AUTHENTIQUE BLOG: Wooden Christmas Ornaments with Free Bird!

From the AUTHENTIQUE PAPER BLOG:

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Hello Authentique fans, it's Heather! I have a really inexpensive idea for either a small decor item, or possibly a beautiful, and toddler-proof Christmas ornament. My little girl found this on an end-cap of one of the large chain craft stores. At first, she grabbed the more expensive birdhouse, but I was able to trade her for this smaller (and only $1!) one instead. She was happy throughout the rest of the shopping trip, and I wasn't out a lot of money.

While this step is completely optional, painting the pine birdhouse can tie all of the colors together. I chose black, and painted the inside as well. Since it was pine, the paint dries very quickly.

 

This is seriously the hardest step... Take a piece of copy paper, to figure out where the posts are. In this case, I was able to use an office hole puncher in order to slide the paper over the roosts. If you are using a larger birdhouse, you may want to cut the holes out with fine-point scissors.

I then grabbed my first piece of Free Bird ("Delight" FBS 111). Rather than measuring and cutting out, I was able to fit most of the pieces in without spending too much time measuring. In this case, the eave of the roof was 90 degrees, and I was able to use the corner of the paper as my angle. I then just creased the edges and cut them off so that the piece fit properly.

I had to use an X-Acto knife to slice the very bottom from the paper. Then, I felt for the holes in the birdhouse, and used the back of my X-Acto knife to slightly push in the edges of the entrances.

 

To cut the holes, I used a rotary nail file to "sand" them off. You could also use a wood file or even a thin nail file.

Mod-Podge the wood base, then the paper to make it all stick! I found out that the more Mod-Podge you use, the better it all sticks! Plus, it dries clear... So even if it looks like it's all weird... Wait a few hours. 

Repeat the same steps on the other sides of the birdhouse. I ended up using just one sheet of Free Bird for all of the sides! I then added a thin strip of a different paper ("Delight" FBS 112) for the bottom edge of the birdhouse. Rather than piece the paper, I diagonally cut a strip from corner to corner. I punched only part of a hole in the top, so that the roost would fit around the edge. Then, Mod-Podge'd it all down.

For the roof, I used half of a piece of "Delight" FBS 109. One side of the roof was simple, and just needed an edge punch to add some extra dimension to the roof. The other side needed to have some of the roof notched in with a hole punch so that it fit the rope. I just played with the amount I cut out until it fit right.

For the last detail, I added small strips of the same paper (FBS 109) to the front and back of the roof eaves.

When you have finished with your decoration, Mod-Podge the entire thing once more. Let it dry completely for a few hours.

I haven't shown this to my little toddler yet, but I know that she is going to love it. Best part, the total bill on this project (if you already have Mod-Podge and paint) is under $3!! Even if it doesn't last toddler hands... I can make another one for just a few dollars!