It’s been a while since I created a bird project for our yard…so I decided to combine this year’s “Cabin” theme with an outdoors project. Since we always have nesting wrens and chickadees at our house, I wanted to make them a new, alternative abode.
Now- I could have constructed a miniature cabin from scratch. But oh my goodness, that sounded like a lot of work! So instead, I decided to repurpose a 1970s-era souvenir bank- the kind that used to be found at every national park gift shop across the USA. Did you have one when you were younger?
Remember these?
I definitely remember seeing these while on vacation!
Remember those? I do…vaguely…and since the dimensions are nearly perfect for a DIY wren house, I figured it might just be the cutest bank-turned-birdhouse ever. This post contains affiliate links for your crafting convenience.
First step- I needed to fill in the bank’s coin slot! So, I used some quasi-color-matched wood putty and a wooden coffee stirrer to carefully seal up the slot.
Just gotta seal this up…
There we go!
I went ahead and applied some putty to the seam where the two roof sections met, and let it dry/cure overnight. Then, using a hole cutting bit, we created a 1⅛” hole (ideal for the smallest birds, like my wrens and chickadees). My small, child-sized fingers could then sand down the inner edge until it was smooth.
Starting to look like a birdhouse!
Next, I added two small eye screws under each gable (for hanging purposes). Putting the eye screws here (as opposed to one on each roof section) will help balance the house better and the area is less likely to get wet from weather.
One on this side…
…and one on the other side.
As a precaution, we drilled two small holes in the bottom…on either side of the coin access! This will help with air flow to prevent mold & mildew from building up inside.
Always a good idea!
Once all the drilling was complete, I gave the entire bird house a healthy coat of sealant and let it dry overnight. Then, I strung some wire between the two eye screws and it was ready to hang outside!
Is that not the cutest???
Ta-da!! Isn’t it just the cutest? And in case you were curious, wrens prefer birdhouses that do NOT have a perch outside the entrance, which is why I didn’t add one to the project.
I’m in love!
I can’t wait to bring it to the mountain cabin and hang it outside! And if you follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram, you’ll definitely be able to see any updated photos of my Cabin projects, including this one!
Craft on!
S
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The post From Bank to Birdhouse: A Log Cabin for the Birds appeared first on Sadie Seasongoods.