Summary: With spring comes the need to freshen up the house a bit. Bring the outdoors in with nature-inspired décor. Try decorating with birdhouses indoors. Even the not-so-crafty can make a birdhouse display that celebrates the season.
Its spring finally and with the windows open and the fresh air blowing in it is absolutely time to freshen up the house with décor that celebrates the season. One way to honor the season is to bring some of the outdoors in.
Birds are busy building their nests and we can get busy tidying up ours by borrowing a few elements inspired by our feathered friends.
Craft stores sell premade wooden and Paper-Mache birdhouses that once painted and decorated might last a season in the unpredictable weather in the region. Why not provide the birds with the well built variety and save the cute, crafty ones for indoors.
Even the not-so-artistic can add flair to a wooden or Paper-Mache bird house with a little paint, stain or decoupage technique. Choose colors that compliment your home. Be bold, if you like and try something bright so it will be a focal point in the room. Go pastel for a soft, feminine look or use techniques like crackling or staining to give a new bird house an older, weathered feel. Always consider using various shades of green as it is natures most prevalent color.
You can be adventurous when decorating birdhouses for indoor display. Birdhouses used outdoors should be painted in neutral, natural colors so as not to attract predators.
Use your newly decorated bird house in a table-top display, on a shelf or in a hutch with other natural elements. Try adding a vase of cut flowers or a pot of flowering bulbs if you had the forethought to plant them. Florists often carry potted bulbs and even though they fade quickly, they can be saved for planting next fall.
Include a birds nest in your display. This time of year you might find them on the ground after a storm still in good shape but unable to be used again by the original builders or squatters.
Incorporating vines, dried or silk flowers and other natural elements like moss or little pots of planted wheat grass will suggest spring and make your indoor display a reflection of the outdoor beauty we have waited for.
How to paint a birdhouse for indoor décor:
1. Begin with a clean surface.
2. Lightly sand wood with a fine grit sand paper to allow for smooth application of paint.
3. Paint your birdhouse using a soft, natural bristle brush. Water based paints dry quicker and will make clean-up easy.
4. To get a crackle effect on your birdhouse, apply a coat of white glue to your painted birdhouse. Apply the glue in one direction using broad strokes. Dont worry if it goes on thick. It will dry clear. Before the glue dries completely, apply a coat of paint in a contrasting color to the base coat, again, in one direction only. As the glue dries the top layer of paint will separate from the base coat giving an aged look.
5. Embellish your newly painted birdhouse to suit your tastes.
Your birdhouse display will certainly welcome spring and can be adapted to the coming seasons by adding new elements that correspond with summer and autumn.
Bringing the outdoors in can liven up a room and make you feel pretty good about opening those windows and letting in the scents and sounds of spring in all her glory.
