Birdhouses; my yard is full of them, and they are fun to watch. Some birds come back to the same bird house year after year. I made a couple last year from ceder cut down in the back woods. I made them into log homes. Just like my walking sticks I made one with no power tools, you can see it in this photo with the ceder roof. I put it together with a glue gun. Guess that has power. Then I took some blocks of ceder and mill them into square logs. This bird house I put up in my woods. With in a few days a bird moved in.
Birdhouses like this are time consuming, from milling the wood to putting them together. So this year I bought a band saw, hopefully cut down on some of the time to cut wood. Right off the bat, I started breaking saw blades. Now working in a small shop in the shed I have started making more, and more birdhouses.
The birds don't have to have a fancy bird house, they make homes in my shed.
The first birdhouse I made was another log home. They are still time consuming. Then, with the new saw, I started breaking blades at $7.50 a piece. Part of the breaking of the blades comes from having to learn to setting up the saw. After breaking 3 blades, I still have not set it right. Well, the blades are made in China.
Speaking of China, breaking the $100.00 problem with the things I make. Everything in America comes from China today. We also know the Chinese are used as slave labor, yet we keep buying Chinese products. You know it is actually hard not to buy Chinese, because just about everything is made in China.
In this birdhouse the logs are put together by drilling a hole and putting nails down threw the logs so as not to split the wood. No glue is needed this way, and the logs just look stacked. With my next birdhouse the wood from a pecan tree had worm holes threw it. When making the birdhouse I decided to put it mounted on a pole. I was worried that this airy home had to many holes for a bird, but a Carolina Chickadee moved in the next day. Wow, that was fast. Then the following day a Bluebird tried to move in and move the Chickadee out. That was the best day ever watching these two birds fighting over one of my birdhouses.
This next birdhouse is occupied every year by the same type of bird and most likely the same family. They move in every spring and stay all summer having 3 or 4 sets of off spring before winter.
They're 10 birdhouses in the woods and around the back yard, yet they have several nest inside the shed. They're 2 in the other end, where we keep the garden tools. So if you live in a subdivision, or even in town, you need to get some birdhouses. All the trees in the back of our house and neighborhood, and the birds still fill up my birdhouses. Also we have 3 birdbaths, 3 bird feeders, and 2 humming bird feeders
With this birdhouse; for the first time I hinged the back so the roof will raise up to clean it out. Also breaking the $100.00 barrier, this simple birdhouse I put at $65.00. Then for my next birdhouse I added more details till I was back above the $100.00's. Calling this next one the bait shop, I hit the too cute mark.
Now,I had to look up what other people are charging for birdhouses, and found them from $20.00 up to $289.00, and even higher. With this bird house move the barrel and the top front swings down to get inside. This bird house I decided to put at $115.00. Not that the ones I seen on other sites at $189.00 and up are any better. As a matter of fact the difference in prices on that site from $50.00 and up did not compare to mine. I do feel as a Folk Artist the time I put in the different piece justifies my prices. They are all one of a kind.
The Chelsea Hotel inspired the next birdhouse that I made it like the one in my yard that has had many family's in it over the past 15 years or so. It has no door and the birds clean it their selves. My brother calls it the Dr. Seuss house, that was not even on my mind when I distorted its shape. Creating this shape involved cutting wood strips very, very thin so they could bend. Then covering it with painted on cloth, sort of like the method you do papier mache. Keeping in mind that shipping will have to be added I have put the hotel at $135.00. With the two coats of red and excellent paint job on the trim, I have never picked put any thing in a gift shop painted this well.
This shows you just how well done my bird houses are made. The next birdhouse just like the bait shop is just too cute. The Church I still need to add the vents to the top part, but I can almost hear the bell ringing with out them.
Keeping this at the same price as the bait store $115.00. I hope the ideas keep coming because the next is a hardware store with a sign for Weber Wagons 1845, Coca-cola, Dry Goods and more. This one is setting my goals even higher as I keep working on the just too cute factor.
With B.W. Burdett & Bros on the top banner and a coca cola sign above the door, this bird property will bring $129.99. With me being a house painter for 30 years or so, they all are caulked and painted to keep the little families warm and dry. I'm thinking about a general store, a grocery store, maybe a fire department, or even a barn. I have not made any patterns for these so each one is a one of a kind. No two windows on the Church are the same as a matter of fact.
That rustic split-log bird house with a ceder roof is $109.00 and the wire in the middle is wrapped around the ridge pole. If you decide not to hang it just cut it with wire cutters. As I make more and start shipping more I'll better be able to guess the shipping cost. The weight is different on everyone. I wish a gift store or Folk Art store might be interested. In the past Art Gallery's doubled my price and made good money off my paintings. By trying to keep my prices in the $100 zone, room is left for someone to do just that.
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