It’s Craft Time once again, dear readers. This means you get to see firsthand my trademark — shoddy craftsmanship — that I leave on my every project.

Today, we’re making birdhouses. This Christmas, I made these two birdhouses for my mom and grandma. I wanted to give them something cute, one-of-a-kind, and inexpensive.  Let’s get rolling, shall we?

First, build your birdhouse. Use lightweight, unfinished wood pieces and wood glue. Or, because my personal thought for this project was Shit, Christmas is tomorrow, I just went to Michael’s and picked up a pre-made birdhouse; they’re available at all craft or hobby stores. Then, make sure you have a good supply of EXTERIOR paint. These birdhouses will more than likely be outdoors, so let’s make them nature-proof. I like to select two colors…usually cheerful and bright — anything that reminds you of a beach cottage is usually good. Now, paint the small detail parts first. It sounds odd, but the larger pieces are usually easier to paint, and we don’t want to keep having to correct brush slips. Two or three coats of paint proves to be best.



Next, go ahead and do two coats of your main color:



These are pretty cute, so if you want to call it a day, it’s totally fine. Just skip ahead to the hook section of this How-To.

However, if you think details are the key to a project well-done, then let’s talk antiques. I am a total antique nut. Kyle always buys me antiques for Christmas, and they always end up being my most cherished item of the year. So, with that in mind, I headed to A Fairhope Find, a local antique store in my community. I hit the jackpot. I found a ton of great iron stars, fleur de lis knobs, etc. I hoarded it all, but I couldn’t find the crown jewel for my mom’s house. I walked across the street to Downtown Antiques and found a broken antique doorknob that was perfect!

When you find your own perfect pieces, wedge them onto the perch stick on the front of the house. Secure into place with super glue (hate it, but it works). For any embellishment on the back or sides, try to use adhesives rather than nails so that the bird residents don’t impale themselves. Gruesome!



Now, onto the hooks. As you can see in the very first photo, there is a little circular hook coming out of the top of the house. This, of course, so that you can hang your birdie abode from a tree limb, pole, whatever. If you plan to create this option, just grab your drill and the smallest bit. Find the center of your roof, and drill a hole from one roof side to the other by holding the drill parallel to the ground. If your birdhouse is front-heavy (like my doorknob birdhouse), then be sure to drill your holes towards the front of the house so that when held from that point, the house is upright. Be sure to check the hanging tilt of the house BEFORE you drill.

At the craft store, purchase some strong wire in the metal of your choice. Look for malleability, but be sure it can hold its shape while supporting the weight of the house. Cut about 8” of wire and loop it straight through both of the drilled holes. Wrap the wire around itself at the base, right above the peak of the roof. Keep wrapping until you have about a half of an inch of wire standing up. Then, take one end of the wire and create a circle at the top. Wrap the other end around the circle in a funky pattern. Secure the pointy, jabby ends at the base of the circle, and cut off any excess. Check it out:



Voilà! Handmade gift for yourself or others!

Other suggestions:
1. Add antique ceramic tile, mosaic tile, or even metal back splash tiles to your roof.
2. If you’re into the “junk” look, use an old license plate, bent in half, as the roof.
3. Use a bent spoon, an old faucet, or even a broken paint brush as the perch.
4. Add rusted wire around the bottom as a “fence” for the house.
5. Make ‘em with your kids. Everything looks cooler when a child makes it.

Did you make one? Let me see what it looks like! Email your birdhouse to me. Just click the Contact AlexiEileen button on the right.