by Diane Reiter

Created on: August 07, 2007

Make a Unique Clay Bird Bath

Today, gardening is more celebrated than ever. Stores are brimming with tools, decorative pieces, and a variety of accessories to enhance any garden and make caring for it easy and fun. Shelves are lined with every kind of ceramic elf, gazing ball, fairy, and ornament imaginable, but amongst the influx of these mass-produced items, it can often be difficult to make the garden truly unique and personal.

Adding a homemade work of art your garden can sprinkle a touch of whimsy and charm to your flowerbed and is generally less expensive than buying a ready-made item.

A simple project that is inexpensive, quick to assemble, and easy to decorate is a clay birdbath. This nifty little project utilizes purchased clay pots available at any garden or craft store to create something functional and beautiful for your garden.

Items needed:

(1) 10" Clay Saucer
(2) 5" Clay Saucers
(2) 4" Clay Pots
Heavy-duty Gorilla, E6000 or another ultra heavy-duty clear adhesive glue

Glue bottoms of pots together using a generous amount of adhesive. Let dry, Next, glue the pot rims to the bottoms of the 5-inch clay saucers, taking special care to center them. After the glue has dried, adhere the bottom of the 10-inch clay saucer to one rim of one of the 4-inch clay saucers. Allow the entire project to dry thoroughly.

The birdbath is ready to place in your garden and fill as is, or can be decorated with paint, mosaic tiles/ceramic pieces and grout, faux jewels, shells, ornamental metal, buttons, or decorative rock. Any paint or grout used should be protected with sealant appropriate for the surface, and the birdbath should be brought indoors during the snowy, cold months of winter to prevent cracking.

After your unique birdbath is placed in your garden and filled with water, it won't take long before the birds fly in and begin splashing around. The satisfaction of creating your own birdbath reaps the reward of a job well done and lots of feathery activity amongst the flowers.

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