Pretty Gourd Birdhouse: How-To Project

Today’s feature is from MIY Lifestyle with this tutorial for making Decorative Gourd Birdhouses:

Gourd Birdhouse Project By miycreations.com

Want birds in your backyard? Then why not make them a gourd-geous birdhouse? Working with hard-shell gourds is an ancient art that is becoming increasingly popular as a contemporary art form. Since gourds come in many different shapes and sizes, they can be used to make numerous decorative artifacts. Unlike the small, thin-skinned decorative gourds, hard-shell ones – once dried – harden and last forever. This is a perfect project to do with the kids. Half the fun is the trip to the country market to find that perfect gourd.

Choose a hard shell gourd in the shape and size you want, drill a small hole in it for the birds to enter through, paint it in any decorative fashion you choose and voila! lovely personalized birdhouse for your backyard that will last for years. A few prep tips from the site:

• To remove the green mold that is likely on the gourd, soak it in water for 15 minutes then scrub clean with a brush.
• To ensure the gourd has dried properly, shake it to hear if the seeds rattle and make sure it has a hard stem and dark mould on it.
• Skip the painting and decorating and just use the gourd “au naturel” for the birdhouse, all it needs is a coat of water sealer.

Please visit the site listed above for all the project details (lots of helpful tips provided), very creative!

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