This project started with an idea of turning a real, full-size birdhouse into a miniature birdhouse shop. I made a mock-up from cardboard to test for size. I had to take into consideration the picket fence I wanted to put inside which would dictate how high the window needed to be so I wouldn't have to cut the pickets. I also tested the egg carton bricks I would be trying for the first time which told me what size the steps needed to be.

I then disassembled the cardboard mock-up, and mailed it to my Dad who then did a great job of making it for me.

My Dad made the birdhouse from old barnwood.
I decided the name of the scene would be "For the Birds".

I've had a lot of interest in the dimensions of the birdhouse, so here they are. Birdhouse building is 8 1/4" W x 7 3/4" D x 13 3/4" H.
Door opening is 6" W x 7" H.
Window opening is 3 3/8" W x 3 3/4" H.
Roof is 9" W x 7" H.
Bottom step is 11" deep and the top step is 10 1/2" deep
to back of the inside wall.

I decided to put brick on the floor. This is before it has been grouted. The base for the floor/steps were kept separate from the building until it was bricked and grouted for ease of working. Then permanently installed inside the building.

Here is a closeup of the brickwork.
If you would like to find out how I made them, see my Brick Tutorial

The birdhouse has now been painted, shingled and aged. I added "rust" to the nails on the front so they look old. I also painted the inside and installed a picket fence wainscotting. I used Americana acrylic paints, Yellow Ochre for the inside, Celery Green for the outside and Burnt Sienna as the accent color. The picket fence was white-washed with off-white. The inside and outside walls also received a dry brushing with an off-white in a streaking pattern, then a dirty water wash was applied over everything.

I've laid out the flagstone path that will be inset in the middle with brick in a herringbone pattern. To learn how I made the brick path out of egg cartons, please click here Brick Tutorial

Here is a close-up of the flagstone with the unpainted brick glued in place.
I laid the brick in a herringbone pattern to match the floor inside the birdhouse.
The brick can be laid in any brick pattern you desire and is very easily cut to go around any obstacles.

Finally the birdhouse is put in place with the finished brick and flagstone path.

A closeup of the roof after aging it. I used 1/2 scale cedar shingles gluing them on with Elmer's glue. Then I aged them using "Famous Thomas Bug Juice". After they dried, I used a sanding block to sand down the edges, then I wire brushed them using a large wire brush from a hardware store. I then used my X-Acto knife and picked at the edges to take bites out of the shingles. I repeated all these steps a couple times (replacing the Bug Juice step with a dirty water wash instead, Raw Umber, Mars Black and water) until I was satisfied with the look of them. You can take this as far as you want and make them look like an old shack with the shingles ready to fall off and even add moss around and under some of the shingles. I didn't want to go that far, so I held back on the aging. For the last step I used a foam brush dipped in slightly diluted bleach and lightly brushed down the shingles hitting the edges of them. It will highlight the edges giving the shingles a lot of depth.

The roof apex is made from a piece of lead tape from a golf store (this can also be used for the lead lines on a stained glass window). I first glued a 1/16" dowel to the ridge and glued the aged, lead strip over that. It's easily cut with a scissors or X-Acto knife. I aged it with dirty water wash and also a rust solution.

One fun detail that is a little hard to see, is at the top right on the roof. It looks like a bit of metal, actually it's a bullet. My Dad left it in the wood, and I decided to let it show through the shingles.

Here is a link to Pat and Noel Thomas' Shingle and Roof Tips

The finished front.

A closeup of the shop sign. I scanned in a picture from a calendar I had by Marjolein Bastin. I then resized it on my computer and added the shop's name "For the Birds" over the image. I couldn't find a wooden sign the right size so I reworked one I had on hand. I cut it down to about 2/3 the length, aged it with an X-Acto knife and a wire brush. I then painted it, gave it a dirty water wash and glued the painting in place. I then hung it from a piece of weathered wood I found on a hike in AZ. The bird is from Hallmark, also by Marjolein Bastin.

The inside of the birdhouse, looking to the left.
The painted sunflower pieces are from Karen Markland.

The inside of the birdhouse, looking at the back wall.
The painted birdnest cabinet is from Karen Markland.
Many of the wonderful birdhouses are by Robin Betterley.

The inside of the birdhouse, looking to the right.

The outside of the birdhouse, with all the birdhouses for sale on display.
There's even room for some more!

Here I'm testfitting all the components. I still need to glue everything down, add grass and leaves to the tree, paint the bench and mailbox, plus a few other details. I also need a proprietor and a customer or two. Being a doll artist that should be easy, but as the saying goes, "the cobbler's kids had no shoes".

