Crafts to Sell

Fun Birdhouses to Make, Sell and Just Enjoy!

Birdhouses are functional but they can also be decorative. We like to paint, use broken china, tiles, embellishments, flowers, and even dollhouse shingles for the roof of our birdhouses. There are so many creative ways you can decorate a birdhouse. Let us give you some ideas.

Let your imagination run wild with these painted birdhouse ideas. Bright colors and fun designs will bring your birdhouse to life and fill your garden with color and flair.

Bright and whimsical colors make this birdhouse a great addition to any garden, indoors or out!

Have you ever thought of using coins or stones to decorate a birdhouse? These birdhouses utilize stones and coins to decorate roofs and walls. These DIY birdhouse are embellished with stones and a roof made out of pennies

DIY Birdhouse with a Pretty Penny Roof — Source: Dream a Little Bigger

Repurpose those old pennies you have lying around and use them to add a roof to a birdhouse. The copper will age over time and turn a nice patina shade. This rustic birdhouse is definitely something fun to create.

How cute is this rock bird house with it’s flower pot. rocking chair, screen door, window box, side window, and dormer roof window added as embellishment. The birds will want to move right in!

Stained Glass Red Blue Bird House

Note the beautiful craftsmanship in the stained glass design on this birdhouse.

Do you have old maps not being used? If you don’t you can always find some at flea markets, thrift shops and yard sales. There are so many things you can do with old maps. Here is an idea for a decorative birdhouse. Amanda took the original idea from Midwest Living Magazine to paint and then glue old maps to her wood birdhouses using Mod Podge.

Create an enchanted feel in your bird garden with the Home Bazaar Windy Ridge Stone Bird House. Blending style with realistic details, this cottage will certainly bring a charming touch to your home or backyard in moments. The stone covered façade lends a rustic feel to the piece, furthered by the faux wood pile, bird house, and window box with fabric flowers.

Mosaic Birdhouses — Desert Rose Art Glass

Blue Tile Mosaic Birdhouse — Elzabieta Frydel

You can make a Rustic pallet wood birdhouse with a license plate for a roof for little or no money. Inspire to Make shows you how on his YouTube channel. It’s a very easy DIY woodworking project for beginners that requires minimum amount of tools.

Add a bit of whimsy to your birdhouse by using an old license plate as the walls. Felt Magnet provides step-by-step instructions for this birdhouse condo.

This Stained Glass Birdhouse is easy to achieve. Purchase an unfinished wood birdhouse or build your own birdhouse, use painter’s tape and create an exquisite stained glass design. Paint inside of the sections, remove the painter’s tape, use a ruler and draw lines around each section with a thin paintbrush and black paint or a Sharpie marker.

Let your creative juices run wild, grab your paints and paintbrushes and paint a garden scene on a birdhouse.

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.

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.

How to Chalk Paint Mason Jars

We recently offered a craft class and taught our guests how to chalk paint on Mason Jars. It’s quite simple and the results are stunning. These chalk painted Mason jars are the perfect addition to our Simply Blessed wooden centerpiece box.

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Chalk Paint Mason Jars Supplies List

Here are some of the items you will need to complete your project.

32 oz. Mason Jars (quart size is what we used but you can use smaller)
Alcohol pads (Rubbing Alcohol and paper towels work too)
Chalk Paint (we like FolkArt Brand)
Paint Brushes
Sanding Block
Twine
Rubber gloves (Optional)
Mod Podge (Optional)

How to Chalk Paint Mason Jars

1. The first thing to do is lay out your supplies and be ready with your chalk paint.

2. Next, you need to clean your Mason jar with the alcohol wipe. Put your hand inside of the jar and wipe all around the outside of the jar up and around the rim. Make sure you do not touch the jar once you have cleaned it. By using the alcohol wipe you are removing any dirt or oil. If you have oil on the jar your paint won’t stick properly.

3. The alcohol should dry almost immediately. Begin painting the jar with even brush strokes. Take a look at how the paint is looking on the jar and if you want the lines to go one way then paint all in the same direction. If you find that your paint does not stick you will have to clean those spots with the alcohol again.

TIP: I like to keep my hand inside of the jar (well not all of the way) and guide the jar down on the mat once I am finished painting, using the paint brush to hold the bottom of the jar so I can remove my hand as I place it on my mat or table to dry.

4. If you are painting more jars, continue to the next jar. If you are only painting the one jar, then wait for about 15 minutes before adding a second coat.

5. Let the second coat dry to the touch. Using your sanding block, distress your jar as much or as little as you like.

OPTIONAL: For added protection to the finish, you can use a coat of Matte Mod Podge once the final coat of paint is dry and you have distressed the jar.

