Read on to see how our resident artist Becky Sarkozy created these birdhouses with Pro Tapes!
HOW TO ENTER:
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AS OF 8/08/2019. Congratulations to our winners!!
Step 1: Go to our Instagram (@protapes) and follow our Instagram page.
Step 2: Find our Birdhouse Giveaway post and comment with which birdhouse you’d like to win (“Shiny Blue” or “Beach Condo”).
Step 3: That’s it! Winners will be announced one (1) week from the date of the announcement post. There will be one winner for each birdhouse!
Winners must be of legal age for entry (18) and must live in one of the 48 contiguous states. Winner must have a physical mailing address capable of receiving the winning package (we cannot ship to a P.O. box.)
Summer is in full swing…
…so we wanted to make some arts & crafts that are fun for this season! It’s been a hot one so far, and we’re all looking for shade to keep cool in – and our feathered friends need shade too! I decided to make these birdhouses inspired by the bright yellow sun and blue ocean waves at the beach. The best part about using tape to decorate these birdhouses is that it’s safe to use for all ages! Let’s jump in and see how I made these.
Birdhouse #1: Shiny Blue
Materials:
- Wooden birdhouse
- Pro® Duct 120 in 1” and 2”, yellow, blue, and green
- X-ACTO® blade
This birdhouse is 100% Pro® Duct 120– which is a great weather resistant choice! Not to mention, the colors will never fade. This house will certainly attract frequent guests!
I started from the bottom up… Wrapping the edges and base in 1″ green Pro® Duct 120. I used an X-ACTO® blade to slice the corners and keep the folds over the corners crisp.
I took out the wooden perches and vertically laid down blue duct right over the holes, hand tearing each strip. Then once the sides were completely sealed in blue 2″ Pro® Duct, I felt around for the circular holes and trimmed them open again with an X-ACTO® blade.
I then covered the corners and edges of the roof, layering from the bottom up with multiple rows of 1″ yellow Duct. As always, it was easy to hand-tear each piece – I didn’t have to deal with scissors for cutting sticky tape.
Birdhouse #2: Beach Condo
Materials:
- Wooden birdhouse
- Pro® Artist Tape, ¼” and 1″
- Craft paint
- Embellishments (in this case, rocks, glass pieces, lady bug toy)
- EHB tape (Pro® 5050C)
- X-ACTO® blade
I wanted to try something a little harder for this fancy birdhouse – but it was still pretty easy, using Pro® EHB! First, I used Pro®’s repositionable Artist Tape (seen in orange) to mask off the areas I choose to paint. This birdhouse has so many fun angles and small details, so I wanted to keep the lines clean and crisp. I can quickly hand tear and place the tape straight (even around the curved windows), paint, then peel off the tape.
Then, to add more details, I dug out some ¼” Pro® 5050C (extra high bond, double sided adhesive tape). It looks like the “red” tape in the pictures, but the red part is actually just the backing paper (we call it a liner in Pro® terms!), which you peel off to reveal the clear tape underneath.
What’s great about EHB tape is that it bonds very strongly, but it’s safe and easy to use – unlike a hot glue gun! Although hot glue guns are very popular for crafting, it can be a hassle dealing with the wire, finding a plug near your work station, all those messy hot glue “strings” that form (if you’ve used hot glue, you know what I mean!) and don’t forget burning yourself by accident! Ouch!! This EHB Pro® 5050C tape has none of those problems, so it’s great to use even with kids!
The ¼” size Pro® 5050C EHB tape perfectly fit around the trim of the birdhouse’s roof. I was able to cut and trim the adhesive with the help of my X-ACTO® blade (you can use scissors here instead.) Once the roof was taped up, I peeled back the red liner and sprinkled some blue colored gravel over the sticky areas. The gravel had no problem sticking right to the EHB tape and strongly stands in place.
I perfected this process (and sped things up a bit) by dumping out some gravel on a sheet of silicone and pressing the open adhesive down into the gravel. So, whatever works best! I recommend the silicone sheet for this process to ensure the EHB tape won’t stick to your surface! EHB tape like Pro® 5050C is a great choice for adding small embellishments like this because it is so strong and easy to use, and it is also weather resistant – so it will hold up to all the elements of the outdoors.
I continued to bedazzle the house with Pro® 1″ EHB and some glass beads. Here, I just applied the adhesive to the back of each bead and trimmed the edges with my X-ACTO® blade (you can use scissors, too), peeled off the red liner and affixed to the house. When using extra high bond tape, you may want to measure or pre-mark your surface before you apply, because once it’s on… it’s on there for good!!
I loved how simple this craft was for both birdhouses! It’s easy enough for adults to decorate, but it would be great for kid’s art classes and families doing a craft project together. If you make a birdhouse using our tape, be sure to tag us on social media with @protapes !!
