Halloween Bird Houses by Amy Anderson

To finish my Art Glitter posting series, I bring you my favorite holiday - Halloween. By the way, it's me again, Amy from Mod Podge Rocks! This is my sixth and final post for Art Glitter, and it has been a blast. I've laughed, I've cried . . . I've felt the full range of emotions while completing my glitter projects. I wasn't a glitter lover before I started this gig, but I'm definitely converted! I have to say, Art Glitter has some of the most BEAUTIFUL glitters I've ever seen. I mean it.

So what did I make this time? Some Halloween birdhouses! My thoughts are that these would look great on a mantle, as a centerpiece or even just for fun decor somewhere in your house. I even added some black butterflies, which I think is a nice touch. In my humble opinion.

Gather These Supplies:
Mini-birdhouses - at most craft stores for $1
Art Glitter - Ultrafine Opaque: #79 Black
Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear Adhesive
Mod Podge Satin
FolkArt Acrylic Paint - Metallic Plum, Cast Shadow, Medium Gray, Plum Vineyard, Licorice
Martha Stewart Butterfly Punch
Scrapbook paper, 2 sheets of black and white patterns
Cardstock, 1 piece of either black or purple (I used Lavender)
Prima Fabric Flowers
Making Memories Halloween embellishments
Flat paintbrush
Ruler
Candle or a small piece of wax
Scissors or craft knife and mat
Pen or pencil
Sandpaper

Your first step is going to be to trace the roofs of the birdhouses - I didn't show that here because I'm thinking you can handle that step . . . on one birdhouse I used polka dots, and the other, damask. These were scraps I already had laying around, so I encourage you to use pieces from your stash as well.

I love painting! I especially love painting birdhouses because they go quickly. On my two-tier birdhouse I painted Medium Gray, and on the larger single-hole birdhouse I painted Metallic Plum. Coat completely and allow to dry.

Time to distress! You do this by rubbing a candle (or piece of wax) and parts of your birdhouse - this includes the edges, etc. Rub firmly but don't cover the entire thing. The wax is going to act as a paint resist, so you want to use conservatively.

Paint over the entire birdhouse with your second color. I distressed both birdhouses with the candle, and on the two-tier I painted Plum Vineyard. My other birdhouse got a coat of Cast Shadow. Coat completely and allow to dry.

Once completely dry, take your sandpaper and start sanding lightly. I like to use a coarser paper, like 100 grit or so. I sand lightly in the areas where the wax is, and there is where the paint comes off when you sand! The effect is very cool, just be careful not to sand too hard or you'll see the wood underneath. Don't worry about the sanding marks on the paint either. Those will disappear when you Mod Podge.

Paint the roofs, bases and perches of your birdhouses with Licorice.

Apply Mod Podge to the top of your birdhouse roof. Make sure it's a medium layer.

Remember the paper that you cut before, for the roof? Take that paper and adhere to the roof, being sure to smooth thoroughly. I always do it with a brayer to make sure to get all of the bubbles out. You can wipe any extra Mod Podge that comes out the edges with your brush. Allow to dry for 15 - 20 minutes.

Seal the birdhouses with Mod Podge - seal the entire birdhouse, not just the roof. Allow to dry.

Time for some glitter action! I applied Mod Podge to the edge of the birdhouse roof (oh, and notice the additional Halloween paper for a cute background) . . .

then I glittered! I did this with the edges of the roofs, the perches and the bases of the birdhouses.

Same goes with some of the fabric flowers.

For some additional embellishments, I took my Martha Stewart butterfly punch and made some butterfly cutouts for the front of the single-hole birdhouse. I also glittered those. I allowed the glitter to dry on both birdhouses.

The final step is to apply all embellishments to the birdhouses. My two-tier birdhouse got some Making Memories Halloween brads, including two cute spiders with rhinestones. The single-hole birdhouse got the butterflies on the front and then the glitter flowers (with some additional chiffon/tulle ones from the pack) on top. I used the Designer Dries Clear to secure all of my embellishments. I love that glue; works great! Allow the birdhouses to dry for 24 hours before using them.

I guess this is it, huh? I've had such a great time here, and I'm 4-ever a glitter lover from now on! Stop by Mod Podge Rocks anytime; and come by in the next week for an Art Glitter giveaway! Thanks for having me and hope to see you soon.