Wednesday, June 23, 2010

My Latest Country French Bird House - 2 Story Version


Okay, the birdhouse thing may be getting a little out of hand. I admit it. But, I am really having fun doing it. Seems like every time I make one I want to try and out do the last one. The neat thing about it is that most of the materials was stuff I already had in the garage or in the back yard.


My latest one is this cute 2 story model. I love the country french feel of it. I painted it using a whitewash technique.



I made a major improvement in the design of this one. It has a removable floor and roof. Just remove a few screws and they come right off. That way the insides can be cleaned out at the end of the season, before the next occupants arrive.



Here is a tip for you on birdhouses. It may look cute, but never use metal as a roofing or perch material. Wood is a much better choice. It stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.



Hope you liked this one!





By the way, I decided to put a few of these birdhouses on Etsy. If you are interested, you can check my sidebar for which ones are available. Just click on the pic of the one that catches your eye.

32 comments:

Michele {The Scrap Shoppe} said...

That is gorgeous!! I love it!

Unknown said...

Ooooo! I love that one too! This is probably a silly question, but how do you make a white wash? I tried and failed. I love the look of it though.

{Rebekah}

Rory from Tools Are For Women Too! said...

Rebekah,

I do my color washes with ordinary interior latex wall paint. In this case it was white. Then I go get my spray bottle and fill it with water. I spray the paint while it is still good and wet. I do it randomly, on purpose, (if that makes any sense). I keep spraying until I get the desired look I want. If I use too much water, I just brush on some more paint.

I use this technique with multiple colors sometimes as well. The turquoise candlesticks on my sidebar were done the same way, but with 3 colors instead of just white.

Rory

Sharon@Keen Inspirations said...

Wow! That's an amazing bird house! I found you at Life as Lori's bog.
I'm having a garden party on my blog
http://keeninspirations.blogspot.com
and I'd love to have you link this up! The party is going until Friday and there are fun giveaways each day!
Hope you can make it!
Sharon@keeninspirations

raggygirlvintage said...

Those are just too cute, if I was a birdie I'd be moving right on in!
Tracey

Anonymous said...

Great detail. Not only will the birds love it, but neighbors will appreciate it in the yard.

Recaptured Charm said...

You must get some high class birds over there. WOW is all I can say about your birdhouses! They are amazing. Love the details. Might give it a try myself!
Thanks
Lisa

Sherrie said...

Thanks for the tip on the roof. This is adorable!

ClassyChassy said...

Very nice - you've got some great ideas flowing there!

Kendra@Creative Ambitions said...

Love this!! Great job!!

Lacey said...

Hi Rory, Thanks for the comments on my dog bed. I will be sure to stop by next monday for the link party :-)

What a lovely bird house. Its so pretty. I would love to have this in my back yard.

Daisha said...

What a fun blog. It makes me want to redo the dresser upstairs. i found you on trendy treehouse!

malia said...

beautiful! i love it and i bet the birds will too (-:

Helmitarha said...

This is adorable! Love it!

Reyna Meinhardt said...

Wow, its beautiful! Looks very French Gardeny! Great job, and I love that you made it easy to clean out!

Ann @ makethebestofthings said...

Love your idea of using a picture frame for trim! Gotta try this and soon. What is it about birdhouses that draws us so? Is it because they're small and utilitarian? Don't know, but I've certainly done more than my share of painting and embellishing them! I LOVE yours!!

decorating diva {aka deanna} said...

love them all! i copied ur idea about using old frames to embellish the bird house-so fun! can't wait to do more! hope you'll stop by!http://cottageromance.blogspot.com/2010/06/yard-sale-finds-and-white-wednesday.html

Decor To Adore said...

Oh my goodness~!
Your 2 story house looks utterly charming!

Michella Marie said...

HOLY CATS!!! What an awesome blog!!! I am so glad I found it :)) I'm pretty new at all this blog stuff, but this.... this is what I do!!! I love looking at all of the pretty blogs and ohhing and aahhhing over everything (which by the way your birdhouses are AAAAMAZING!!!) but this is ME (girly girl that loves powertools :)) My stepdad was a carpenter by trade so I grew up puttering around with a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other looking for something that needed to be connected, LOL!!
I look forward to future posts and linking up to all of the parties!!
I am a new follower and will be putting your button (which I absolutely LOVE, BTW) on my blog AND adding you to my sidebar, Whew... Okay I think that just about covers it :))
Stop by anytime and take a look at what I am up to. But keep in mind that I am new to this and am working out the kinks :))
~ Michella ~
http://michellamarie.blogspot.com/

HoosierHomemade said...

Very pretty! My Dad used to build birdhouses, I have a whole container full that I need to fix a little and get out!
I'd love for you to add this to my Weekend Warrior linky party on It's A Blog Party (my other blog) where everyday I host a different linky party! Sundays are for gardening!
http://itsablogparty.com
Thanks for the inspiration!
~Liz

Rory from Tools Are For Women Too! said...

Hi Michella,

Wow! Not sure what to say except thank you very much. You are too kind. I put this blog together about 3 months ago believing that there was a huge void on the internet when it came to craftswomen, like yourself. I wanted a site where craftswomen would feel at home, unlike a lot of the testosterone driven tool sites that are out there today. I was not sure if as a guy, that women would relate well to me writing a pink blog for women, but it keeps growing every day. Who am I to argue when I get comments like yours. Thank you for joining all of us here. We love having you.

Rory

Kaysi @ Keeping it Simple said...

That looks great!!!

Sarah @ The Pumpkin Patch said...

I really loved the smaller version, but I have to admit that I think in this case bigger is better. It looks more proportional to me as a 2 story house. :)

Thanks for linking to Messy Monday!

Unknown said...

totally lovin this! come on over and link up to MMM :)

Olivia said...

Very cute! I love it!
suchakingdom.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

You just keep making your bird houses even better and better! LOVE that this one is 2 stories! ~Bridgette

Lori said...

This birdhouse is awesome! Great job!

I'm featuring this at Life as Lori during my Get Your Craft on Thursday party! If you would like to stop by and grab my I was featured button please do so!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

I love bird houses and yours is amazing! If I could make things like that I would be so pleased! :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Rory, Thanks so much for linking up on craft Schooling Sunday and your steady attendance, I really really appreciate it! Love the birdhouse, and you really can never have too many, so keep on creating!

Robin Ange said...

Love it! Thank you so much for linking up to upcycled AAwesome this week!

cherry said...

Really pretty!
Happy 4th to you and yours!
hugs from Savannah, Cherry

Nikki said...

I LOVE birdhouses!!!!! This is super cute! Thanks for linking it at gettin' crafty on hump day! :)