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Altered Winter Birdhouse
by Patricia Folchert
(Dec 12, 2012)
 There must be others out there that enjoy dressing up their home to welcome in each new season, like I do. Typically birdhouses are a summer decoration but I thought it might be fun to alter this one for winter décor. So I found some winter-themed paper with colors I loved and started to work. You can literally alter almost anything; it is just a matter of identifying what materials it takes. Here are the materials needed for this project:
Steps to Make Birdhouse: 1) You may need to paint your base with a solid color first, especially sides that will not be covered with paper. Paint with a foam brush and set aside. 2) Lay out your papers and decide which paper you want for each surface that needs covered. 3) Using a ruler take measurements of each surface area. 4) Cut each of your papers to those measurements and set aside. 5) Make sure your base paint is completely dry. Once the paint is dry, you can begin to attach your cut pieces. Apply Mod Podge directly to the birdhouse and then lay the paper pieces on top of the Mod Podge. Repeat this step to attach all your pieces. 6) Using a sanding block, sand down the edges of your paper to the birdhouse. Blow off any excess sanding dust. 7) Add a layer of Mod Podge over all the adhered paper and set aside to dry. This coat will make it more durable. 8) To create the poinsettias, draw up two different sizes of petals and use them as templates. For the large poinsettia you will need five large petals and five medium petals. For the smaller poinsettia you will only need five medium-sized petals. After all the petals are cut, distress the edges a little. Then fold the petals to create a line down the center. Ink the center line and edges with brown ink. The leaves are created in the same way, using green patterned paper. Punch two small flowers for the center of the poinsettias. 9) Cover all the petals and two small punched flowers with Mod Podge, front and back, using a foam brush. Set aside to dry. 10) Select embellishments for the flower centers. I chose etched wood buttons and red rhinestones. 11) When the petals are dry you can build your flowers. Start with a small punched cardstock circle and attach petals around it using glue dots. Then attach other layers of petals using foam dots. Next attach the small punched flowers with foam dots and layer embellishments on top using glue dots. Do the same steps to assemble the smaller poinsettia. Attach the flowers to the birdhouse with several 3D foam dots.
That's it; now you have a new color-coordinated winter décor item to display proudly in your home! These types of birdhouses are easy to find at garage sales, flea markets, Goodwill or craft stores. If you do alter one, please share your handiwork with us here at the Scrapjazz Gallery. We would love to see your interpretation of this fun décor project. Materials Used in Article:
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