Design Crafters

Having birds and woodland critters in your backyard helps keep gardens healthy year round. When the winter weather sets in, however, the feathered & furry friends need shelter from the cold if you want them to stick around.

I have always had home-made birdhouses in my backyard, but this Christmas I am trying something new. I am building a standard birdhouse, but I am decorating it like a holiday gingerbread house to add some festive fun to my backyard décor.

Making a Christmas-inspired birdhouse is easy. First you need to pick out the type of birdhouse you want to work with. Make sure you use one that is clean of decorations or paint, otherwise, you will have to strip it or work with what you have.

If you are building your birdhouse from scratch, make sure you make the entrance into the birdhouse big enough for your feathered friends, but too small for the neighborhood squirrels to take roost.

Once you have the birdhouse all prepared for decorations, you can begin to plan your house theme. This year I am doing a gingerbread-style birdhouse, with fake gumdrops & candy canes, and I am painting the house in red, white and green stripes to continue the theme. Make sure you use a non-toxic glue, incase one of the birds gets curious and takes a little nibble!

When you are finished decorating, let the birdhouse sit inside for 24-48 hours to let the glue dry, and then voila, you have a beautiful holiday-themed birdhouse for your backyard friends.