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Joyce's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

Joyce's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

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Joyce Pettigrew
Hand-filled by Joyce Pettigrew
★★★★★ 4.8 (310+)
Joyce's alpaca nesting heart on a snowy fence post

Joyce's Alpaca-Wool Nesting Heart

Regular price $39.00
Regular price $39.00 Sale price $59.00
SAVE $20 Sold out
🐦❤️
Handmade in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia
By Joyce Pettigrew, 69 — 33 years a rural mail carrier, eleven alpacas, the last 212 hearts
“In June 2017 I found a young oriole caught by one leg in orange baling twine on a mailbox post. I cut him loose with my mail scissors. A year later a chipping sparrow spent a whole morning pulling alpaca wool off my fence. That afternoon I bent the first heart out of chicken wire and hung it on my own old mailbox. It’s still there.”
What eight springs taught Joyce
✂️
The Short-Staple Rule Every tuft is pulled short by hand. No long strands — nothing a bird could wrap around a leg or a wing.
🦙
Four-Colour Undyed Fibre Raw alpaca wool in dark brown, cream, caramel and grey. Never dyed, never treated. Nothing goes into the nest that didn’t grow on an alpaca.
⬢
The Hex-Mesh Pull Gauge The six-sided wire mesh lets a bird pull out one small tuft at a time. The rest stays put in wind and rain.
📮
The Mailbox-Post Hang A short chain with a ring. Hang it from a post, a branch or a fence at eye level — right where you can watch from the window.
♻️
Refill Every Spring When the birds have emptied it, tuck fresh wool back into the mesh. One heart, many springs.
🐦
Made for Canadian Backyards Chipping sparrows line their nests with hair, chickadees with soft fur. Hang it in March, before they start building.
🌿 Expert Opinion
“Many small songbirds line their nests with hair or fur, and in a tidy backyard there is often very little of it left. What they find instead is string, twine and fishing line — material that doesn’t pull apart. Short tufts of natural wool are a much safer choice. I tell people to keep every strand shorter than a finger, and that is exactly how these hearts are filled.”
🎓 Dr. Leanne Corbett — Avian Ecologist, Blomidon Shore Bird Rehabilitation, Kentville, Nova Scotia
Perfect for
🐦 Backyard birders 🎄 Christmas gift for gardeners 🌸 Spring gardens 🌿 Nature lovers 🏡 Fence post & porch 👵 For mom & grandma 📸 Bird watching from the window 💚 Chemical-free garden
What you’re getting
  • Raw, undyed alpaca wool — no synthetics, no plastic, no dyes
  • Short tufts only — pulled apart by hand so no strand can tangle a bird
  • Iron wire mesh heart — weather-resistant, made to hang outdoors all year
  • Refillable for years — just add fresh wool each spring
  • Packed by Joyce herself — at the long table in her old apple-packing barn
🌾
The last 212 hearts. After 33 years of gripping mail bundles, Joyce has arthritis in both thumbs — and pulling wool apart is all thumb work. The alpacas stay, but from next year their wool goes to a spinning mill. These hearts are made from the June 2026 shearing. When they’re gone, there won’t be more.
Product Details
Size
Approx. 30 × 28 cm (12 × 11 in)
Frame
Iron wire mesh, heart-shaped, with hanging chain
Fill
Raw alpaca wool, undyed, four natural colours
Refillable
Yes — add fresh wool each spring
When to hang
March to early April in most of Canada
Especially loved by
Chipping sparrows, black-capped chickadees, orioles
Made by
Joyce Pettigrew, Canning, Nova Scotia
Sold so far
Over 1,400 hearts given away and sold since 2018
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The Last Winter

A note from the barn:

For 33 years Joyce Pettigrew drove Rural Route 2 out of Canning, Nova Scotia — 168 kilometres a day, 412 mailboxes. In June 2017 she cut a young oriole free of orange baling twine on a mailbox post. A year later a chipping sparrow spent a whole morning pulling her alpacas’ wool off the fence, and she bent the first heart out of chicken wire. For seven springs she gave every heart away. Now arthritis in both thumbs means the wool goes to a spinning mill from next year. These are the last 212 hearts, filled from the June 2026 shearing. When they are gone, there are no more.

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Free Shipping Across Canada

Free shipping across Canada

- Delivery time: 5–8 business days
- Every heart is packed by hand by Joyce at the long table in her barn
- Size: approx. 30 × 28 cm (12 × 11 in), iron wire mesh with hanging chain
- Filled with raw, undyed alpaca wool in four natural colours
- Hang it in March or early April, before the birds start building
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com

View full details

310+ Verified Buyers

Excellent 4.8

What people say about Joyce’s alpaca hearts

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I hung it on the clothesline pole in March with snow still on the ground. The chickadees found it the first week and pulled out half the cream wool.

