I love your birdhouses. So unique!! What is the roof made from and did you just use a plain wood birdhouse and glued the broken dishes to it?? TFS, Janie

Hi, there, Janied. Yes, I just use plain wood birdhouse forms from Jo Anns, Michaels, and my ratting around other places. The "roof tiles" are chunks of slate-like rocks we can pick from the banks along the roadside here in Northern California. If I didn't have that, I'd probably use other rocks, pinecone "leaves" or acorns. Thanks for the post and telling me you liked them! They're really fun to do.

I love the red dishes and the Asian look you gave the one is perfect for that style theme decorating. How lucky to find a base for it to sit on.

These are soooooo cute!!! Thanks for sharing. Keep the cool pictures coming.

Ms. Faith

I love the dishes and I LOVE your final results! Great work! Thanks for sharing! Jeanne S.

You are so lucky to have found dishes like that. Did you find them right away or did you drive around all day looking for the perfect dishes/plates and then go back to those in the end?

To answer a couple questions I missed earlier, for both birdhouses I slathered on a layer of premixed antique-white sanded grout (like frosting a cake)and then set the rock and ceramic pieces into it. I didn't grout afterwards at all.

And about the dishes, Minipurl, I left them (bad move) and scrambled back later in the afternoon and was THRILLED they were still there! Whew!

Your birdhouses are beautiful! I showed them to my wife Carol, and now she wants us to make some! LOVE THE COLOR! Have you made others? Have you created other mosaics? Do you put them outside? Do you use a sealant on them to protect them? JUST BEAUTIFUL! You know, now that you know how to post pictures, you're going to have to show us ALL of your creations! Can't wait! Glad you're a part of the forum! Bear Hugs! Kirk

Love the dishes and the birdhouses! Thanks for being able to post pics! They were worth the wait :^)

Now I want to know ... was the stand for the one birdhouse a stand that came with it or was it something you repurposed?

More questions! First to Kirk. Thanks again! I have done a couple dozen birdhouses this year. I just couldn't stop myself. LOL Guess what every body got for Christmas! *grin* I have not done other mosaics, or much of any other crafts before, as I was working my tail off for thirty years. I'm just now learning how to play! Hurrah! What a great group here to do THAT with!

I am telling people to consider these birdhouses decorative, but I'm sure they'll be ok probably in a covered area outside from spring til fall. I did not seal them, but am reading on the mosaic forum about doing that, as I already knew the wood forms could warp if exposed to moisture. (I think you'd have to dip them in something to seal the inside too.) I found what looks like a painted greenware house at GW the other day and I'm going to try finishing that house in a similar way (to the ones here) and putting it out in the garden. For me!

Luna, I'm not as clever as many of you who are repurposing things, but I'm learning from all of you how to loosen up and see things differently than their original intent. This stand, however, was another miracle find like the dishes themselves. As soon as my friends asked me to do the Asian theme, I walked into the local hospice thrift and there sat the stand. The perfect size! I thought I'd never find another and wanted to do another one of these, and walked into the SAME store and found another stand just like this one last week! YES!

Thanks again, everyone.

Daisyme

Those are terrific. A note...I mosaiced some birdhouses and left them outside. Oops. The wood swelled and the mosaic and grout popped off.

They'd be so pretty on a patio, or displayed indoors. I really love your Asian birdhouse. That is just so clever.

I absolutely love those red dishes!!!!! They are rare finds. And your birdhouses are to die for. I am soo glad you were able to post them.

Gorgeous!

Love those red dishes, and love your birdhouses! They're beautiful, and I want to see more! You did a great job. I've been collecting red dishes for a while, to put on my DMIL's bowling ball, but they are either hard to find here, or they are too expensive. Please show us more of your birdhouses!!

These are beautiful!
Great job. Can't wait to see more pics.
Re

I'm trying to learn my way around here. What, pray tell,is a DMIL? Thanks!

Dear Mother-in-law! And she really was a dear woman!

Love your birdhouses.

Jen

Like what you did, but my first thought was totems
and birdfeeders, when I saw the box. The dishes are wonderful just like they are!