jim Whitfield — retired teacher, retired carpenter, 20 years of alpaca wool
"Jim bent that first heart out of garden wire in about four minutes. Filled it with a handful of alpaca wool from that spring's shearing and hung it from the oak at the edge of the porch. Within two weeks, a pair of Carolina Wrens had stripped it nearly bare — carrying every strand off to wherever they were building. I watched it happen every morning from my chair. That's where all of this started."
What makes The Nesting Heart different
🐑
Real Alpaca Wool Softer and finer than cotton, rope, or synthetic fibers. Birds pull it free strand by strand and weave it directly into their nests.
♻️
Refillable Every Season When the heart is empty, just tuck fresh wool back into the wire frame. One heart, many springs.
🔩
Rustic Iron Frame Hand-bent wire mesh in the shape of a heart. Weather-resistant. Vintage garden look. Looks beautiful even before the first bird arrives.
🌿
Hang Anywhere Garden hook, fence post, tree branch, porch railing — hanging chain is included. No tools, no drilling, no fuss.
⚡
Nothing to Install No batteries, no electricity, no assembly. Hang it up and wait. The birds figure out the rest.
🐦
Hummingbird-Friendly Alpaca wool is one of the softest nesting materials available. Especially loved by hummingbirds, Carolina Wrens, and chickadees.
🏡

Carol & Jim Whitfield

Carol taught elementary school for 30 years in Boone, NC. Jim was a carpenter. He's kept a small alpaca herd for nearly two decades. The first Nesting Heart was a retirement gift — a wire heart he bent freehand in four minutes, filled with a handful of wool from that year's shearing. It's still in the garden. Still crooked. Still on the same branch.

🌿 Expert Opinion
"Natural fiber nesting materials give birds a measurable advantage over synthetic alternatives. Alpaca wool in particular — with its fine, flexible fibers — is exceptionally well-suited to the micro-weaving techniques small birds use to construct their nests. In years of studying backyard bird populations in the Eastern US, I've seen alpaca wool consistently outperform cotton and polyester as a builder's material. Birds recognize the quality immediately."
🎓 Dr. Margaret Holt — Avian Ecologist & Backyard Bird Conservation Specialist, Appalachian Research Institute
Perfect for
🐦 Backyard birders 🌸 Spring gardens 🎁 Gift for bird lovers 🌿 Nature lovers 🏡 Porch & garden 👵 For mom & grandma 📸 Nature photography 💚 Eco-friendly garden
What you're getting
  • Real, undyed alpaca wool — no synthetics, no plastic, no dyes
  • Hand-bent iron wire frame — rustic, weather-resistant, made to last outdoors
  • Refillable for years — not a one-season product; just add more wool each spring
  • Attracts hummingbirds, wrens, chickadees & finches — birds that need the finest nesting fibers
  • Made from the final shearing of Carol & Jim's herd — one last batch before a happy next chapter
🌾
This batch is the last. Carol and Jim are moving closer to their grandchildren this summer. Their alpacas will go to a neighbor's farm. Jim's workshop gets packed up. This stock was made from their herd's final shearing — when it's gone, there won't be more. Not because of anything sad. Because the next chapter is starting.
Product Details
Size
Approx. 12 × 11 in (30 × 28 cm)
Frame Material
Iron wire mesh, heart-shaped
Fill Material
Natural alpaca wool (undyed)
Mounting
Hanging chain included
Refillable
Yes — add fresh wool each season
Use
Outdoor (weather-resistant)
Especially Attracts
Hummingbirds, Carolina Wrens, Chickadees
Origin
Boone, North Carolina, USA
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The Last Shearing

A note from the porch in Boone:

Carol Whitfield taught elementary school in Boone, North Carolina, for thirty years. Her husband Jim, a retired carpenter, has kept a small alpaca herd on their land for almost twenty years. When Carol retired in the spring of 2019, Jim bent her a heart out of garden wire in about four minutes, filled it with a handful of that year’s wool and hung it from the oak at the edge of the porch. Within two weeks a pair of Carolina Wrens had stripped it almost bare. It came out crooked and he never fixed it; it still hangs on the same branch.

Carol and Jim are moving this summer, to a smaller home closer to family in Charlotte now that grandchildren are arriving. The alpacas go to a neighbor’s farm and Jim’s workshop gets packed up. This batch comes from the herd’s final shearing — when it is gone, there won’t be more. Not because of anything sad. Because the next chapter is starting.

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Free US Shipping

Free shipping across the United States

- Delivery time: 3–5 business days
- Every heart is hand-packed and ships from the US
- Approx. 12 × 11 in / 30 × 28 cm, hanging chain included
- Hand-bent iron wire mesh frame, filled with real undyed alpaca wool — refillable through the mesh, season after season
- Made for outdoors: garden hook, fence post, tree branch or porch railing
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com

View full details

310+ Verified Buyers

Excellent 4.8

What people say about Carol’s nesting hearts

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f1

I hung one on my back fence two weeks ago and within three days I had a chickadee visiting every morning. I’ve had a bird feeder for years. I’d never seen that kind of activity. My granddaughter wants to watch every morning before school.

Verified

Margaret T., Portland, OR

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f2

I’d never thought about nesting material before. Once Carol explained the plastic problem, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Hung one in the apple tree, and by the end of the week something had started building.