Finally finished!

Garden Tours signpost is by Robin Betterley and chair is by Wee Darlings.

I made the mailbox from a kit and painted it to look like the shop. I changed the post and also put it into a milk can and added the flowers. The triple birdhouse in the corner is by Wee Darlings and I added the post and Victorian brackets.

Finished left side.

Here is the left side of the birdhouse.

A closeup of the window. I built the window, shutters and flowerbox from scratch aging them with a wire brush before painting. Then I made the window panes look dirty by using a drop of glue in some water and mixing it up. Brush it on each pane and let it dry, then lightly wet a paper towel and wipe off the glue in the middle of the pane leaving the smudges in the corners. You can add a bit of brown and black paint to the mixture if you want it to look dirty. I also added hardware from Olde Mountain Miniatures.

Finished back.

Closeup of the birdhouses on the back wall.

A closeup of the back sunflower corner. The sunflower birdhouse is by Robin Betterley. Can you see the cat playing with the butterfly?

Finished right side.

Closeup of the right wall from the front.
I even added tiny price tags that hang off all the birdhouses.

Closeup of the right wall from the back.

The tree is made from sagebrush with greenery added. The sunflower table is by Robin Betterley. I painted and aged the birdhouse bench.

The right side of the scene.

A closer view of the right side.

Girl is made by Susan Scogin. See the cat trying to catch the butterfly?

The pond with one of the corner birdhouses, made by Hank Taylor.

Here is a closeup picture of my pond. I made the actual pond out of an aluminum, baked potato tin you buy at a grocery store. Unroll the edge of the tin and snip it in a few places so the sides bend easier to the shape you want. Then take your hammer and flatten the 1/2" edge as flat as you can. This will help when you glue it to the base and also when you add the stones on top of the flattened edge. I bent the sides of the tin into the shape I wanted and cut a hole in the wood base of the project the same shape and size as the pond. You need the hole to be big enough so the whole pond fits in and the flattened edge fits flat onto the base. The easiest way I found to get the right size and shape is to flip the tin upside down on a sheet of paper and trace around the flattened edge. Next measure the width of the flattened edge and draw another line inside the first line the same width as the edge. Then cut out the smaller shape out of the paper and test fit your pond in it to make sure it's big enough. Make any adjustments and you now have a template for your pond. Transfer that shape to the wood and cut it out with a jigsaw. You will need to add a base to your project if you want your pond to look like it's built into the ground.

I gave the inside of the tin a light spray of sealer so it would accept paint, and painted the inside in blues and greens to give it depth and a bit of a mossy look to the bottom edges and sides. I dropped the painted tin into the hole in the base and glued the flattened edges of the tin onto the base and weighted it until it dried.

I then started test fitting layers of flagstone that were also used in the path, which gave the project some continuity. This step also covered up the 1/2" flattened edge of the aluminum pond that is glued to the base. Once the many layers of flagstone are glued in place, again set it aside to dry thoroughly.

Now comes the fun part, adding the water and fish! I used Envirotex Lite and poured it in about 1/4 inch layers at a time. This makes it easy to add fish as you go. Before pouring any resin, first start with a fish or two glued to the bottom of the pond, make sure the glue is dry before pouring the first layer of resin or the glue will permanently stay white (if you want cattails in your pond, now is the time to put them in). When you see fish at the bottom of the pond and also at the top, it will give the pond depth. Now mix up your resin in a plastic cup and pour your first layer and set it aside, covered, for 72 hours (yes, 72 hours for each layer, you won't be getting this done in one day!). After your first layer, you will be able to see approximately how many layers it will take to fill the pond and you can plan accordingly where you will be adding all the fish and on which layer. After you pour the last layer, let it sit for about 1/2 hour, then go ahead and add the lily pads and flowers. Just set them on top of the resin, no need to glue them. If you add them too soon, they will tend to sink.

The lily pads are cut from green eucalyptus leaves, which are great because they will have real veining on each lily pad. Cut the pointy tip off each leaf to give it a basic circle shape and then cut a curved "V" out from where the leaf used to be attached to the stalk. Use the different sized leaves to make big pads and small pads. The lily's were made from flower kits by Little Goodies. Look at real pictures of ponds to see how the pads and flowers should look. Add frogs and turtles to the top of the pads.

An aerial view of the project.

Here are a couple links to a MOL Miniature Club that used my birdhouse plan for a club project.
They all turned out great!

Birdhouse Projects 1

Birdhouse Projects 2