Our Chalk Painted Mason Jar Gallery

Take a look at the finish Chalk Paint Mason Jar project. Our students did a fantastic job to transform a simple jar into a specialty home decor piece that can be used in so many ways. They look amazing in our wooden centerpiece box too.

Craft a Wood Pumpkin Shelf Sitter to Keep, Sell or Gift

It’s fall and that means pumpkins and leaves, lots of leaves. We like to call it “leaf season” because we have so many trees in our yard. It’s a beautiful time of year in Connecticut. The trees are bursting with color. It’s also time for some Fall crafts. I am going to show you how to create this Fall wood pumpkin shelf sitter that you can keep, sell or gift! Wood crafts to sell are in high demand.

Supplies List

Pine wood (we used a 1×8)
Scroll Saw
Paints (I used Apple Barrel Matte white, Harvest Orange, Nutmeg Brown, and Burnt Umber)
Paint Brushes
80 Grit Sand Paper (or sanding block)
Disposable eye liner brushes (optional)
Natural Raffia Ribbon
Oracal Stencil Vinyl
Vinyl Transfer Tape
Cricut Cutting Machine

Other colors that work well to paint these wood pumpkins are Apple Barrel Mossy Green, Antique White, Chestnut, Tuscan Red and Pumpkin Orange. If you don’t have a specific color you can also make your own by combining in colors.

Apple Barrel paints are good quality and they are very affordable. You can get each 2 oz bottle for 50 cent at Walmart. If you can’t find a specific color at Walmart you can also purchase Apple Barrel paints through Plaidonline.com or Amazon.

Tip: If you are selling these pumpkins you may want to purchase the exact color and not make your own. This keeps the colors consistent when you are making a lot of the same item.

Free Template and Stencils

We are offering the pumpkin template and 4 stencils designs for Free to our email subscribers. Full instructions for how to use the stencil designs are also provided in the Template Gallery. Click Here to subscribe or fill out the form below to get access to the Free Template Gallery.

Note about Selling: If you are selling these pumpkins you are free to use the designs to make your own pumpkins but you cannot use our photographs in your listings. These are copyright to Coastal Creators.

Here are two of the designs you will get plus there are 2 more.

Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions

Note: These instructions assume you know how to cut out a stencil using a Cricut or Silhouette or other cutting machine. I am only showing you how to make the pumpkin project, not how to use the cutting machine. However, feel free to ask questions in the comments below if you need help cutting the stencil.

1. Cut the pumpkin shape from the 1×8 pine board. The finished size is 8-1/4″ wide x 7-1/4″ high x 3/4″ deep. We cut the pumpkin from the pine board using a scroll saw.

You could always make a larger pumpkin. When you go to print out the template just enlarge it through the printer.

2. Cut the stencil and add transfer tape on top.

3. Paint the pumpkin white and the stem dark brown.

4. Add streaks of brown to the pumpkin. You will have to play around with the amount of color you put on to create the final look you want.

Alternative: you could paint the background color brown, let it dry and then add white paint over-top. When you sand, the brown color will come through.

4. Sand the pumpkin with a coarse sand paper. We used 80 grit and made out own sanding block by stapling the sand paper to a piece of scrap wood. Make sure to sand the edges to give the pumpkin a rustic look.

5. Add the stencil and paint. Make sure you really flatten out the stencil so you don’t get a lot of bleeds. You want to use very little paint. You can use any type of brush. Remove the stencil.

Tip: To clean up bleeds, I use disposable eye liner brushes. They are super small and cost around 7 to 10 cent each. They are also great to use if you are teaching a painting class because they are so affordable and the students can take them home.

5. Tie a piece of raffia to the stem. You could also use twine if you prefer that look.

Your pumpkin is finished. Now you can place it on your shelf, give it as a gift or sell it on Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, in Facebook group, and more.

Where to Find Sea Glass

What is the Best Glue for Sea Glass Crafts

Sea Glass Resin Coasters

Sea Glass Mermaid Wood Wall Art

Sea Glass Hanging Window Frame

Sea Glass Garden Stepping Stone

Sea Glass Mosaic Table

Sea Glass Picture Frame

Sea Glass Angelfish Wall Hanging

DIY Clay Pot Lighthouse Bird Feeders

Chalk Paint Mason Jars Supplies List

How to Chalk Paint Mason Jars

Our Chalk Painted Mason Jar Gallery

Supplies List

Free Template and Stencils

Video Tutorial

Step-by-Step Instructions

Happy Crafting!