How to Make a Vintage Decoupaged Bird Feeder

Making a bird feeder with kids or friends is a fun activity to do anytime of year.  With this tutorial on How to Make a Vintage Decoupaged Bird Feeder from Bernadette Fox, you can create beautiful works of art that are functional and decorative.

Materials:

• Dried, clean elongated gourd (round, oval, or martin house shapes will work)
• Handmade paper of various colors. Think about the colors of a robin.
• Handmade paper with vintage handwriting. I scanned old letters and printed them out on handmade laser paper.
• Outdoor Mod Podge, water to thin the glue out, and 1" paint brush.
• Tools to measure and cut open the gourd, which includes taylors' tape, utility knife, and keyhole saw.
• Material of choice to hang gourd. I am proposing to wedge in a large metal washer and then attach a string to that. You can do whatever you like.
• Drill bit and drill gun to make drainage holes as well as to help insert washer for hanger if you so choose.
• Outdoor sealer. I am using Polyurethane.

Video:

Instructions:

1. Cut out three holes in gourd spaced evenly around. Make sure to leave enough space on bottom for seed.
    
2. Thin out Mod Podge with a bit of water and begin to decoupage. The key is to wet the gourd, wet the backside of your paper and press it onto the gourd, and then wet the paper again. Get the paper as wet as possible so that it can dry good and hard and be completely sealed from the elements.
    
3. Trim the edges of the openings with a utility knife and then seal them again with Mod Podge.
    
4. Attach hanger.
    
5. Seal whole gourd with outdoor sealer.