Plastic Bottle Birdhouse

A two-liter bottle of soda is perfect for a party, but what about after your guests leave? Instead of throwing away an empty container, make an eco-friendly craft that benefits the environment! A Plastic Bottle Birdhouse is the perfect summer craft!

If you love easy craft projects for adults, like making useful and decorative birdhouses, be sure to check out the Gourd Birdhouse, Junkstore Birdhouse, and the Plastic Bottle Birdfeeder.  They're all environmentally friendly and look great indoors and out.


 

Materials:

• Plastic bottle- large 2 liter size - clean off label
• Sharpie marking pen
• Circle template - for the 1-¾” circle
• Drill with ¼” & 1/16” drill bit
• Needle nose pliers
• Craft knife
• Dowel stick - 3” x ¼”
• Acrylic paint - brown (background), light brown (background and roof), black (roof and window trim) moss green( roof), ivory (window)
• Cosmetic sponge - (for applying paint)
• Brush- fine line (for window detail)
• Plastic for stencil (I’ve used the opaque shrink plastic)
• Repositionable adhesive for stenciling (to help hold stencil in place)
• CD’s
• Heat gun (to soften cd’s for cutting)
• Scissors
• Wire - 18 gauge- 6” piece
• String - for hanging birdhouse
• Glue- (I’ve used the Aleene’s Platinum Bond- all purpose adhesive)
• Wax paper
• Masking tape
• Sealer finish (to finish for putting outside)

Instructions:

1. Use a label removing product to remove the label.
    
2. Using circle template, draw a circle onto the bottle with the Sharpie pen, about 3“ from the bottom of the bottle.
   
   
    
3. Cut circle out with a craft knife. Mark and drill a hole with the 1/4” drill bit 1/2” down from the circle. Insert the wood dowel into the hole. Place small amount of glue to the inside of the bottle to help hold the dowel in place. Let glue dry.
   
   
    
4. Place wax paper onto your work surface. Pour small amounts of paints onto the wax paper. Using a facial sponge, sponge brown paint onto the entire background of the plastic bottle. Let dry and repeat until bottle is completely covered. When brown paint is dry, randomly apply a light coat of the light brown paint. Let dry.
   
   
    
5. Drill the top of the cap with the 1/16” drill bit. Bend and insert both ends of the wire into the hole, leaving a loop of wire for hanging birdhouse. On the inside of the bottle, using needle nose pliers, twist a loop onto each wire end to help hold wire in place. Wire loops will need to be small enough that the lid can screw back onto the bottle. Place lid back onto bottle.
   
   
    
6. Trace a window pattern onto the plastic. Cut out with a craft knife. Apply stencil adhesive to the back of the stencil, to help hold in place. Apply paint carefully through stencil using cosmetic sponge. Dip sponge into the paint, then dab excess off. Too much paint on stencil will cause the paint to go under the stencil. Let paint dry. Add detail lines on the window using a fine line brush with black paint.
   
   
    
7. For the roof tiles, you will need to heat the cd’s before cutting apart. Using the heat gun, heat a small section at a time, then cut cd’s with scissors. If the cd’s crack when cutting, they have not been heated enough. If the foil separates from the cd, simply remove.
   
   
    
8. When all the cd’s have been cut, place them onto a piece of wax paper. Plastic side up. (Do not paint on the foil side.) Sponge on black paint, let dry. Then sponge on the light brown paint, let dry. Finish with the green paint on the edges. Let dry.
   
   
    
9. For the first row of roof tiles, glue about 5” down from top of bottle. Glue each tile and tape in place with masking tape, until glue dries. Let first row dry completely before applying next row. Continue with next rows, until up to the top of the bottle neck. Let dry.
   
   

For a complete video tutorial of this project, check out How to Make a Soda Bottle Birdhouse.