Making a bird house for a dollhouse from a draydel

This is the birdhouse I will show you how to make from a draydel.

First I got some of my supplies together.  I bought plastic draydels that were in the clearance section in the store.  Just make sure the plastic draydel is a two piece one, and it comes apart.  You will also need a small wooden dowel which you can see on the left side.  You also need a tiny bird, a clothes pin that is flat on top.  A block from a Jenga game, and a bead which has a hole on one side. You can see these all in the picture.

In this picture I opened up the four draydels I am turning into four bird houses.  You just need one draydel I'm making four so that's why there is more in the picture.  I painted the top and bottom of the draydel.

This is one of the blocks from the Jenga game, I am cutting it into three squares.

In this picture you can see the side of the block to show you the name of the game.

In this picture I cut two blocks into six squares, you need one of the squares for one birdhouse.

In this picture I drilled holes in the middle of the squares.  The hole have to be the size to fit the round dowel into it.  Don't drill the hole all the way through this hole with a piece of the dowel installed is used as a pin to help hold two wood pieces together.

Next take the clothes pin and cut off the leg looking pieces.

In this picture you can see the wooden beads.  You need to drill a smaller hole opposite the larger hole.  This small hole needs to be large enough to fit the dowel.

Next take the flat end of the clothes pin and drill a hole in it, this hole is going to be used for the other side of the dowel.  Do not go down to far with the hole.

In this picture take the small dowel and cut a small piece and connect the clothes pin to the square use glue with the small piece of dowel.  Make sure both pieces are touching each other.  Cut the dowel to the size you need it to fit.

Now take the draydel bottom that has the nub sticking out of it and glue the bead on top of it.  Make sure the hole in the bead is large enough to fit over the nub.  Glue this together, the bead will not go all the way down the nub, there will be something else attached to the other side of the bead.

This is what it will look like when you put the bead and bottom of the draydel together.

On the left you can see the square and clothes pin together.  On the right is the bead and bottom of the draydel together.  Now put the clothes pin and the bead together through the big hole.  Glue these together.  If the clothes pin doesn't fit in, cut the sides down alittle.  It's not all going to fit, it just goes in far enough to glue both pieces together.

In this picture in the background is what the birdhouse will look like at this point.  In the front is the tops of the four draytels.  You need to drill two holes in the top of the draydel, one for the opening of the birdhouse and a smaller hole for the perch.  Make sure the perch hole is smaller than the opening hole in the birdhouse. A piece of the dowel is going in the small hole.

In this picture you need a wood bead which will be the baby bird. This bead will be installed inside the top of the draydel over the opening hole.  In the bead you need to put in a piece from the pointy end of a dowel.  This piece will be the birds beak.  Glue the beak into the bead.  Paint the bead to match the mother bird your using. Also paint lines on the beak for the mouth.

In the small hole in the draydel add a small piece of dowel for the perch. 

Next glue the bead with the piece of dowel in it to the inside of the hole.  You should paint the peak yellow, you can also add some eyes.

This is what the four birdhouse look like at this point.

Now add the top to the bottom of the draydel.  Print out a saying home sweet home and glue it to the front bottom.

Now you need to paint the stand black, the roof black.  Also add the bird on top.  The mommy bird is on top and the baby is waiting inside for dinner.  You can decorate the house any way you want be creative!  You could also add some fake grass hanging out of the birdie hole from his nest.  I hope this gave you some ideas what to use a plastic draydel for, once the holidays are over.