As I've mentioned probably 400 times, my mom's birthday was this week and besides the garden party and a beloved Home Goods gift card, I wanted to make her something special. The woman LOVES birds. She hangs little bird figurines from our cabinet knobs in our house, she spends a few minutes daily putting out birdseed so that all the little creatures can have a good meal (including the squirrel she's named "Nutsy"), and she just loves bird-inspired decor (cages, houses, etc.). I'm sure she COULD get enough and that eventually she'll burst into a rage of "OKAY, FAMILY. ENOUGH WITH THE BIRD STUFF!" but for now, I like to humor her fascination by giving her not-so-obvious bird items.
Enter: birdhouses.
I was doing a little shopping for her garden party and ran across the $5 cheap wooden birdhouses at Michael's. At first I thought "there is NO WAY I can make those things look nice... it's a good idea, but they just look so cheap." But I racked my brain about ways to decorate them and up their visual value. I played around momentarily with the idea of decoupaging them with colorful papers and patterns, but that's not really something you can use to decorate with... and I didn't want to give her something that would clash with everything.
I finally decided to buy them, hoping I'd come up with something good. And before I left the store, I had! I decided to attempt "antiquing" them so maybe they could go somewhere in the house. Her favorite color is turquoise/teal/aqua so I thought that maybe I could throw in some hints of that color but with an overall neutral theme so they could fit in with everything else in our house!
So, without further adieu, here's a little step-by-step guide on how to make your own! Also, FEEL FREE to comment on anything that could be made easier or better! The best things can be made when everyone combines the best tips and tricks! (I did learn that next time I would use a brighter color mud... that one was a little too neutral so they look a little plain.)
Hope you enjoy - I've got two more recent crafts to post on later... our house is filling up with all of these great items! (Just as a teaser: I'm refurbishing a chair to post! No, not the Victorian one yet, but another one... and a great "above the bed" look that I finally nailed!!)
I have been looking for a project to do with my girlfriends next week, and I think this would be perfect. We all have gardens, and I think it would be wonderful to have a birdhouse for our gardens. The antique look is phenomenal, and I love the idea of making a birdhouse that's themed! Thank you so much for your step-by-step, it's going to be very helpful for the girls and me!
ReplyDeleteSara Welsh | http://www.joesgiftsnthings.com/listing.asp?dept_id=30060&nopopup=1