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    Home » DIY Projects

    How to Make A Natural Clay Birdhouse

    January 17, 2021 by Patti Estep 7 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card

    Get creative by making a beautiful clay birdhouse to welcome your feathered friends. This step-by-step tutorial will show you just how easily you can make one or more for your yard.

    Painted clay birdhouse on a table.

    It seems to me that most gardeners love birds. I know I do, and so does my husband. We have several feeders in the yard, a couple of suet holders, and plenty of nesting places. Often we will find nests in hanging baskets, or in the eaves of the porch. This can be a problem because the protective mother birds feel compelled to attack every time you enter and exit your home. A good reason to have more birdhouses in the yard.

    Old terra cotta clay birdhouse.

    How to Make a Natural Clay Birdhouse

    The birdhouse shown above is one that I bought my husband for father's day, at a museum gift shop, a few years back. I like the rustic, natural look it has and wanted to make something similar. I purchased some Polymer Clay and used a grapevine sphere to give it structure.

    Rolling out clay on wax paper.

    This clay takes some time to roll out. You can knead it first with your hands to get it nice and pliable. According to the package, 1/4 inch pieces are ideal for baking the polymer clay.

    Small grapevine sphere.

    I used this grapevine sphere to act as an armature for the clay. You might try a balloon and then pop and remove it afterward. However, I wasn't sure if a balloon would be strong enough for this clay or if it would hold up in the oven.

    Grapevine sphere covered with sheets of polymer clay.

    Wrap pieces of rolled out clay around the grapevine sphere until it is covered, leaving a space uncovered for the birdhouse opening.

    Then work on smoothing out the clay, by cutting or pinching off the extra, and closing up any holes. Small cracks are okay, it gives the piece a natural rustic look.

    Paintbrush handle poking holes in the clay.

    Then poke a few holes on the bottom for water drainage and two at the top where you can thread twine through in order to hang the birdhouse outside.

    Clay birdhouse on aluminum foil after baking.

    Bake the birdhouse on some foil in the oven according to the package directions. Typically 15-20 minutes is all you need.

    Painting polymer clay birdhouse.

    Once the birdhouse has cooled, paint the birdhouse however you like. I used shades of green and black with a bit of white and blue in the mix. A sea sponge worked great for this application and the paints I used were patio paints that are meant for outdoor projects.

    Green wire attached to the end of twine on a paper plate.

    Getting the twine hanger through the holes in the top of the clay birdhouse was a little tricky. The easiest way I found was to add a piece of wire to the end of the twine that could be easily threaded through the hole and pulled through.

    Threading twine with wire through the clay birdhouse top hole.

    Then continue with the other end of the twine in the same manner.

    Natural clay birdhouse hanging on a branch in the garden.

    Tie your natural handmade clay birdhouse outside on a tree branch and admire its beauty. With any luck, some birds will soon make it their home.

    Patti signature

    More Bird Projects

    • Homemade Bird Suet Cakes
    • Embossed Outdoor Fountain
    • Helping Winter Birds
    • DIY Birdseed Cakes
    • Sunflower Wreath for the birds
    Clay birdhouse hanging from a tree branch.
    Clay birdhouse hanging in a tree
    Print

    Polymer Clay Birdhouse

    Get creative by making a beautiful clay birdhouse to welcome your feathered friends. This step-by-step tutorial will show you just how easy it is to do.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Active Time30 mins
    Additional Time10 mins
    Total Time1 hr
    Course: DIY Garden Art
    Yield: 1
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $25

    Equipment

    • Plastic roller
    • scissors
    • Pencil or paintbrush handle

    Materials

    • Polymer Clay - Sculpey original
    • Grapevine sphere
    • Outdoor paints
    • Twine
    • Wire
    • Aluminum foil

    Instructions

    • Knead the clay until it softens
    • Roll out pieces of clay about 1/4 inch thick.
    • Place the pieces of clay around the grapevine sphere leaving an opening for the house in the middle.
    • Smooth out the edges.
    • Poke two holes at the top with a paintbrush handle or pencil of the birdhouse for hanging.
    • Poke a few at the bottom for water drainage.
    • Bake in the oven on some aluminum foil for 15 -20 mins. at 275 degrees F
    • Allow birdhouse to cool.
    • Paint birdhouse with outdoor paints.
    • Attach some wire to the end of a yard of twine to help thread the twine through the top holes. Repeat with the other end of the twine.
    • Tie the twine onto a branch on a tree and enjoy.

    Notes

    You can make this with air dry clay but it would not be functional outdoors. The air dry clay will breakdown at the first sign of rain.

    More DIY Projects

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kay Bowles

      January 22, 2021 at 9:00 am

      Hi Patti! This is a great idea! I work with ceramic clay which is really inexpensive and also have a kiln so I am going to try this using those materials. I think this is a great project to do with my grandsons because wrapping the clay around the structure is a task they can handle and the painting as well. We are starting a homeschool project on trees and birds so this couldn't be better timed! Your suet cakes will be added to the study as well! What fun for the kiddos (and this Gram)! Thanks again for great projects to do! You nail it every time with your posts!!! Have a great weekend! All the best! Kay

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        January 22, 2021 at 9:14 am

        Oh wow. How nice to have your own kiln Kay. I know your grandsons will have a blast making and painting the birdhouses and the suet. What a great grandmother you are. Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Alicia

      February 24, 2016 at 8:17 am

      Best idea ever! Thank you for sharing. I love birds and I love to work with clay - this is so inspiring!

      I am putting together a sort of Easter arts and crafts compilation blog post, with pictures of creative projects for spring. Would you mind if I shared one of your pictures? I will of course credit it to this post. I did the same thing last year if you would like a reference on how it might look: http://aliciasivert.blogspot.se/2015/03/paskpeppen-2015.html

      Thank you for the inspiration!
      Sincerely,
      Alicia

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 24, 2016 at 8:40 am

        Hi Alicia,

        So glad you liked the post and yes you may share one photo with a link back on your Easter roundup. Thanks for asking and have a great week!

        Reply
        • Alicia

          March 18, 2016 at 4:12 am

          This year's spring/Easter arts and crafts compilation post is up on the blog! Thank you so very much for your contribution! If you like, you can find it here: http://aliciasivert.blogspot.se/2016/03/peppiga-paskprojekt-2016.html
          May your Easter be filled with fluffy bunnies and happy birds 🙂
          Love, Alicia

    3. Grace Lovell

      February 22, 2016 at 10:56 am

      How weather proof is this?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 22, 2016 at 11:30 am

        Hi Grace,

        Great question. I don't think it is as durable as a ceramic clay that you would fire in a kiln. I am super curious how it will fair with the weather. I would thnink spraying or painting a varnish over it would help, but again, I want to see what actually happens leaving it as is. I'll update the post after a few months with the results.
        Thanks for stopping by,
        Patti

        Reply

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