Same Wooden Birdhouse - VERY Different Styles

The simple $5.99 birdhouse at Michael's

It has always amazed me to find that the same surface, in this case a birdhouse, can be used in so many ways. Now and then I peruse Pinterest or even fellow crafters on ETSY just to see what's up. Many of us buy our items to paint, decorate, etc., at the same stores (or they may sell the same things) yet so often their results are very, very different. This, of course, just means that we all have different tastes and that what you create most likely will be different than me, unless you go to a crafting show. There, everyone (tries) to do the same thing as originally taught by the teacher creator and then mimicked by paying students. And often they are similar but more likely are not! I went to learn technique and enjoyed most of my classes.

     I guess I should not be so surprised. A canvas in a blank square, rectangle and yet look how different each painting on one can be. It's merely a starting point. What we do with it is our desire to create. What we create is often very different.

A "Crazy-Quilt" birdhouse design

     It was then that I realized that I seem to be two, maybe three different people. I might use the same basic, raw, wooden birdhouse (as shown above) but the results are often so different that it appears different people painted them. Often they are as different as the variety of "styles" I have created ... my "crazy quilt design," my "Pennsylvania Dutch" designs, my attempts at Rosemaling and lately my abstract series. There have been other ideas but these four seem to be what I concentrate on.

    The "Crazy-Quilt designs try to replicate a real crazy quilt but with painted fabric! Each fabric has a base color and then its own unique "print." Usually I use 8 base colors and much like the scraps left over from making something with a pattern, the pieces are put together and stitched with gold paint. It is unique and extremely time consuming as you can well imagine. At times I think I would rather be actually sewing the pieces together. Since I already have quite an investment in unfinished wood products and lots of paint, I'll stick with what I currently have.

This colorful Rosemaling Birdhouse sold quickly

     However, I also like Rosemaling and some of the designs of  Pennsylvania Dutch and find that they are interesting too. Yet, at the same time they also require patience and are time consuming as you want to be sure the patterns match, the colors are right, etc. I have found that colorful seems, at least from my sales, to be more popular than subdued tones. I have discovered that yellow and reds are particularly popular. 

     Not to be outdone, I spotted interest in an original design I did when I first started craft painting years ago. It was a Morning Glory design that I had climb from the bottom to the top of the birdhouse. They were bisque birdhouses, a style that I can't find anymore, so I decided to return to that pattern and used this wooden style of birdhouse. Again, as you can see, this completely changes the look of the original wooden design.

Pennsylvania Dutch Morning Glories

    It's a fun challenge and one that I didn't really realize until in looking at my ETSY store listings, I realized that a birdhouse I had hanging in my bedroom had never been listed for sale before. So, liking this raw surface I tried the Morning Glory pattern used before and realized how I had used it in the past. In the painting of this design, I reflected on the other items I had painted before and thought it might make an interesting blog comparing how, like a canvas, surfaces can, and are, used to create a series of totally different products.

   Even as I write this I keep thinking that I should keep to this surface, this birdhouse pattern and see how many new and different designs I could make. Maybe when I am 80 or so because I have a storeroom filled with blank surfaces ... wood, canvas and metal that need to be dealt with first!

    I wanted to show you how different designs, colors and even possible additions change the look and feel of your birdhouse as you make it your own! 

Thank you for reading my blog. I invite you to take the time to read earlier blogs where my emphasis is to explore the ways art and design affects our daily lives ... and always has. I share with you what inspires me with the hope that it will inspire you as well. Comments are always welcomed! 

Be sure to check my ETSY store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. I am adding many new and exciting, collectible birdhouses and craft items. Many of the items talked about here will be for sale there!