Chandelier Turned Bird Housing Complex! What?

Spring makes me happy. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the kids are fighting. Again. The. Kids. Are. Fighting. Again. They’re nearing summer, and they’ve had it. They’ve had it with school, they’ve had it with chores, they’ve had it with having to get along. This is when Mom’s across the land must dig deep into their inner creative diva and pull out a project that requires teamwork and issue a cease fire immediately order.

I have such a project. And the beauty of it is that it’s perfect for spring and it will get the birds singing at the top of their tiny little lungs, which goes along with my initial sentences. Spring makes me happy and the birds are singing. A chandelier turn bird housing complex. Yes, it’s a mouthful, but it’s cute.

Get an old, ugly thrifted chandelier. It doesn’t even have to work. I got mine for $5.99 at Thrift Town.

I cut out all the wiring, and unscrewed the light sockets prior to painting it white. Mom tip; use a spray paint that has a primer in it. I use Krylon, and it works very well. Also, be sure the nozzle tip of the spray can is pointing away from you before you pull the trigger. Just trust me on this, and I actually like my glasses now that they are pink speckled thank you very much, but it’s not for everyone.

Here’s where the bambinos come in. Go to the craft store and buy as many bird houses as the chandelier has arms or light sockets. The houses can be in various shapes and sizes. Looking back I actually wish I would have had all five of mine be different. Once you have the bird houses, let your kids loose and have a field day painting them.

Once the bird houses are dry, attach them to the light sockets using very tacky permanent glue that adheres to both wood and metal. Below is the final result. I liked the project so much I featured it on my Thrifty Pets segment on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursday. Here’s the link: http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/8835655-thrifty-thursday-pampering-your-pets-part-1/

The kids enjoyed painting the houses, and picked the perfect spot in the backyard to hang it. It bought me about an hour of peace. I’ll take all I can get!

Gina Doglione-Nielsen is featured every week on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursdays, and owns GNJ Consulting which handles Public, Social, and Media Relations for Thrift Town Stores. Gina lives in Northern California with her amazing husband Josh, and is constantly on the go with three “very active” and “strong personality” bambinos; aka Team Nielsen, and loves every minute of it.