Decorate a wooden birdhouse with irresistible vintage finds like yardsticks, luggage locks, and wooden spools. Make this yardstick birdhouse colorful with paint-washed yardsticks. Great upcycle project for the garden!
We are Plaid Ambassadors and get all kind of wonderful paint and other craft materials from Plaid. We love their products and used their craft paints for this project.
How To Make A Yardstick Birdhouse
Materials
Unfinished wood birdhouse, 8½”x6”
Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paints: Habanero 32050, Surf 32016, Yellowjacket 32064, Greek Tile 32019
Plaid FolkArt Artist’s Pigment Acrylic Paint: Burnt Sienna 943
Plaid FolkArt Artist’s Varnish Gloss 882
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metal Number Plaquette
Metal strip trim from furniture repair kit (for eaves)
4 Bead caps, brass
Winged cherub charm
Wire, aluminum or silver
Materials From The Flea Market
6-10 Yardsticks & rulers
2 Aluminum soda cans
3 Wooden thread spools
6 Red Buttons, small
4 Red Buttons, large
Heart-shaped padlock
Other Tools and Materials
Beacon Adhesives Quick Grip
Flower hole punch, small
Flower hole punch, large
Handsaw
Hammer
Craft snips
Round-nose pliers
Sandpaper
Tack cloth
Foam paintbrush
Paper towels
Scissors
Steps
1. Measure the roof of the birdhouse. Use the handsaw to cut the rulers and yardsticks to fit the roof. Saw enough to cover both sides. We cut five pieces for each side. Sand the ends and wipe with tack cloth.
2. Saw the spools in half lengthwise.
3. Mix three parts varnish with one part Burnt Sienna paint to make a brown stain. Paint the birdhouse with the brown stain.
4. Dilute the rest of the craft paint colors with water. Paint a coat of thin paint on a ruler piece.
Before the paint dries, wipe it off with a paper towel to give an aged look. Paint some ruler pieces blue, some red, some yellow, and some aqua. Use the same technique to paint the spool halves.
5. Rinse the soda cans. Use the craft snips to cut a slit in the side of each soda can. Then cut off the top and bottom of each can. Flatten the can. Use the large and small flower hole punches to punch flowers out of the cans. (Be careful, the can might be a little sharp although ours wasn’t at all.)
6. Glue the ruler and yardstick pieces to the roof of the birdhouse. Glue the metal strip trim to the eaves. Flatten bead caps with a hammer and glue onto eaves. Glue the cherub charm to the roof’s peak. Glue the number plaquette over the door. Hang the padlock on the perch.
7. Glue spool halves to sides and front of house. Glue flowers over spools. Add button centers. Make stems from wire and glue to birdhouse.
We love decorating birdhouses and have lots of them here on the blog. Check out this Fleastyle Birdhouse and this China Mosaic Birdhouse.
Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty
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