Materials for the Craft:
- Wooden birdhouse
- Craft paint and sponge brush
- Putty knife
- River rocks
- Liquid Nails
- Shellac
Gathering Supplies
Bring a bucket to a bubbling stream or rushing river and see what you discover. The assortment of colors will be determined by your location. Along the Great Lakes, you’ll plunge your hand into the icy water and come up with a stunning blend of blues, greens, reds, purples, whites, blacks, and beiges. In a Southeastern mountain stream, you’ll find primarily gray, brown, and reddish pebbles. If you simply must have astounding colors, craft stores sell pre-packaged stones.
Make sure to collect a variety of sizes. The smaller pebbles are great for filling in gaps and covering Christmas ornament birdhouses.
Don’t get picky. You can spend hours rooting in the sand and mud for certain colors, but a smattering true to nature will always look best. Just dip your hand into the current, draw out a handful of pebbles, and dump them into your bucket. You’ll be amazed how the earth tones blend if you let random selection run its course.
Unfinished wooden birdhouses can be found at many craft stores. Even the dollar stores stock them for holiday crafters. If you’re patient enough, you’ll find them on incredible sales. Most of the other supplies, including Liquid Nails, can be found at a hardware store.
Take It From The Top:
Don’t get so excited you forget to paint your roof first. If you do, you’re bound to drip on your precious pebbles.
So, what color should your roof be? Choose a shade that brings out the beauty of your stones. With rocks from the Great Lakes, your choices may include a forest green or cinnamon. With rocks from the Southeast, you might settle on a clay or black. You might also choose a shade which accents your decor. It’s all up to you.
Stone Siding:
Turn the birdhouse so the side you’ll coat with stones first faces upward. Squirt a generous glob of Liquid Nails onto one edge and spread it with a putty knife. There should be a sufficient amount to accommodate one or two rows—any more might dry before your stones are laid. It’s going to get a little sticky from here, so have a wet towel on hand to wash your fingers when necessary.
Press a pebble in the corner and work along the row, placing the stones as tightly as possible. A bit of the adhesive should squeeze between the cracks like mortar as you push the stones firmly against the wall. If it runs onto the front of the rocks, wipe it off with your towel and use less next time.
As your stones near the top, remember to leave the ventilation gap unblocked between the wall and roof if the birdhouse is intended for feathered tenants.
Once your wall is covered, fill in gaps with smaller pebbles.
When one wall is finished, the stones may be secure enough to turn the house and begin work on another side. If not, give them a few minutes and check again. When covering the front of the house, ring the hole first. A cute touch for a perch involves removing the wooden dowel, which will be too short beneath the rocks anyway. Find a flat stone and press it sideways beneath the hole.
Finishing Touch:
When you’re satisfied with your birdhouse, allow it to dry overnight. Then, spray the entire birdhouse—roof and all—with shellac. This will give the stones a polished look and bring out the vibrant color you first saw when you gathered them from the sparkling stream.
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