Designer Vivian Peritts shows how to recycle terra-cotta pots into creative birdhouses that resemble miniature lighthouses. Materials:
Four terra-cotta pot s -- three in graduated sizes that nest together and one smaller pot
Two plastic flowerpot saucers -- one large, one small
Strong weather-resistant glue
Acrylic all-weather paint in yellow, white, red and black
Two straight-edged artist's brushes -- one 1/4" to 1/2" wide, one 3/4" to 1" wide
Artist's detail brush
Level
Pencil
Hammer and nail
Large red wooden bead
Small wooden flowerpot bead, painted black
45" of cable wire
Cable ferrule and stop set
Masking tape
Pliers
- Make an inverted stack of the three graduated-size terra-cotta pots, with the largest pot on the bottom. Apply a line of weather-resistant glue to the inside rim of the middle pot, and set it in place on the bottom of the big pot. Use a level to make sure the pot is straight (figure A). When dry, join the small pot to the middle one in the same manner.
- Draw a small rectangular window on each pot, and fill in with yellow paint, using the smaller flat-edged brush (figure B). Apply several coats to attain the desired shade, allowing the paint to dry between coats.
- Use the larger flat-edged brush to paint the rims of the top two pots white. Draw and paint a matching horizontal stripe in the middle of the bottom pot to match the other two (figure C).
- When the white stripes are dry, apply red paint to the remaining unpainted areas of the clay-pot structure. Let dry.
- Use the long-bristled detail brush to outline the yellow windows and delineate windowpanes (figure D), and let dry.
- Paint the small pot -- which will become the light at the top of the lighthouse -- yellow and black. Paint the middle yellow and the rim and bottom black. Add vertical black lines to connect the areas of black (figure E).
- Use the hammer and nail to make a hole in the middle of each of the plastic saucers.
- The birdfeeder is now ready to be assembled. Wrap a small piece of masking tape around each end of a 45" length of cable wire to form little points for threading. Hold the ends of the wire together, and slip a pair of cable ferrules over the ends. Slide the ferrules down the length of the wire until a loop is formed at the middle of the wire (figure F). Insert the pointed ends of the wire through the red bead, and slide it down the wires to the ferrules.
- Assemble the rest of the pieces as follows: Thread the wires through the top of the small yellow and black pot, through the bottom of the small white saucer, then through the top of the trio of glued pots, through the top of the larger saucer and finally through the top of the small black flowerpot bead. Slip the ferrule stops on the ends of the wire, and cinch tightly closed with pliers. Tighten the ferrules at the looped end of the wire as well.
- Hang birdfeeder and add birdseed.
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
