Updated Thrift Store Bird House

Toward the end of last year when I was browsing in my favorite thrift store, I saw a dirty little bundle of ribbon and what looked like a bird house.   I got it for practically nothing and brought it home. I put it away until the new year.  I meant to redo this bird house several months ago, but life has been a bit wonky.  I’m finally doing it in August.  I must apologize for not taking photos when I first got it.  When I emptied the second bedroom for the new floor, my crafting supplies were stacked in the living room. My friend helped me move things and then we were sitting across the room from each other (safe distance) for a while.  I absent mindedly picked up the dirty mess and started taking it apart while we talked.  When I first picked it up, my friend Vickie asked why I even bought it.  It was covered in lots of dirty sheer “white” ribbon.  I think it must have been bows maybe originally but at that point it was lots and lots of loops and glue all over the bird house.  As I picked it off Vickie suddenly said now I like it.  She couldn’t stand the ribbon.  I’m not one to waste anything and I handwashed the ribbon to use on something else. The bird house had been hand painted and lots of details were glued on.  I liked the bird house except for the roof. The roof was a green/peach striped tape with 2 additional details glued on.  I really felt there was too much green with the house body being solid green.  I peeled the tape and details off.

 

 

 

This photo shows the bird house with some of the washed ribbon behind it. So many cute details like the bird over the perch and the little button glued to the end of the perch.  I also like the flowers and butterfly on the front yard. Many times crafters totally repaint and redesign thrift store finds while other times, you just update it.. Just like at the beginning of the year when I re-did the thrift store old floral swag for the living room.  If I like the concept or design of an old item, I’m happy to keep what I like, get rid of what I don’t like, and make it look more like me.  I see no reason to repaint the whole bird house when someone did such a nice job on it.

 

 

 

 

Several times I have sat and peeled off wads of glue – somebody practically covered everything with a glue gun.  Then I used a Q tip dipped in alcohol to clean it. I went over all the bottom white edging and the details on the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The roof is off white with the tape adhesive still on it.

 

 

 

 

 

I think less is more for the bird house. I wanted a white roof and decided to paste a  paper doily on it. I dipped a toothpick in white school glue and cut the small paper doily to fit it to the roof.  I did patches to cover area around chimney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I switched to a glue gun and added flowers to the base front of bird house.

 

 

 

 

Then I decided I wanted another lacy doily and glued that to the bottom of the house.

 

 

 

 

Then I glued the bird house to a clear glass candlestick ( another thrift store find).

 

 

 

 

 

I moved the candlestick bird house to the corner stand in the dining room.

 

 

 

 

I added faux succulents and more pink flowers to create a vignette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you like my updated bird house. I had a pack of doilies and white glue from dollar store.  A few blossoms from a dollar store bouquet. The original bird house cost less than $2 at the thrift store.  I have a new cute decoration for less than $3.00.  If you are not a doily fan, you could have re-done it with a different tape on the roof, or green leaves from dollar store bouquets on roof.  I considered both ideas.  In a few years, I might re-do it with the green leaves. Who knows, I don’t.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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