THE ALTERED FLEA: March 2012

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Spring is for the Birds!

Spring has sprung. The flowers are a bloomin', the days are getting longer (YEA!), the outdoor cafes are busy with coffee klatches and tea totallers, and allergies have set in. You could say that spring is for the birds! So let's welcome our tweety friends with an altered birdhouse.

Several years ago, I saw large wooden birdhouses on clearance and snapped up as many as I could hold. I pulled one out of my stash with a paper pack, paint and a few embellishments, and went to work.

I had two shades of red that would complement the paper,

ultimately deciding on "Barn Red." [Duh]

Using a foam brush, I painted all the edges and the eaves of the birdhouse.

Next, came the tricky part: making a template to fit the pointed front and back of the house. I couldn't trace it because the eaves jut out. So digging deep into the left side of my brain, I tapped into my algebra skills; and after a few tries, came up with the perfect template with just the correct angles. [Insert happy face.]

The sides and roof were easy to measure with a ruler, as they are all right angles--just measure twice and cut once. Actually, I cut twice, as there are two sides of each! I also used Chestnut Roan liquid chalk to edge the paper.

On the template, I again carefully measured exactly where the circles should be to fit over the 1" hole and tiny perch. Folding the paper in half lengthwise, I punched out both circles and then replicated that on the printed paper.

And now the fun begins: Mod-podging the paper to the bird house.

To add some interest to the roof, I cut out a border from one paper, and adhered it to corrugated cardboard before podging it to both sides of the roof lines. Then more podge all over the birdhouse. If it sits outdoors, it is a good idea to use Outdoor Mod Podge.