Happy spring, friends! Welcome to another Pinterest Challenge hosted by my good friend Cindy of County Road 407, who even though we haven’t seen each other in over a year (drat that Covid!), actually only lives about 15 minutes away (her city house, that is, not the country one!). Thank you, Cindy, for another wonderful blog hop!!! Our springtime theme this month is to create a pretty birdhouse vignette…
If you are just coming over from Kim from Shiplap and Shells and are here for the first time, welcome! I am so glad you’ve come!! Please consider subscribing if you enjoy your visit today, thank you!!
Our inspiration
Cindy found today’s Pinterest Challenge piece over at Doreen‘s blog, Hymn’s and Verses… I love the soft blue colors and all the natural elements of grasses, flowers and the bird theme! Doreen has a nice easy-going eclectic style which I like a lot! where she brilliantly puts together antiques, mid-century and even very modern furniture pieces in a fun farmhouse style. I think you will like her blog! 🙂
My takeaways from Doreen’s birdhouse vignette
- repeated colors
- natural woven grasses and caning
- bird theme
- flowers
- a fun birdhouse
- small tin painted bucket
- a small plate with a bird representation for her “bird”
I had just used forced branches in last month’s spring mantel and they are faded away, so I thought I’d use some pink flame geraniums in my spring birdhouse vignette for my blooms! To the right are some soft pink freesia (just out of the picture) behind the small birdhouse I made in 2007 for myself and the ladies in my last tea group.
To make this birdhouse:
- a pre-made birdhouse
- pieces of broken china
- sanded grout mix
- small wooden ormulu to glue on the front
- a small knob for a perch
- paint of your choice
- small utensils/ wooden sticks for grouting
- clear sealer in spray or liquid form (do outdoors as it can really stink!)
Begin by painting your birdhouse all over its outside and let dry. Smash up broken bits of china plates, teacups and so on by placing them into a heavy Ziplock-type bag with a hammer. Trial these pieces on the birdhouse roof beforehand to create a pleasing look.
Using an old butter knife or paint stick, “butter on” sanded grout mix along the roofline of the birdhouse. Put it on fairly thickly (as thick as your thickest pieces of china). Squish in the broken china pieces. Fill in any areas that need more grout as needed with small toothpicks, wooden skewers. Spray on clear sealer to seal the grout to give your roof a good look!
That’s it!!!
Going pink!
I don’t really have much vintage china in soft blues but I do have lots of pink, so I went with deeper pinks and greens in my vignette (plus a few other soft colors)!
I started with a natural woven basket and a small Longaberger basket as my “tin pail.” My smaller basket holds all the seed packets I have save these past few years. I love the handles on both the inspiration piece and on mine!
I added in a small blue and white vase plus a small cement capital as a lift for the little birdhouse. The addition of the plants and some gardening gloves and Corona clippers are just part and parcel around here in the garden!
And of course a sweet pink birdie came to the party!…
As you can see this potting bench is really getting used! The two covers which helped save a bunch of plants from the week-long arctic freeze and subsequent ice storms of last month are stuffed down below, waiting for me to lay them out and fold them properly.
Thank you for stopping by today as you visit all of my friends on today’s Pinterest Challenge tour! Next up is Niky from The House on Silverado and I know you will love her birdhouse vignette!!
Enjoy your spring gardens, friends,
Barb 🙂
What a pretty grouping. Your potting bench is just fantastic!
Such a pretty birdhouse and I love that you added it to a potting bench. What a great idea.
Your potting bench and birdhouse display are perfect for the season! You are making me so anxious to get gardening, but we’ve got a awhile to wait yet here in Iowa.
I’d love it if you’d share your creation at the Sundays on Silverado link party, open now! It’s so cute!
Niky @ The House on Silverado
Very pretty. Thank you for sharing.
That birdhouse is amazing and I’m so jealous that you own a potting bench! I need to get Mr DIY to build me one 😉
Love your take this time on the challenge.
Cindy
A potting bench is something that I really could use but I don’t have a good spot for one. Yours is a great place to display your birdhouse vignette. The birdhouse that you made is so pretty! I also like that you used a Longaberger basket. I still use the few that I collected over the years.
hi barb, I love the potting bench and the birdhouse. How fun to add some extra texture. I need birds ;0) Happy Day! Laura in Colorado
It’s so pretty, Barb. That little pink bird just amps it up to perfection!
I’ve never tried doing mosaic art like this, but really like your birdhouse roof, Barb. I’ve been saving an old broken plate of my Grandma’s; now you got me thinking…Love that you made your arrangement on your potting shed!
I adore your mosaic birdhouse, Barb! I tried making a mosaic for the first time this past year, and it was so much fun! I love the colors in your plates/tiles. That freesia is so gorgeous, too. I’m craving fresh blooms after the crazy weather we had in Texas. What a lovely vignette you’ve put together with so many special touches. (Our potting bench is getting used a lot too!) Hugs, Crissy
HI Barbara! I love your birdhouse and learning how you made it! It is adorable!
First I think it was so cute to add a vignette to your potting bench. I want to do that!!! Second, I love the added pieces of china used on your bird house. I want to do that too!!! It all looks lovely, bright and happy. Perfectly spring. Thanks so much for joining in. I loved how your challenge turned out.
What a great place to share a vignette. Fun that you did a mosaic birdhouse, too! Fun hopping with you!
Wow great potting bench Barb and decorated so cute with your little vignette. Love the bird house too, I would love to make one like that! Enjoy your spring!
Your birdhouse is just the cutest! I loved how you used the broken glass and knob to create it. And that sweet pink bird! This was one of my favorite interpretations Barb. I really loved it!
Hi Kim, thank you! Did your post ever go up?? I tried to pull it up but it didn’t for me. I’ll recheck and comment if I can. Hope all is well. <3
Happy spring to you,
Barb 🙂
Barb, I love the mosaic roof on your birdhouse. I used to mosaic so I knew what it was. Your basket is awesome. I think incorporating your seeds and garden clippers was really unique. Love the pink bird too. Happy Spring.
I love that you styled yours on your potting bench! It’s the cutest bird house! I love it!
Oh, my goodness! That potting bench is so pretty! That sweet vignette is the perfect touch!
Barbara, this is so cute and perfect for spring. I love that you added the broken bits of china to the roof. It really made it special.
Thank you for adding it and all your creative posts the the Friday with Friends link party.
Hope you are feeling better and mending up 🙂
hugs
RR