To display the pumpkin birdhouse, place it on a small pile of feathers. For a more elegant version, perch artificial feathered birds on the wires.

 

You can build these birds
a new home next year.

• Pumpkin
• Spoon
• Knife or drill with 1-1/4-inch drill bit
• Acrylic paints in black, lavender, blue, green, pink, yellow, or other desired colors
• Paintbrush
• Five 1-1/4-inch wooden balls with flat end and tiny hole (doll heads)
• Thick white crafts glue
• 1/4-inch plastic movable eyes
• Molding clay
• Scissors
• Thick lead-free solder wire or armature wire
• Wire cutters
• Large marking pen, 1-inch dowel, or similar-size tube shape

1. Prepare pumpkin. Cut a small hole in the bottom of pumpkin. Remove the bottom piece of pumpkin shell. Clean out the inside of pumpkin using a spoon. Cut or drill five 1-1/4-inch holes, spaced randomly around the pumpkin.

2. Create heads. To make the bird heads, paint each wooden ball with the desired color of acrylic paint and let dry. Glue on two small plastic eyes close together as shown.

3. Make beaks. To make the beaks, shape them from small pieces of clay. Use pieces about the size of a grape. Shape the clay into cones and clip once with scissors beginning at the tip. Do not clip all the way across. Spread the clay apart to form open beaks. Let the clay beaks dry. Paint the beaks yellow or black. Let the paint dry. Glue the beaks onto the bird heads below the eyes.

4. Make/insert coils. Cut five solder wire pieces 4 to 8 inches long. To form into a coil, wrap each around a large marking pen, 1-inch dowel, or similar object. Insert one end of the wire into the hole in the back of the wooden bird head, widening the hole with a pencil if needed. Glue the wire in place. Insert the other end of wire into the pumpkin inside each hole.