I love beautiful old birdhouses.
Chippy. Shabby. Crusty.
Falling apart but oh so charming...love them.
One of my favorite styles is a very simple colonial looking birdhouse.
Just like colonial style houses ~ which I adore-
they have a facade full of charm,
lots of little 'windows' across the front and delightful shabby paint.
The project for March for Lowes Creative Ideas was to create a special place for your feathered friends.
So when I saw what the March project was - I was kind of excited to get started!
I sketched out my plans, made my list & headed to Lowes for the supplies I needed.
We started by taking plywood to create the 'house'
We cut the front, back and peaked side pieces, nailed them together and we had the birdhouse frame.
Add the roof and voila- a wee house.
Then came marking where all the holes go and cutting them out.
To cut the holes for the birdhouse- you'll need a special bit for your drill or better yet- drill press
It's called a Forstner bit.
google image
It takes a bit of time to cut the holes~ it's not the easiest bit to use for sure
you need to use enough pressure to cut the hole - but not too much as it likes to bind up
(don't ask me how I know)
Not to mention the bit like to collect the 'hole' a lot of time which means you have to get the wood out
before you can drill the next one - it is messy, messy, messy.
Next we added the bottom and we made it wide enough to be able to put birdseed in
and then came the perches.
Bamboo or wood dowels work great for areas for the birds to perch.
One of the 'perches' broke when I was moving it outside~ this house is a bit heavy and cumbersome to carry.
I went ahead and took the photos quick before the rain started up again and hadn't fixed it yet-
guess that is my first birdhouse repair project
;)
I shabbied it up with a coat of white paint and a dry brushing on the top with Coco chalk paint
to make it a little more aged and then did a bit of distressing.
I also went through and sanded each of the holes
to make sure there were no splinters or anything sticking out.
We had some cedar shake shingles left over from shingling the peaks of our house so
I used those for the roof.
I cut a few of them down and started nailing them on in no particular size or order.
I am loving it's random and wonky look.
Every new house needs a little housewarming wreath so
clipping a couple twigs off of a heather plant
I shaped them into a wee wreath for the front to welcome the birds.
Then outside it went.
We will be putting it on a pole at some point and finding the perfect spot to mount it.
but for now it is sitting on a shabby garden table in a spot where I usually put birdseed in the summer.
Sitting down in a chair on the patio I waited for those birdies to come...
They were flying around... they were chirping and singing...
but they didn't find that big old birdhouse with fresh birdseed.
(Do you think it means you might be a little looney toons if you sit outside ... camera in hand
waiting and waiting eagerly for a bird to come find the new birdhouse you put out for them?
Yeah my sister and oldest son thought it was a little crazy too...lol)
The next day as I was sitting at my desk in my bedroom getting a post ready
I looked up and glanced out the window and there was this little guy.
Ohhh I was so excited!!!
I grabbed my telephoto lens and then quietly took a couple photos from inside the house.
I love that he looks like he is checking out the house~
seeing if the craftsmanship is decent, if it's well insulated,
maybe wondering if that crazy roof will hold up...
Build it...
and they will come.
and they will come.
:)
I was compensated for this post as a member of the
Lowes Creative Ideas Network of Creators and Influencers but the designs and opinions are my own.
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