DIY Birdhouse for Free

Taking a walk through our local park my toddler found several types of pinecones and soon my coat pockets were brimming with them. Like special rocks you can’t toss a good pinecone.

To pacify my toddler we took her found treasure and a couple other items and made an adorable bird house with viewing window to watch the babies grow this summer. I didn’t spend any money on this project, we used what we had around the house.

You will need:

A clean base- we used a juice bottle
Hot Glue Gun with glue
Pine Cones- bigger is better, let them dry to open them
Sticks- about a handful
Paint- we used a Robins egg blue
Pruning snips
Utility Knife
About 1 hour of time

After I cleaned and dried the bottle we cut a hole for the bird to enter through and added a few drain holes in the bottom just in case. Next decide where your viewing window will be if you want one (up to you). Paint the sides of your birdhouse before adding things (I didn’t and regret it).

Processed with Rookie Cam

Next dissect your pinecones by pulling off the tabs making small shaker-like shingles. We ringed the base of the roof first then added the sticks second. Work from the bottom up like any shingle material. You can be as inventive as you want with this. Other options could be moss, large pine needles, or straw. Be creative.

Processed with Rookie Cam

I trimmed out our viewing window with matching sticks and added a piece of twine to the top to hang it from the tree. We put the bird house outside the bedroom window to watch for birds moving into it.