I was recently invited to enter a crafty competition by a company called Ocean finance. They sent every blogger a simple, wooden birdhouse and a £25 Buddy Crafts voucher so they could buy all the supplies they needed. Initially I declined, as I was so strapped for time ... but within a matter of minutes I had changed my mind as I simply couldn't resist such a fun, crafty challenge! especially since my country cottage birdy house had already started to materialise in my minds eye. This is not suitable for outdoors so I wanted to find a practical use for my little birdhouse indoors, so please let me introduce you to my new ribbon (or string) holder!  I loved making this project - it may look incredibly intricate, but it really isn't. Aside from the supplies, all you need is glue and a bit of patience ... would make a lovely gift don't you think?!

A wooden birdhouse

Decorative gravel in champagne

Decorative gravel in green

Selection of feathers (at least 3 packets)

Wired pip berries in green

Selection of paper roses in green

Selection of paper roses in peach

Bunch of daisies

Bunch tiny rosebuds

Glue

(I used PVA glue for this, though I would recommend a fast-drying glue to save time.)

Cover one side of the birdhouse in a decent layer of glue, and sprinkle with an even layer of the the cream granulates. Allow to dry (note: as I used PVA glue this took quite a while to dry so I'd recommend a quick-drying glue if poss.) Once dry, repeat on the next side until all four sides are covered. Then apply another layer of glue on just the bottom half of the cream granules and sprinkle with your 'ivy' ... the green granules. Allow to dry.

Once dry it's time to put our roof on! Starting from the bottom, dab some glue onto the wood and place the feathers at evenly spaced intervals. Then do another row (in between the previous) and work your way towards the top. Keep the small feathers for the top, and edge of the roof.

Now it's time to prep your flowers. Split them into smaller bunches (and mix and match as you'd like) then use one stem to bind each bunch. Then wind the wires around a thin circular pole a few times (as seen in the top left pic). Then slide it off and bend the bottom up so it can stand (as see in top right pic.) Then put to one side ready to glue. Next entwine two strands of your wired berries and wrap with the occasional flower - this is going to 'grow up' your cottage front!

Now it's time to start gluing the flowers in place! Start with the bigger pieces first (like the twine) and allow them to dry. Also don't be afraid to cheat ... I sellotaped the top of the twine to the roof in order to hold it in place. Then working your way along, start to add more flowers. When all the bunches have been glued into place, you can use some of the leftover flower heads to fill in gaps along the bottom.

TADA! 

JM x