Coastal Crafts

Free Easy DIY Wood Birdhouse Plans

When Spring comes we think about the birds and wildlife coming back into our yard. Birds will be searching for places to nest, hatch their eggs, feed their young and you can help by building a wood birdhouse or wood nesting box.

When deciding what birdhouse design is best for the birds in your backyard, take into consideration that every bird is different. A birdhouse with a small hole may not be suited for a larger bird that needs a larger opening.

Wood Birdhouse Sizes

Value Home Centers not only has a Free Bird DIY birdhouse using just one board, they also came up with a chart to give you an idea of the sizes needed for a variety of birds.

For a different kind of birdhouse, check out these 10 Free Birdhouse Plans from Fresh Patio. You will be able to build one of these birdhouses for just around $3 by using a single 4″ x 6′ wood plank from your local hardware store. There is nothing complicated and you can even use a hand saw to cut the boards.

Build a Bluebird House

Fanning Sparks will show you how to build a proper Bluebird house. Even if you don’t have any bluebirds in your yard, chickadees and wrens may also choose to nest in this birdhouse because it is just the right size having a 1-1/2″ opening that only allows for small birds to enter.

Build a Cedar Fence Picket Birdhouse

The Cedar Fence Picket Birdhouse by Ana White can be built for just $2 using a cedar fence picket. This also makes a good kids project or a fun group project. She also offers free plans for a Modern Cedar Birdhouse that can be nailed to a tree.

Build a Simple Birdhouse

Shelly from 100 Things 2 Do in Canada used Ana White’s birdhouse plans and changed it up a bit to create her own unique take on simple birdhouse plans.

Build a Sparrow Bird Box

If you have sparrows in your area, you may want to consider building a Sparrow bird box. This birdhouse is placed under the eaves of your house because sparrows often nest there.

Build a Cardinal Nesting Box

Cardinals are beautiful birds with their brilliant red feathers. You may want to build a Cardinal nesting shelter birdhouse. This can also be make out of one single fence board. The best location for a Cardinal box will be to place underneath the overhang of the house and about 6 feet or higher to prevent predators from attacking it.

Similarly, robins also like to nest in open boxes. By building them a nesting shelter you will give them some added protection while they raise their young.

Build a PVC Birdhouse

For an even more unique style of birdhouse, Bill from Suncatcher Studio came up with an easy way to use PCV piping to create fun and unique birdhouses. PVC is cheap so this is a good material to use for your next birdhouse build.

Sea Glass Crafts to Make and Sell

Sea glass crafts are in high demand in shops, online, Etsy and at craft fairs. We will give you sea glass craft ideas that you can make and sell for a profit. Sea glass is an exciting hobby that can also turn into a side business to make extra income. Some fantastic crafts you can make with sea glass include stepping stones for the garden, sea glass wall art, coasters, sea glass jewelry, picture frames and more.

Sea Glass is so beautiful that you will want to craft an item or beauty like a sea glass coaster, window frame, mosaic table, and sea glass stepping stones that you can make and sell for profit online and at craft fairs.

Where to Find Sea Glass

Almost all of us remember going to the beach as kids and gathering seashells with our parents. We would also search for colorful bits of sea glass and if we found any it was like finding gold because it is hard to find on many beaches. You can still scour the beach today for sea glass but it will take quite awhile to find enough to make a successful craft project. And, if you want to sell multiple sea glass crafts you will need to have a lot of sea glass on hand.

Sea Glass is readily available for purchase online at Amazon. They sell both small quantities and larger, bulk quantities of sea glass. If you are going to be making a lot of sea glass crafts you may want to consider purchasing sea glass in bulk. When buying in bulk you will get a reduced price too. You need to keep your supplies costs down if you are planning on reselling your sea glass crafts so buying in bulk will help.

What is the Best Glue for Sea Glass Crafts

The type of glue to use for sea glass crafts depends on the type of projects you are working on.

Clear Drying Glues If you want light to reflect through the sea glass you should use an adhesive that dries clear such as Vigor Jewelers Epoxy or Eclectic E6000 Jewelry Epoxy.

