Step 1) Purchase, acquire, salvage, or build a birdfeeder or birdhouse. Since I actually created this in conjunction with a neighborhood kids' project, I used one of the premade cedar houses purchased.
Step 2) Purchase, acquire, salvage or mix weather-resistant, waterproof paint in whatever colors you'd like to use. Many home supply stores (we bought at Lowe's) can mix sample-sized pots of paints in any color for you for under $4.
Step 3) Paint your birdfeeder with your base color and wait for it to dry thoroughly. Depending on how thick you apply the paint this may take a couple hours. You may also need or want a second coat. You can paint the sides any color(s) you want, or mix it up and choose a different shade for the roof, trim, etc. I picked green for my "walls" and orange for the roof and tray. Whatever works for you!
Step 4) Pencil on your design. I opted for a flowery branch design that had a little bit of whimsy with big blooms that could be easily seen from the sidewalk when I hung the feeder.
Step 5) Paint your design, being certain to let each color thoroughly dry before applying another coat on top. For my design, I started with painting all the green vine, then painted pink petals, then finished with blue centers for the flowers. I also added pink polka dots on the orange tray area and around the vines for no other reason than I liked how it looked. CRAZY, I tell you.
Step 6) Allow to dry (again) then fill with seed and hang outside! Be sure to follow the guidelines of bird feeder hanging- aka, make sure your birds can safely hang out in your feeder and no predators are going to be able to get them. Keep it high enough off the ground from the reach of cats, raccoons, and even kids if yours tend to be destructive.
Step 7) Watch your wild birds enjoy their trendy new feeder or home!
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