Decorating a Birdhouse
by: James Patterson

Building and decorating a bird house is something that parents and kids can do together. It is relatively cheap and can provide hours of entertainment even after the project is completed. If your child is anything like me, they will love anything that can fly and by building a bird house it will help them to watch birds and may even challenge them to find out even more about the types of birds that frequent your backyard.

Building Your Birdhouse

Three are many different ways that you can go about building your bird house. If you want your kids to have some input, it is important for the design to remain simple. However, if building the bird house is simply for your own craft, there are many complicated and fascinating designs that can be followed. It all depends on what you are looking for from your birdhouse. Looking to impress the neighbors? There are designs that will make your own home look like a shack!

If you want your kids to be a part of the process it is very easy to make your birdhouse very simple. It is quite possible to use four or five pieces of wood and construct one with very little in the way of tools. This will allow your kids to claim ownership over the birdhouse from start to finish.

Painting Your Birdhouse

This is where your kids will have a blast! If you approached correctly, your kids will realize that this is actually a house for birds and they need to decorate it as they would their own house. Again, this will be a great exercise for kids to visualize and might spark a greater interest in birds and other animals. Although there are many ways to go about painting your birdhouse, one the best ways to go about doing this is to use a sponge brush. This will give you enough control to do what you want. Sponge brushes are also great for kids. They don’t hold too much paint, but are still able to get the job done.

One thing to keep in mind is that the paint you use should not contain any chemicals that will have potential harm to the bird who will be visiting. Please take careful notice of the type of paint you are using. Not only could this be fatal to the birds, but it could also be traumatic to your kids.

Another thing to consider is to leave the inside of the birdhouse free of any paint. It should be completely natural and free of chemicals so that the birds can freely make a home inside.

How Bright Should My Birdhouse Be Painted?

Although it might be fun to paint your birdhouse a loud color that will stand out in your yard, and this might be your kid’s color of choice, it is important to recognize that bright colors will not necessarily attract more birds. In the wild, female birds are a more subdued color for protection. This will often translate into where birds attempt to find shelter. If your birdhouse is too bright, it might not attract birds.

About The Author

James Patterson has been in the bird world for over 10 years, spending most of it breeding exotic birds.He has also written many articles for his local bird club's newsletter.Site: http://www.birdflights.com/beak.pl/cedar/how/butterfly-audubon.html
 

When selecting your bowl, make sure it is large enough so that it will fit in the hole of the grapevine wreath, and that the wreath will be able to support the bowl once water and rocks are added.

Using the wire snips, cut off the top (hook section) of your coat hangers. Then use your hands to straighten them out, or set them on the driveway or a sidewalk and use a hammer to straighten them. Once you have straightened the clothes hangers, bend one end of each of them to form a small hook about the size of a cup hook. You will probably need to use pliers to do this.

Now take the wire and wire the straight (or long ends) of the hooked coat hangers together. You will eventually use another wire through the three hooks or loops to affix to a tree or other object from which you will be hanging your bird bath.

Now take the other ends of the coat hangers, and create large hooks which are fitted to the underside of the wreath. Hook the wreath to the three coat hangers so that the wreath is on the bottom, with the three coat hangers forming a conical or tripod shape, which comes to an apex above the center of the wreathe (where you have previously wired the three coat hangers together and made the small cup hook shapes). Then, wire each of the larger hooks which support the wreath to the wreath itself, so as to safeguard against them coming off.

Cut the leaves off of the fresh grapevine, and wrap the coat hangers with the fresh grapevine. This will disguise or cover the coat hangers and give the bird bath a look of aesthetic continuity. Other options would include covering the coat hangers with leafy silk vines, silk flowers, or holiday lights.

Place the rocks in the pottery bowl. It is a good idea to use river rocks which can be purchased from craft stores and come in various colors. Fill the bowl to about two inches from the top with the rocks. Place the bowl inside the center of the wreath.

Add water to about one inch or one half inch from the top. Place your new bird bath in an ideal spot for watching its new customers. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!

About The Author
Ron Maier is the owner of OnlyHangers.com, a leading online vendor of coat hangers, clothes hangers, wooden hangers, decorative hangers, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.onlyhangers.com.

For a matter of fact just watching the feathered creatures having fun in the water will make all your efforts worth it.

Many a times this type of arrangement is created for people too. A well created bird bath can be a perfect addition to garden environment. I found great Pet related information at http://www.pleasepetme.com. This creation serves two purposes at the same time; besides being visually attractive it is also serving a useful purpose. The right combination of type and style of the bird bath can increase the appeal of your outdoor garden area and thus can then be enjoyed by both birds and people alike.

Also it acts like a great tool for bird watchers to attract birds and see them form a closer distance. Thus in turn it is a great incentive for bird watchers to build as bird bath for our feathered friends. By using one the bird baths you can attract a diverse collection of species of birds, as proclaimed by some watchers. If you actually check this out you will notice that a greater number of avian creatures are enticed by water than by seeds.

Although amazing, only seed-eating species like the blue jays and the sparrows are attracted to the feeders. You might rarely get a glance of a finch or a bright red cardinal but you can be sure that the feeders will attract the same kind of birds.

Beside the normal seeds, insects and fruits are also a part of the diet of a number of birds. Your seed feeder won’t be able to draw bird species like catbirds, wrens and waxwings which are the ones that will give your garden a bit of diversity. Though, you might be able to interest them in a wonderful bird bath. All birds don’t indulge in seed, but all do drink water, thus the wonderful thing of a bathing area is that it attracts a wider audience.

Now that you have realized that a well crafted bird bath can complete your garden, you will have to remember a small number of things whilst out shopping. So as to enable the bird to stand properly in the water, ensure that the article has a rough bottom. Also the bird bath has never to be deep, recommended height is three inches or less.

It has been found out that the hum of trickling water attracts more birds than stagnant water, thus it would be great if you would think of including a fountain element to summon the birds to the water oasis.

About The Author

Dylan Mccabe

In Dylan's spare time he helps out with the following internet websites: http://www.mmdatahub.com http://www.massreleases.com