Recycled Greeting Card Birdhouses

 Birdhouses made from recycled greeting cards offer a unique and eco-friendly way to provide shelter for our feathered friends. These charming birdhouses are crafted using old greeting cards that would otherwise end up in the trash. By repurposing these cards, we not only reduce waste but also create beautiful and functional homes for birds. Not only are these birdhouses aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve an important purpose. Birds need safe and secure places to build their nests and raise their young. The recycled greeting card birdhouses provide a cozy and protected environment for birds to thrive. The sturdy construction of these birdhouses ensures that they can withstand various weather conditions, keeping the birds safe and comfortable throughout the year.

Supplies

• Wooden craft birdhouses (mine are from Dollar Tree)
• Floral greeting cards
• Pastel acrylic or chalk paint
• A paintbrush
• Mod Podge
• Clear scotch tape
• Paper
• Scissors
• X-Acto (precision knife)
• Other decorations: silk flowers and miniature birds

Supplies To Make The Stand (optional)

• A small hand-saw
• A vice grip
• wood glue
• A wood dowel
• A 3.5 to 4-inch wood slice
• A drill and drill bit (more on this below)
• A hot glue gun

How to Make Decorative Birdhouses – 3 Easy Steps

STEP 1: Paint

Start by painting your wooden birdhouses in any color you like. I used white chalk paint mixed with acrylic paint to make pastel colors.

Paint birdhouses any color you like.

STEP 2: Make A Template And Cut The Front Panel

Make a paper template of the front of your birdhouse. I used an X-Acto knife to cut the holes and added and cut away the paper until I got the right shape. Once you have a template that works, use it to cut a section of the greeting.

Another way to figure out where to cut the holes is to press your template into the holes to make an indent. I did this on the last birdhouse with two holes. See the photo below

STEP 3: Mod Podge

Use Mod Podge to glue the greeting card panel to the front of the birdhouse. To do this, coat the front of the birdhouse with Mod Podge and place your card panel. Make sure you coat the entire birdhouse front well, right to the edges.

Paint a coat of Mod Podge over the front of the card panels.

STEP 4: Make A Wood Pedestal Stand (Optional)

To make a stand, use a hand saw to cut your dowel down to size. Since I made three, I decided to vary the heights of my birdhouse perches and cut dowels 3, 4, and 5 inches long.

Drill a hole into the center of a wood slice that is just slightly larger than the dowel. Your dowel should fit snuggly into the hole.

Use hot glue to glue the birdhouse to the center of the dowel. Apply wood glue to the other end of the dowel and push it into the hole in the wood slice.

Glue the dowel to the wood slice and bottom of the birdhouse.