My friend, Michele and her family get together every year and make birdhouses. They reclaim wood from broken fences and other old materials, then craft them into unique designs. I’m the lucky recipient of this charming model, below.
Reclaimed fencing
I love their family tradition of gathering and creating together. I’m also a huge fan of reclaiming materials and giving them a new life.
Back of birdhouse
They attached the back of the birdhouse with screws for easy removal and cleaning. Weathered wood blends beautifully into the landscape.
Ceramic or porcelain “chimney”
The birdhouse “chimney” is a vintage ceramic or porcelain insulator. Once used as old telephone wire insulation, the markings indicate manufacturing by WP or Wisconsin Porcelain. The top of the insulator reminds me of a peppermint Lifesaver. I’m never far from my sugar-loving roots. Ha!
Even the rusty nail is re-purposed, artfully bent into a perch.**
Do you have gift-making family traditions?
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**I plan to display this lovely birdhouse as a piece of art. If you want to attract nesting birds to your yard, here are a few safety tips.
Gardening Nirvana 
That is so sweet! I love everything about this – including your sugar-loving sweet self! 🙂
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(((You)))
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Very charming, lucky you to have been gifted their handiwork. I’ve always wanted to learn how to use a table saw or miter saw so I could plan things like this. It’s very cute and seems to fit in the elbow of your tree well too. Kismet strikes again 😀 I think the perch is really sweet too.
What kind of tenant to you think you’ll see in it? Speaking of lifesavers, I can’t even think of when I last bought some but my favourite was always Butterscotch and Grape. Even one of each, together at the same time. Ya, I’m just that weird..LOL.
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It is charming! That is the perfect way to describe it.
Most of the nesting birds around here are crows and mourning doves, far too big for this box. I’ll have to do a bit of research to see what we might attract.
I L.O.V.E love butterscotch Life Savers. They are my all time favorite.
I’ve never tried that combo, but hey…why not.
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We used to have swallows nest in our bird houses at the lake. They formerly liked to build a mud nest in the eves of the house over the deck which got very messy when the little ones would stick their little tushes over the edge to (excuse the graphicness) ‘poop’. So it was a win, win. Do you have swallows? You see them a lot in vintage art, arrow tail, white tummy and blueish wings and body. They’re pretty and sing a nice song. They’d sit on the power line just outside my bedroom window and wake me….la la la chirp chirp.
PS. No Way ! Your all time favourite Life Saver is Butterscotch too? Why am I surprised at this…LOL. xoK
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Thanks for sharing the beautiful boxes on Facebook. They looked like weathered aqua. Could that be? 🙂
I remember seeing several mud nests in the eaves at wineries in Napa and Calistoga. I wonder if you noticed them when you were there. They are pretty.
Yep…Butterscotch. We should have known. xo
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Yes you know it, of course they were aqua 😀 I used craft paint instead of proper outdoor paint so they did weather a lot. But I liked the look so I never fixed it. I guess I missed the mud nests on our Napa tour, drats. I’ll have to watch for them next time….too much wine? (not really) It’s so gorgeous there, we could all meet there one time. If we got a place with a pool the guys might like it 😀
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I like the look too. I just assumed it was on purpose. A happy accident then?
Meeting up in Napa sounds like heaven. We haven’t been ourselves in years. It is such a beautiful place.
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This is absolutely gorgeous. Aren’t creative people clever – and recycled materials to boot! Love that weathered look and how it blends in perfectly. Would love to hear if anyone moves in … x
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I will let you know if we get a tenant. That would be a dream come true.
Yes…the weathered look is perfect for a bird in search of an inconspicuous home.
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I LOVE THIS! The best part is you can never have too many rustic birdhouses I think!
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I agree!
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So many things to like about this post … that the family creates together, and especially that they do it with reclaimed items. How fun to receive one as a gift!
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It was fun! I love its rustic charm.
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I loved making things from reclaimed wood! Left all the birdhouses behind. He built the structure, I took care of the tiny details. Soooo much fun. Ours were for indoor decor but lovely none the less. I got teased for picking up all kinds of seed pods to decorate with. Even Liquid Amber pods can be used.Yours are so unique in the way they sit. I’m fascinated. Those kind of crafts can be addictive.
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Well, someone got very lucky then. What fun to build your own. My collection really grew this year: I received two as gifts, made one from a gourd and had one made of wool from a few years ago. I’m trying to think of a clever way to display them since they aren’t likely to attract birds (with four cats in residence). They are lovely though.
Crafting in general can be addictive! I used to do so many things when I was young: sewing, knitting, needlepoint, hooked rugs, samplers. When my boys were young we painted, made playdough art, beaded things. I love it all.
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