How to Decoupage A Birdhouse

I am a big fan of birdhouses.  I think they add so much interest to a garden and the birds seem to really appreciate them.  It's never a long wait to see if a bird moves in shortly after I put out a new birdhouse.  I am always looking for cute birdhouses on clearance or I make my own.  The last time I showed you a handmade birdhouse it was in THIS POST.  My son made the birdhouse in high school.  The one I am showing you today is from Hobby Lobby.

Here is the completed birdhouse.  I know, it's not as nice as my last birdhouse, but it's my first attempt at decoupage so I can't complain.  I'm sure the birds won't mind it either 😁.

Usually I forget to take a "before" picture.  This time I remembered, but only after I started painting 😆.  I started by priming the birdhouse.  This is a crucial step that a lot of people skip, but it's important as it provides a nice white base for the color to adhere to and keeps the color from soaking into the wood. 

I like my birdhouses to be very colorful so I chose bright bold colors and started painting away.  This, later turned out to be a mistake as I was to find out that with decoupage you want a light colored base.  Oh well, live and learn.

I found these adorable Easter napkins at TJ Maxx.  Aren't they pretty?

I read that napkins are the hardest to decoupage because they wrinkle, and there are tips to get around the wrinkles, but I actually love the wrinkles;  it gives it an aged, vintage effect.  Remember when crackle paint was all the rage a few years ago?  Well decoupage napkins look like crackle paint and I love it!

Decoupage is so simple;  you just apply Mod Podge to your object then you lay your napkin or paper on top.  Gently smooth away the wrinkles (misting with a water bottle helps) and tear or cut away the excess.  Finish with a layer of Mod Podge on top once the napkin is dry.

Napkins usually come in two or three plies, so separate the napkin till you have just the part with the design on it.

And here is my completed decoupaged birdhouse.  It turned out nice, but if I had to do it all over again, I would have painted the house part cream or white.

You can decoupage the entire napkin as I did on the house,  or you can cut out a small section and just decoupage that (as I did near the hole of the birdhouse).

I even did the back of the birdhouse, even though it won't even show once it is hung on a pole.

I had a little wooden bird in your stash, so I glued him on the perch.

I had fun doing my very first decoupage birdhouse and can't wait to try again!  Hopefully I will do better next time.  

I also tried decoupaging a few card fronts, since I am a paper crafter.  It is the same technique as I used in the bird house.  I applied Mod Podge to a piece of card stock, laid down the napkin, then Mod Podged over it once it was dry.  I haven't made them card fronts into cards yet, but I will be sure to show them to you when they are completed.

I also had a beautiful hydrangea napkin in my stash that I saved from an event I went to.  Yes, I'm that person 😄.  I love beautiful napkins, so if I see one I love, I save it for some future craft project.

I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at decoupaging a birdhouse.  What about you?  Have you decoupaged anything?  I'd love to hear from you.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE.

Fore more birdhouse posts, check this out:

I Painted A Birdhouse!

I Painted A Birdhouse!

I purchased some inexpensive wooden bird houses for the grandchildren to paint for their birthdays, and while they were painting theirs, I decided to paint one myself.  However, my birdhouse wasn't a thin birdhouse you'd find at a craft store.  Mine was made by my son when he was in high school and he painted it a solid black...it was his goth years, what can I say?  😂. If ever I wished I had taken a "before" photo, this was it.  I remember being so upset with him that he painted his beautifully constructed birdhouse black.  I put it in my garden shed, always planning to someday repaint it a pretty color as all birdhouses should be, and fifteen-eighteen years later, the day finally arrived. 

Unfortunately, as always, I do not have a step-by-step tutorial for you.  My creative process just doesn't work that way, especially with painting.  I did start with a picture on Pinterest.  I can never just pull a creative idea out of the air.  I always have to start with someone else's idea and then take off from there. 

To paint my birdhouse, first I sanded the high gloss black paint to rough it up so it would accept new paint, then I applied primer to it, and a coat of teal paint to the house portion.  I used all those little acrylic paint colors you would find at a craft store.  You can see them in the photo below.

I really liked the faux door idea I saw on the birdhouse on Pinterest, so I did that almost exactly, but I changed almost everything else:  the colors, the roof, etc.  I did keep the window idea on the side, after all, if your going to make a birdhouse look like a house it needs a window, right?

I made the roof by just painting on rectangles to look like shingles, but then adding many shades of brown to make it look more realistic.  Acrylic paints are super easy to blend when wet, just don't let the paint dry out.  And don't worry about making a mistake...you can always just add more paint.  I added lines with the darkest shade of brown when I was done painting the rectangles.

To make the window I just painted a rectangle with yellow and waited for it to dry.  Then I added a black frame around it and painted in some violet curtains.

Like the original photo on Pinterest, I added a window box with some vines growing on top of the window.  To do this, I just keep adding several shades of green till I get the look I want.   The flowers are easy, they are just four dots of colors with a bolder dot of color in the middle.  On the bottom of the birdhouse I added grass...just more of different shades of green.  The biggest tip I can give to any amateur painter like myself, is not to paint with just one shade of color;  always use multiple shades of that color for a prettier look.

Now I was left to to decide what to do on the other side of the birdhouse.  I didn't want another window so I just decided to do a flower garden.  I did this the same way I did the window side.  First I just added green grass, vines, and stems, then I filled in with my flower dots.  

It really turned out pretty if I do say so myself.

And in case you missed Sunday's Gardening Post, here is my birdhouse in its new home.  My hubby hung it in my vegetable garden so I could see it from my screened porch.  A wren moved in only two days from hanging it up.  Now when I sit on my porch, I can see and hear the wren going in and out singing its beautiful song.  Wren's have the most beautiful song!

I hope you like my new birdhouse.  What about you?  Do you paint at all?  I'd love to hear from you.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!