Birds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes -- and most certainly with their own distinctive personalities, too. For every fluffy, happy bird that belts out cheery tunes, there is a macho feathered friend that prefers just to chill out and look cool.

Enter the cigar box birdhouse, a crafty idea from my co-worker Randy Cordova. This simple creation involves only a bit of drilling, sanding and gluing, and will lend a masculine and classic touch to your garden. Unless, of course, you can't resist dressing it up with a splash of color. Thankfully, you don't need to be a cigar smoker in order to make this birdhouse. Cigar boxes are readily available at local cigar shops, thrift stores or online auctions.

Cigar box birdhouse

Materials:

* Medium-size wood cigar box with sliding panel

* Drill

* Sandpaper

* Glue gun

* Outdoor polyurethane varnish

* Optional: beads and glitter

* 12-inch piece of jute cord or wire

Directions: Remove sliding panel from box, and drill a 1 1/2-inch hole 2 inches from the top. Sand the edges of the hole to smooth. Take the box and apply a thin line of glue to the grooves and slide the panel back in place. Let dry. Drill two small holes at the top of the box. Cover the birdhouse with two to three coats of varnish. Add beads and glitter, if desired. When completely dry, thread the cord or wire through the top holes, tie off and hang.

Tip: If you'd prefer to decorate your cigar box, decoupage pages from bird handbooks or pictures of birds. For a more eclectic look, glue bottle caps, trinkets or other found objects, or add a dangling ornament at the bottom of the birdhouse.


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Labels: garden, Latin-inspired, outdoors, recycled