You often find unfinished birdhouses at the dollar store and craft store. There’s just something about that unfinished wood (and low price tag) that begs me to buy it and do an extreme makeover! I picked up these birdhouses that had vaguely gothic features (a steeple and a conical roof) and was inspired to do a sparkly, spooky treatment to transform them into cheap and cheerful Halloween decorations. Oops, I mean, cheap and creepy! I used Krylon Glitter Blast spray paint to make these shine.

Project Estimate:

• Unfinished wooden birdhouses, $1 each
• Black acrylic or spray paint, on hand or $1 and up
• Glitter spray paint, about $6
• Masking tape (optional), on hand

Total: $7 and up

For the biggest impact, paint at least three bird houses to create a creepy village. You can also accessorize your village with wooden cut outs. I found a variety of creepy shapes at Michael’s for 29 cents each–I bought picket fences, bats, spiders, and house cut out shapes. I spray painted them all black. I also picked up some cute mini clothespins that had Halloween cutouts on them to add a little bit of color.

About the Glitter Spray Paint:

I used Krylon Glitter Blast in Starry Night. It’s pretty cool stuff – very intense glitter-look, but it doesn’t flake off at all, like you would expect when you see a glittery surface like that. It has the convenience of a spray paint (it took about 10 seconds to spray these birdhouses), but the look of an extreme glitter paint, or even a coat of glue and glitter, which you KNOW is super-messy and frustrating. You can use it on all kinds of surfaces, and it is very durable. If you’re worried about the surface getting tough use, you can buy the Glitter Blast Clear Sealer to protect it.

I would recommend this paint for dollar store crafting, because the product is so easy and convenient to use that I think it is money well spent if you like glitter. It definitely transformed a $1 birdhouse into a quality-looking decorative piece that I will use for years to come, and one can of Glitter Blast is enough to make many glittery craft projects. (Money saving tip: Make sure you use your 40% off coupon at the craft store when you buy it!)

You can also get a glittery look by using a few coats of acrylic glitter paint, or by using glue and glitter.

To Make the Birdhouses:

1. Pre-paint them with black acrylic paint or black spray paint. Allow to dry.

2. If you want to create a pattern, add stripes or other desired patterns to the birdhouses with masking tape. I striped one of the roofs.

3. Spray the birdhouses with glitter spray paint. Allow to dry. Remove masking tape.

4. If desired, coat with Glitter Blast Clear Sealer. You only need to do this if children will be playing (hard) with these. The glitter doesn’t come off with regular handling.

Share Your Shine & Win Some Krylon Glitter Blast!

Do you like bling? Link up something you made sparkle and shine, and you could win a case of Krylon Glitter Blast (that’s 6 cans), and a $50 gift card to either Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Wal-mart, or Jo-Ann. Five people will be selected to win!

Rules:

1. Link your shiny craft project here by Midnight, Thursday Sept 15th.

2. Five winners will be selected by a committee of judges (Me, Jen from Tatertots & Jello, Mandi from Vintage Revivals, Beckie from Infarrantly Creative, and Amy from Mod Podge Rocks).

3. Winners will be announced on or about Friday, September 16th at noon.

 

4. Residents of USA only

The winners of the Krylon Glitter Blast linky party are:

#46 Halloween Pillows
#22 Metallic Secretary Desk
#95 Glittericious Birthday Crown
#38 Metallic Sunburst Mirror
#23 Courtney’s Glitter

If you won email Beckie at [email protected] and we will get the case of Glitter Blast spray paint out to you.

disclosure: I was paid for my participation in this promotion, and received product from Krylon. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by anything else.