Strong Bond Glues If you are working on a piece that has a lot of sea glass attached, you will want to use ceramic cement to bond sea glass to the surface. You need to make sure the sea glass stays firmly attached and has no chance of coming off your piece. Gorilla Glue works well to attach sea glass to any surface. You can also get it with a clear finish.

Sea Glass Coasters — Source: The Beading Gem

Sea Glass Resin Coasters

You can make sea glass resin coasters using Little Windows’ Brilliant Resin, a bit of white resin pigment and sea glass. You will also need some type of mold to create the round shape. A silicone mousse pan works well. It would be best if you had some measuring cups and paper towels as well. The Resin proportion you need to use is 2:1 of part A, and part B. Start with layers where the first layer is white, which gives you an opaque bottom so you can’t see through it. Add the sea glass pieces, and with a toothpick, you can adjust the elements. This specific sea glass craft also includes some glitter gravel to add sparkle. Pour the clear Resin on top and let everything set overnight.

Sea Glass Mermaid Wood Wall Art

To create a Sea Glass Mermaid wall art piece you will first need to draw a mermaid design on a piece of wood and then cut it out using a saw. You could use plywood or cedar. You may want to paint the wood with chalk paint and sand it to give it a weathered look. Flat pieces of sea glass are preferred for this project because you are not covering the whole piece of wood and you don’t want the glass to be raised up that much.

Arrange the sea glass pieces to create the Mermaid tail and glue the pieces to the board using a strong glue such as Gorilla Glue. You need to ensure that you let it dry for at least for an hour but overnight is preferred.

Sea Glass Hanging Window Frame

If you want to make a fantastic hanging sea glass window frame, you need to fill each window pane with sea glass pieces. You could add bits of broken glass and other embellishments as well. Ensure you use enough glue and let it dry for a sufficient amount of time. You can find old window frames at antique shops and try looking on Craigs List and also Facebook Marketplace as someone is always getting rid of old window frames. You can turn an old window frame into a fantastic sea glass art that you can keep to enjoy or sell for a profit. You will need chain for this project and probably eye hooks to screw into the window pane to hook the chain onto.

Sea Glass Garden Stepping Stone

After collecting or purchasing your sea glass, you will need to find a mold such as a cake pan or plastic tub to get this project started. Some other supplies you will need are cement, gold spray paint (I like to use DecoArt Metallic paint and brush it on), matte white paint, and clear spray paint. If you prefer you don’t have to use spray paint. You can use other water-based paints you have on hand. You will also need a bit of chicken wire or metal fencing that you can fit inside of your mold.

Sea Glass Mosaic Table

If you have an old table that is in need of a face-lift, you can cover the top with sea glass and then use grout to fill in the gaps. You could paint the table white first to give it a more nautical look. As with any sea glass craft project, you will need a strong glue to adhere the sea glass to the wood table. Once it is dry, use a plastic spatula and spread the grout over the sea glass and around the gaps. Let it dry overnight. You may want to give it a protective finish by adding a layer of Miracle Sealants Grout Sealer on top.

Sea Glass Picture Frame

Here is a unique way to hold a photo, a sea glass picture frame. Take an ordinary picture frame and turn it into a masterpiece that you can keep or sell. You will need flat, clear sea glass pieces for this project. You will also need pre-mixed grout, strong glue and sealant. Some embellishments like starfish and shell jewelry findings will give it a nautical touch.

Sea Glass Angelfish Wall Hanging

This stunning sea glass Angelfish wall hanging is made of mosaic pieces of mirror and colorful and iridescent glass. The mirror reflects every glow of light giving freshness and vitality to every environment.

FREE Rock Flower Garden Projects

We don’t always think of taking a plain rock and using it to decorate our yard and garden. Rocks are free so what better material to use when money is tight.

We have so many ideas for creating fun yardscapes with rocks and stones to share with you. Stones and rocks are an affordable way to create a majestic yard and garden. You just need some ideas to get you started and then the sky is the limit in what you can create. You can gather stones in your yard, at the beach, in the woods, at the park, or even purchase them.

For some of the rock garden projects we listed, you may need basic supplies like quick grout or quick cement to put in between the cracks but those items are fairly cheap to buy.