Verified

Diane K., Asheville, NC

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f3

Bought two, one for myself and one for my mom, who loves birds. She cried when I told her the story behind them. The wool is nothing like what you’d find in a garden center.

Verified

Susan R., Nashville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f4

I hung it where I can see it from the kitchen window. Now I drink my coffee there every morning. A little titmouse comes by like clockwork.

Verified

Linda M., Columbus, OH

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f5

Stripped almost bare in twelve days. I honestly didn’t expect it to go that fast. The birds knew exactly what it was.

Verified

Barbara J., Richmond, VA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f6

It’s a real frame, not something you throw away. I push fresh wool back in each spring and hang it right back up.

Verified

Karen S., Knoxville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f7

Found a wren nest in my porch planter in May, and the inside was lined with that cream wool. I had to sit down. That’s exactly why you buy one.

Verified

Patricia L., Lancaster, PA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f1

I hung one on my back fence two weeks ago and within three days I had a chickadee visiting every morning. I’ve had a bird feeder for years. I’d never seen that kind of activity. My granddaughter wants to watch every morning before school.

Verified

Margaret T., Portland, OR

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f2

I’d never thought about nesting material before. Once Carol explained the plastic problem, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Hung one in the apple tree, and by the end of the week something had started building.

Verified

Diane K., Asheville, NC

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f3

Bought two, one for myself and one for my mom, who loves birds. She cried when I told her the story behind them. The wool is nothing like what you’d find in a garden center.

Verified

Susan R., Nashville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f4

I hung it where I can see it from the kitchen window. Now I drink my coffee there every morning. A little titmouse comes by like clockwork.

Verified

Linda M., Columbus, OH

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f5

Stripped almost bare in twelve days. I honestly didn’t expect it to go that fast. The birds knew exactly what it was.

Verified

Barbara J., Richmond, VA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f6

It’s a real frame, not something you throw away. I push fresh wool back in each spring and hang it right back up.

Verified

Karen S., Knoxville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f7

Found a wren nest in my porch planter in May, and the inside was lined with that cream wool. I had to sit down. That’s exactly why you buy one.

Verified

Patricia L., Lancaster, PA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f1

I hung one on my back fence two weeks ago and within three days I had a chickadee visiting every morning. I’ve had a bird feeder for years. I’d never seen that kind of activity. My granddaughter wants to watch every morning before school.

Verified

Margaret T., Portland, OR

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f2

I’d never thought about nesting material before. Once Carol explained the plastic problem, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Hung one in the apple tree, and by the end of the week something had started building.

Verified

Diane K., Asheville, NC

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f3

Bought two, one for myself and one for my mom, who loves birds. She cried when I told her the story behind them. The wool is nothing like what you’d find in a garden center.

Verified

Susan R., Nashville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f4

I hung it where I can see it from the kitchen window. Now I drink my coffee there every morning. A little titmouse comes by like clockwork.

Verified

Linda M., Columbus, OH

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f5

Stripped almost bare in twelve days. I honestly didn’t expect it to go that fast. The birds knew exactly what it was.

Verified

Barbara J., Richmond, VA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f6

It’s a real frame, not something you throw away. I push fresh wool back in each spring and hang it right back up.

Verified

Karen S., Knoxville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f7

Found a wren nest in my porch planter in May, and the inside was lined with that cream wool. I had to sit down. That’s exactly why you buy one.

Verified

Patricia L., Lancaster, PA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f1

I hung one on my back fence two weeks ago and within three days I had a chickadee visiting every morning. I’ve had a bird feeder for years. I’d never seen that kind of activity. My granddaughter wants to watch every morning before school.

Verified

Margaret T., Portland, OR

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f2

I’d never thought about nesting material before. Once Carol explained the plastic problem, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Hung one in the apple tree, and by the end of the week something had started building.

Verified

Diane K., Asheville, NC

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f3

Bought two, one for myself and one for my mom, who loves birds. She cried when I told her the story behind them. The wool is nothing like what you’d find in a garden center.

Verified

Susan R., Nashville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f4

I hung it where I can see it from the kitchen window. Now I drink my coffee there every morning. A little titmouse comes by like clockwork.

Verified

Linda M., Columbus, OH

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f5

Stripped almost bare in twelve days. I honestly didn’t expect it to go that fast. The birds knew exactly what it was.

Verified

Barbara J., Richmond, VA

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f6

It’s a real frame, not something you throw away. I push fresh wool back in each spring and hang it right back up.

Verified

Karen S., Knoxville, TN

Carol alpaca nesting heart US - carol-br-f7

Found a wren nest in my porch planter in May, and the inside was lined with that cream wool. I had to sit down. That’s exactly why you buy one.

Verified

Patricia L., Lancaster, PA

See Carol’s Last Hearts

Frequently Asked Questions

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Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.

Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET). Whether it’s about your order, where to hang it, which birds to watch for, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.

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Can I return it if it’s not for me?

Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Hang it out, live with it a week, and if it isn’t right for your garden, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and US shipping is free.

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How is it made?

Jim bends every frame by hand from iron wire mesh in his workshop — freehand, no press, about four minutes a heart. Carol then fills each one at the kitchen table with the softest inner fleece from their own herd, the kind birds would choose themselves. The wool is washed and dried — no dye, no scent, no treatment. Because every frame is bent by hand, no two hearts are exactly alike. That is the product, not a fault.

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    Free US Shipping

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    Real Undyed Alpaca Wool

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    30-Day Guarantee

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    Made in Boone, NC