Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Kettle Gourd Birdhouse with Crocus Design

HAPPY APRIL EVERYONE!

I'm in the mood for spring so I've been working on some new gourd birdhouses. This is one of the new designs for a spring gourd birdhouse. I thought I would share some of the process with you. Please feel free to use any of my ideas and paint a birdhouse for yourself. Change up the design and colors too! I'd love to see what you create. Please post a comment with a link to your creation. I love to see all the beautiful creations from the gourd artists out there :-)

First step.....Selection and Preparation

I always choose my individual gourd for a specific project and design. I have chosen this one for a wren/finch birdhouse with a nice spring crocus design. Sand and seal your gourd before drilling and drawing on your design.

I mark my 4 holes on the bottom of the gourd for drainage just in case wind blows and water gets into the birdhouse. You don't want those little babies to drown!



I also drill two holes for the hanger, 1 for the perch and a 1" hole for the entrance to the birdhouse (between 3-5" from the floor of the gourd).




Clean out all the loose seeds and debris that is inside the gourd. I use a dust mask so I don't inhale the gourd particles. They can cause lung irritation in some people.

The perch gets glued in with weather-proof glue.


I'll be back with more pics of the design and painting process later this week. Grab a gourd and paint along with me!
Have a great week,
Darlene

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