Some rock garden projects may require outdoor paint. Outdoor house paints or acrylic paints work well for these rock garden projects. My favorite paint for outdoor projects is Rust-Oleum. It really projects outdoor projects against the elements and looks great with a sleek finish. For kids, Spray Chalk paint is a good option.

Great family project!

If you have kids you can get them involved in the fun of creating a colorful rock garden and remember, it’s a free project so it’s a win-win. Let them scavenge for rocks in your yard or take a trip to a park, go hiking and make it a family event. This could even be a summer project. Start by coming up with the one project you want to create, figure out how many rocks you will need to collect. When school is out for the summer, start your project by making a making a chart to show what days you found the rocks on and where. It will make a fun record of your project and keep the kids interested for the whole summer break. By the time summer is over you will have collected rocks, painted rocks, and right before school starts again, you can assemble your rocks into a fabulous rock flower garden.

These free rock flower garden projects will put you in your happy place. They are also easy and fun to create. Go all out and fill a space in your yard with color rocks, or take ordinary rocks and make a design like a butterfly or a flower design.

Glass Gardening Art Projects

Bring your garden to life with glass garden art. Glass reflects in the sun and brings your garden alive with color. Create drama that carries over from one season to the next. Sun catchers, glass orbs, hanging glass wind chimes are just some of the ways you can enhance your garden with glass.

Glass Hummingbirds is waiting to decorate your window sill or hang in the window as a reminder of our fine feathered friends who come to our garden for a season and are gone with the chill in the air.

Glass Garden Art Balls, Orbs, or Globes – or sometimes called Gazing Balls – are making by adding colorful flat glass stones to a round sphere. A bowling ball can work for your base but since it is very heavy you may want something lighter like a child’s play ball. If you want the glass to show through you could use a round Christmas ornament. You can often find them large enough to make a glass art ball.

If you are looking for a touch of fantasy or whimsy in your garden add a sun-catcher. Maybe you want some plant bling these handmade glass garden wands are the perfect sun catcher that will beautify your garden. The bits of color will peak out from behind the leaves of your plants like little fairies.

Garden Glass Art Projects, Garden Glass Stakes — Source: Threads and Wicks

Glass bottles are useful as garden art. Recycle old bottles and add them to metal display stand and you have an instant garden art project that is simple for any DIYer.

Glass Wind chimes move in the wind so the sun plays on the glass and catches you eye everywhere you look. Use element from nature like drift wood and shells to enhance your glass wind chime.

Glass, Bead, Shell Wind Chime — Source: My Pinterventures

DIY Clay Pot Lighthouse Bird Feeders

Whether you are feeding birds to help them through the long, cold winter months or feed birds during warm weather, having a functional bird feeder will attract a lot of variety of birds to your yard. Birds are enjoyable to watch. You can attract different birds by using a variety of seeds. You will attract titmouse, finches, sparrows, and chickadees with tiny seeds like nyjer, thistle, millet, cracked corn, flax and safflower. Cardinals, blue jays, doves, thrashers, and cowbirds like black oil sunflower and larger seed mixes.

DIY Clay Pot Lighthouse Bird Feeders

Here is an idea for a cute coastal bird feeder and garden decor all in one. These lighthouse bird feeders are made using clay pots that have been glued together and then painted. Get your creative juices flowing and grab your paints because it’s time for another coastal craft project.

Clay Pot DIY Lighthouse Bird Feeder — Image Credit: Crafts by Courtney

A lighthouse bird feeder made from Terra Cotta clay pots is very easy to assemble. You can feature a lantern on top to cast a warm glow. Place it in the garden as a decoration or add the clay pot saucer on the top or bottom and fill the edges with bird seed to feed our hungry feathered friends.

Clay Pot DIY Lighthouse Bird Feeders — Image Credit: Unknown

Let these examples show you how you can take clay pots to make a lighthouse bird feeder. Add a solar light to the top. The pot’s saucer is placed on top as the bird feeder. Now you have a coastal bird feeder that is also coastal garden decor.

Not all of these Terra Cotta Pot lighthouses feature a bird feeder but you can easily change that by adding the pot saucer to the top or the bottom.