Nature's Birdhouse

Birdhouse Mania? - My official prediction is that with the birdhouse challenge on the 2nd week of Craft Wars - Birdhouse crafting is going to be more popular than ever!   To keep in the spirit, I thought I'd share a project from one of our past When Creativity Knocks Creative Journal newsletters.   While it may not have the “bling factor” of the one Tori Spelling shared recently, it’s “back to nature” feel made it a winner in my porch decor.  

The unfinished birdhouse has been nestled amongst the plants on my screened porch for a couple of years.  I’ve been pondering how I wanted to decorate it.  While cleaning my studio I discovered my stash of tiny pinecones and birch bark – and my decision was made!

The great thing about real birch bark is that it peels resulting in several, paper thin layers of bark.  Just one small strip was enough to cover almost this entire birdhouse.  Elmer’s Craft Bond Tacky Glue was the perfect adhesive to hold my birch bark in place.  I left the edges around the hole to the birdhouse rough, as I love the added rustic effect. 

Craft Bond Tacky Glue would also work to hold the tiny pinecones in place, but I opted for the faster drying option of a hot glue gun.  Simply layer your pinecones and glue in place until the entire roof is covered.  Can’t find tiny pinecones?  Use full size pinecones and simply remove the individual pieces and use them as shingles for your roof.    If you don’t have an unfinished birdhouse, but have another you’ve had around a while that needs a bit of sprucing up, just cover it the same way and it will look like a whole new piece!   Note – This birdhouse is meant for decorative purposes only. Perfect for a summer porch, but may not hold up to the weather if a real family of birds was to move in (unless you coated the
entire piece with Powertex Liquid Textile Hardener - that would make it perfectly weather proof!)  I encourage you to add some functional birdhouses to yard no matter how big or small it may be – watching nesting birds is truly one of nature’s wonders!