The Creative Cubby: Spooky House {using Birdhouse}

I love the unfinished wood birdhouses available at craft stores. However, being in Arizona, I don't really have trees to hang them in nor do we have birds that will fit in them. So I just walk through the aisle saying, "Oh, that's so cute!" and am forced to move on.

Well, this Halloween, that's not the case!

I turned this unfinished birdhouse into a Spooky House, complete with monsters, ghosts and candy! Another great project for kids and adults to get creative and decorate their own Halloween house!

Materials
Unfinished Birdhouse
Black Acrylic Paint
Paint Brush
Paint Palette
Sand Paper
Ruler
Scrapbook Paper
Paper Cutter
Mod Podge (Used: Matte Finish)
Sponge Brush
Paper Towels
Mod Podge Flattening Tool (optional)
Embellishments
Scissors
Tacky Glue

Instructions
1. Sand the rough edges of your birdhouse. I like sanding over the flat surfaces as well. I find the paint finishes more evenly.

2. Paint your entire house using black acrylic paint. Let dry completely. Don't forget the under sides of the roof!

3. Using a ruler, measure the tops of your roofs. Be careful, mine all looked the same size, but they weren't! Cut your paper to size. I did one piece that would fold over the top of one roof. For the other two roofs, I cut pieces that fit on each side of the roof. I also cut a small piece to go on the base inside the wood fence.

4. Mod Podge your sheets onto your roofs. If you've never used Mod Podge before, follow the pictures below. Remember to work quickly!

5. Once all your roof covers are on, Mod Podge the entire birdhouse. I did this to cover any mistakes I made while Mod Podging and give the entire structure the same sheen.

**My Mistake {OOPS!}**

Don't let your Mod Podge clump up or dry in a big bubble.

You'll end up with nasty discolored spots on your project.

{Look closely at my finished project... you'll see them.}

Use a paper towel to wipe away any large clumps.

6. When it was mostly dry (you can see the white spots of almost dry Mod Podge), start decorating. I started with gluing ribbon to the edge of the roof lines.