Verified

Donna M., Truro, NS

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I bought two for my mother for Christmas. She is 88 and unwrapped hers under the tree. She says it is the best seat in the yard now.

Verified

Sharon T., Guelph, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Really nice wool, soft and clean, four colours just like she says. It came with a little handwritten card from Joyce. I will refill mine every spring.

Verified

Brenda K., Moncton, NB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Hung it on the maple while there was still snow. The chickadees were on it every morning, and by May the orioles were back for the rest.

Verified

Gail R., Kingston, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Sturdy wire, good chain, and the wool does not blow away. We get real wind here off the water. It came through a February storm still full.

Verified

Ken P., Charlottetown, PE

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

A perfect gift for the gardener who has everything. My sister hung it right outside her kitchen window and sends me bird photos every morning.

Verified

Lorraine B., Red Deer, AB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Gave it to my husband for Christmas. He had it on the feeder pole the next morning at minus twenty. The juncos and chickadees love it.

Verified

Marion D., Peterborough, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I hung it on the clothesline pole in March with snow still on the ground. The chickadees found it the first week and pulled out half the cream wool.

Verified

Donna M., Truro, NS

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I bought two for my mother for Christmas. She is 88 and unwrapped hers under the tree. She says it is the best seat in the yard now.

Verified

Sharon T., Guelph, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Really nice wool, soft and clean, four colours just like she says. It came with a little handwritten card from Joyce. I will refill mine every spring.

Verified

Brenda K., Moncton, NB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Hung it on the maple while there was still snow. The chickadees were on it every morning, and by May the orioles were back for the rest.

Verified

Gail R., Kingston, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Sturdy wire, good chain, and the wool does not blow away. We get real wind here off the water. It came through a February storm still full.

Verified

Ken P., Charlottetown, PE

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

A perfect gift for the gardener who has everything. My sister hung it right outside her kitchen window and sends me bird photos every morning.

Verified

Lorraine B., Red Deer, AB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Gave it to my husband for Christmas. He had it on the feeder pole the next morning at minus twenty. The juncos and chickadees love it.

Verified

Marion D., Peterborough, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I hung it on the clothesline pole in March with snow still on the ground. The chickadees found it the first week and pulled out half the cream wool.

Verified

Donna M., Truro, NS

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I bought two for my mother for Christmas. She is 88 and unwrapped hers under the tree. She says it is the best seat in the yard now.

Verified

Sharon T., Guelph, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Really nice wool, soft and clean, four colours just like she says. It came with a little handwritten card from Joyce. I will refill mine every spring.

Verified

Brenda K., Moncton, NB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Hung it on the maple while there was still snow. The chickadees were on it every morning, and by May the orioles were back for the rest.

Verified

Gail R., Kingston, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Sturdy wire, good chain, and the wool does not blow away. We get real wind here off the water. It came through a February storm still full.

Verified

Ken P., Charlottetown, PE

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

A perfect gift for the gardener who has everything. My sister hung it right outside her kitchen window and sends me bird photos every morning.

Verified

Lorraine B., Red Deer, AB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Gave it to my husband for Christmas. He had it on the feeder pole the next morning at minus twenty. The juncos and chickadees love it.

Verified

Marion D., Peterborough, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I hung it on the clothesline pole in March with snow still on the ground. The chickadees found it the first week and pulled out half the cream wool.

Verified

Donna M., Truro, NS

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

I bought two for my mother for Christmas. She is 88 and unwrapped hers under the tree. She says it is the best seat in the yard now.

Verified

Sharon T., Guelph, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Really nice wool, soft and clean, four colours just like she says. It came with a little handwritten card from Joyce. I will refill mine every spring.

Verified

Brenda K., Moncton, NB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Hung it on the maple while there was still snow. The chickadees were on it every morning, and by May the orioles were back for the rest.

Verified

Gail R., Kingston, ON

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Sturdy wire, good chain, and the wool does not blow away. We get real wind here off the water. It came through a February storm still full.

Verified

Ken P., Charlottetown, PE

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

A perfect gift for the gardener who has everything. My sister hung it right outside her kitchen window and sends me bird photos every morning.

Verified

Lorraine B., Red Deer, AB

Joyce's alpaca nesting heart in a Canadian backyard in winter

Gave it to my husband for Christmas. He had it on the feeder pole the next morning at minus twenty. The juncos and chickadees love it.

Verified

Marion D., Peterborough, ON

See Joyce’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, when to hang it, 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 up, watch the birds, and if it is not right for your yard, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions, and shipping across Canada is free.

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How is it made?

Joyce sorts the raw wool from her eleven alpacas into four colours, dark brown, cream, caramel and grey, then pulls every tuft apart by hand until it is short and loose, so no strand is long enough to tangle a bird. She fills the six-sided wire mesh one colour at a time and fixes the hanging chain. Each heart takes her about 45 minutes. Nothing is dyed or treated.

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    Made in Nova Scotia