About Zoe

aka Garden Girl NC. The one making the birds.

Why our life is for the birds.

The beauty of working with UV-resistant resin is that each bird is unique and the final product is virtually impossible to break and weather-resistant.

My name is Zoe Meinecke and I am Garden Girl NC, the creative mind behind the birds and the business that's bringing people around the country year-round brightness and joy. After having lived in Charlotte, NC since 2006, as of 2019 I now live in beautiful Boone, NC. I'm constantly inspired by these mountains, the nature that calls them home, and the caring people I call my neighbors and community.

Zoe at the studio table in Boone with resin bird molds curing

What I do

I work with resin to re-create the beauty and lightness of nature. Each bird is uniquely made by hand and is meant to brighten your pot, tree, or home. I make the clay models and silicone molds from scratch, as well as hand-pour the resin for each bird. Everyone said "2020 was for the birds" so it seemed like the perfect time to establish Garden Girl NC and share these eye-catching pieces.

The inspiration

Two events gave me both the time and inspiration to create Garden Girl NC. The first was my mother's passing in February 2020. My mother was a power-house, an incredible woman and mother, and I'll be forever grateful for all I learned from her. The second was the time 2020 gave me, because of COVID-19, to reflect, heal, and get back to what I love most: creating things that bring joy. To connect ideas that otherwise might not have been.

How in the world did I get into making birds?

Trust me. I ask myself that all the time and then smile, because I love what I do but I never would have guessed this path.

The marriage of two very different ideas. Our resin birds were born from the merging of two ideas and A LOT of tweaking.

  1. The bird on a stick. For my birthday, my Aunt Jane who lives in Iowa sent me a really beautiful cardinal on a stick that my Uncle Jim had carved out of wood. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to do with it until I talked with her and she said to place it in a planter. Ever since I placed it in one of my rose planters, I've thought not only of them when I look at it, but of my mom. She LOVED her garden and "her" birds. It's brought me comfort and warmed my heart having that cardinal.
  2. Resin coasters. What?! That's right, the second idea was seeing a very random YouTube video of someone making a look-alike agate coaster by pouring resin. Something about that video made me think, "I bet I could pour resin to liken feathers." Once that idea popped into my head, I couldn't let it go and proceeded to try everything I could to figure out how to make it work.

Two resin cardinals on sticks in white and yellow mums

A fly-by: how I make Garden Girl NC birds

  1. Hand-draw the bird for the model. Once I've selected the bird I'd like to make, the first step is hand drawing the silhouette and understanding sizing, taking into account the actual size of the real bird as well as the places it will be displayed.
  2. Hand-mold the models out of clay. Using the drawn outline, I use sculpting clay to make the model for the silicone molds.
  3. Pour the silicone molds. Using the models, I hand-pour liquid silicone to form the molds for the resin.
  4. It's bird-makin' time. Once I have the molds, it's time to mix the resin (both clear and each color) and pour the birds. A pass with the heat gun pops the bubbles.
  5. Let the birds marinate (cure). After about 24 hours the birds are ready to be plucked from the mold.
  6. The Dremel phase. Every bird comes out with a sharp edge, so I grind the edges smooth while keeping the curves, wash off the resin dust, and then use the Dremel to drill the holes for the garden stakes or the ornament hooks.
  7. Bring the shine back. Grinding dulls the edges, so I paint a clear coat of acrylic on the sides and edges, then set the stakes or hooks for good.
  8. Tag them. Last step is the tag, and then they're ready to go.

After all of these steps, our birds are finally free to migrate across the country and into your home!

One thing's for certain, Garden Girl NC wouldn't be anywhere without your love and support. It warms my heart that something I create will bring you and others joy. I hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and my birds. THANK YOU for all of the encouragement!

How I make these, step by step · Where to find us · Shop the birds