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 