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Junk is for the Birds

October 11th, 2008 in blog, projects
suewhitney Sue Whitney, editor
2 users recommend
This was so much fun to do that I felt like a kid again. 98 washers, 98, screws, medium grit sand paper, a sprocket, a thing-a ma-jig, an old heel plate from a shoe, a cork, a wing nut, another screw, some rocks from the parking lot, some moss, strapping tape, some more screws, a belt buckle, some fabric, a vintage insulator, another screw, an old hinge pin, a screw gun, some glue, some paint, and some stain. Yep, that sounds about right. You can only imagine how heavy this birdhouse is! Oh, and by the way I know that there is no way for a bird to enter. The instructions were for an indoor birdhouse!
Modest beginnings.
I did use the kiddie paint to paint the roof before attaching the washers, screws, and moss.
One by one the washers were glued on to look like shingles. 49 each side!
After the glue was dry I screwed each of them down. I did this for design reasons not out of necessity. I user 8 X 3/8 sheet metal screws. First of all because thats what I had, but I also liked the way they pop out a bit adding dimension to the roof.
After staining the entire house (except the roof) it was time to add the sand paper siding. Ha! I measured and cut the sand paper and glued to the front, the sides, and the back. It covers the top half of the house.
Here she is, my little ten ton beauty. I glued moss to all of the exposed wood to add charm. Do you love the door?
The door is none other than a heel plate from a shoe. The door handle is a washer, a small cork, screw, and a wing nut. Notice that I added the strapping tape before I nailed on the door. The door covers the rough edges of the tape. The perch is a hinge pin. I drilled a hole, added some Chair Lock (a wood expanding glue), and slipped the pin in.
Rocks from the parking lot and some glue create the bottom walls.
This is the rear view of the house. Do you know what the widow is made from? The chimney is an insulator from an electric fence.
The rear window is a vintage belt buckle. Cool!
The bottom part of the stand is a sprocket, as for the top that I glued on its former life is unknown. Hence we will forever refer to it as a thing-a-ma-jig.
This was so much fun to do that I felt like a kid again. 98 washers, 98, screws, medium grit sand paper, a sprocket, a thing-a ma-jig, an old heel plate from a shoe, a cork, a wing nut, another screw, some rocks from the parking lot, some moss, strapping tape, some more screws, a belt buckle, some fabric, a vintage insulator, another screw, an old hinge pin, a screw gun, some glue, some paint, and some stain. Yep, that sounds about right. You can only imagine how heavy this birdhouse is! Oh, and by the way I know that there is no way for a bird to enter. The instructions were for an indoor birdhouse!

This was so much fun to do that I felt like a kid again. 98 washers, 98, screws, medium grit sand paper, a sprocket, a thing-a ma-jig, an old heel plate from a shoe, a cork, a wing nut, another screw, some rocks from the parking lot, some moss, strapping tape, some more screws, a belt buckle, some fabric, a vintage insulator, another screw, an old hinge pin, a screw gun, some glue, some paint, and some stain. Yep, that sounds about right. You can only imagine how heavy this birdhouse is! Oh, and by the way I know that there is no way for a bird to enter. The instructions were for an "indoor" birdhouse!
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Here is the scoop about how this bird house project came about. I will be speaking in Atlanta next week and was asked to create a birdhouse to be auctioned off for charity. The speakers and designers will also be in competition with one another. I was told I would be sent some supplies. When I received this child's birdhouse with kiddie paints I burst into hysterical laughter. Don't get me wrong, it brought back great memories of doing these with my children at the cabin, but this needed to be a little more sophisticated. So off to the junk pile and the tool room I went to get some inspiration. This is what I came up with. It's great for fall, but later I'll show you how to work it for the holidays.

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posted in: blog, projects, seasonal, tabletop, centerpiece, artwork
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Comments (11)

Chovey writes: Love the indoor birdhouse!!! Can't wait to see the 'holiday' version, too!! go girl!!
cynthia Posted: 2:30 pm on October 13th
shabbychick writes: Sue - You've got my vote!!! Very cute - and love the roof with the screws and moss -gives it a cozy look. If you put it outside I'm sure some little bird would give it their best shot to get that door open!!

Kathy

P.S. You know your luggage is going to be over the weight limit now!

Gretchen - you're right - a little rust would be good too! Posted: 9:18 am on October 13th
MimiToria writes: Ok Sue, my growing up on a farm is coming in handy now. I actually get to reveal what the thing-a-ma-jig white thing on the top of your birdhouse is. It is an electric fence insulator. It is porcelain and the electric fence wraps around the groove (rusty area on your insulator) and was then attached with a long screw type thing to the heavy duty fence posts farmers used to use. I did a lot of fencing in my days, so that is how I know this. Finally, all that work as a kid came in handy.
Gretchen Posted: 8:57 am on October 13th
suewhitney writes: Thanks everyone! This was a fun project. I have no doubt that the glue would hold up outside. The only things that would be a problem are the sand paper and the fabric in the window. Alternative siding could be old linoleum or the tips of shims you can pick up at the hardware store. I would put them on like cedar shake. The door can be left open leaving the hole if it were attached with tiny hinges.

Hope everyone is well and happy junkers.

Take care,
Sue Posted: 8:07 am on October 13th
junkinhart writes: Very creative, Sue!! Just seeeing creations like these get the creative juices flowing for more things that can be created out of basically nothing into something superb!!

For outside -- if a cedar house was used it would withstand the outside elements, and the screws are holding the washers in. I also checked out the Gorilla website -- some of their ideas for using gorilla glue outside was building a birdhouse and repairing a birdbath -- IT SHOULD WORK!! But the sandpaper probly wouldn't withstand!!

We would all be the envy of our neighbors with this outside!!
Posted: 7:46 am on October 13th
MimiToria writes: Sue-
This is so creative. You have an awesome project inspiration here.
The window is the belt buckle!!! Right?
Love this project, but what would you have to do different if you wanted to create something similiar to this for the outdoors? I know the hole would need to stay, but what about the glue, etc. Can you use gorilla glue for outdoor application on the washers, or would something else be needed in place of that.
Can't you just visulize one like this outside after a few weeks with the washers turn rusty? How cool would that be for us junkers gardens? Hmmmmm! Now, I'm really inspired!
Gretchen Posted: 2:21 pm on October 12th
Junk_Sophisticate writes: I love logging into your site. You have the best projects and this is absolutely adorable. Very creative!

Candy Posted: 9:27 pm on October 11th
ALVN writes: Seriously and disturbingly cute! How do you do it?! Keep on amazing us...

Amy Posted: 6:39 pm on October 11th
kopykatkim writes: What a great birdhouse. Very imaginative, much better than using the kiddie paints. It really is a piece of art!!!! I'm sure the folks in Atlanta will be very suprised and glad to see what a little or should we say alot of JUNK can build.You could say this is the house that junk made.Truly an inspiration. Thanks for all you do. Posted: 6:23 pm on October 11th
georgiamoon writes: Hmmm, I have never heard of a indoor birdhouse before but I can tell how much LOVE went into this one. That's a lot of screws you used in that there birdhouse. I'll bet yours is the best one there! It is really cute and if I were a birdie (and it had a door) I would want to live in it. Love it, geo Posted: 5:57 pm on October 11th
roadtriplouise writes: You are so creative! I bet you worked on this quite awhile.
Ann Posted: 5:31 pm on October 11th
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