DIY Bitty Bird Bath

posted in: Crafting, DIY, Tutorials | 20

Today I have a really fun and easy tutorial for you all, a little bird bath made of old china and glass. In just a few steps you can make this sweet addition for your garden. I made mine to use as a small bird bath for all the finches we have in our backyard, but it could just as easily be a feeder, or even a planter.

Here is what you need:

*A couple of dishes like a bowl and a small candy dish or custard cup

*Copper Pipe( not cheap but it will get a cool patina, worth the investment)

*Hacksaw

*Pliers

*E-6000 Glue( I recommend the professional strength you can get @ the hardware store)

Step 1: Make pilot hole in ground- Push your pipe into the ground where you want it. Then remove pipe. This will make a hole that you can easily pop the pipe back into when you need the pipe to stand upright for the glue to dry.

 

Step 2: Cut pipe- Using a hacksaw, or pipe cutter, cut your pipe to length you want it, then cut into the pipe crosswise with the hacksaw to make an x 1/2″ or more down. Using pliers, pull down your cross sections until you have a nice flat x shape. This will give more of a surface area for the glue to adhere to the bowls.

Step 3: Glue bowls- I glued my bowls ahead of time, but you can choose to glue all together or before hand. Put a generous amount of glue on your bottom piece and then flip the top piece upside down and glue the bottom piece to the bottom of the larger piece. Let set for a while.

Step 4:- Glue pipe- Put a generous amount of glue on the sections of the x of the pipe. Carefully sit the bowls on top of pipe sections and center. Then carefully place your pipe back in the ground where you made the original hole, and make sure it is level enough so the bowls will not shift. Let dry.

And that’s it! Easy peasy right! This DIY is so fun and easy to do. And at under $12 to make, it would be a great gift for any garden enthusiast you know. Hope you enjoy making this lovely little bird bath!

Happy Crafting!

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20 Responses

  1. catherine

    I really want to make one. It’s so cute and appears so
    easy. Thanks for sharing

  2. Kim

    This looks so sweet any fairy easy to do. I would love to try one for my garden! Thanks for all your inspiring ideas.

  3. Karla

    Beautiful birdbath! Thank you for this tutorial. A couple of years ago, I got a beautiful old bowl for this very purpose, although I did not know at the time what I would use for a base. Shortly thereafter, I found a very large, tall, heavy blue glass vase-shaped bottle really cheap because it was missing its stopper top. I decided to make a cork stopper (bottle needs an odd-shaped stopper, and the cork can be layered and shaped to fit) and attach it to the bottom of the bowl so that I could take the birdbath apart if needed (cleaning, moving, etc.) but never got the birdbath made because I didn’t know what kind of glue would work best. Just recently dawned on me that perhaps my E-6000 might work. Would it, or would it eat the cork? I know very little about different glues. Is there something else that would work better? Thanks.

    • My So Called Crafty Life

      I’m so glad you liked the birdbath Karla! I have had good results using e-6000. I don’t think it would eat cord, since you can use it on just about anything. I use the industrial strength e-6000 for my outside projects these days just for added security for things out in the weather. It seems to hold up beautifully. I’d love to see your birdbath when you are finished with it 🙂

  4. esme

    Hi there. This is so cute, but I have to ask you if you truly have birds use it. The reasons I wonder about this are, a) slippery surface, b) it is not shallow like most bird baths, and with evaporation into the air, seems like you would have to have to fill it to the rim a couple times a day. (Or maybe you are in a humid area.) Thank you for your help!

    • My So Called Crafty Life

      Hi Esme! I live in NC so it is pretty humid here. I have seen birds using it a bit here and there. They are tiny birds like finches. It is not the most popular spot in my garden but it is pretty and gets used enough for me to keep it as a bird bath. You could make one with a few small holes drilled in the bottom and use it as a planter. Or if it is a covered area, add some seed or special treats for the birds or squirrels….

      • esme

        Thanks! Truly, it is the “pretty factor” that I’m most interested in anyway:) So I’m thinking about just adding a topper to make it simply decorative. Here in Colorado, the water in even a normal size bird bath has to be filled every day.

  5. Sandi Allen

    Love this!
    Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

  6. Lynette Pullin

    Beautiful now if I can find a beautiful bowl and glass one at a thrift store I will be in business.

  7. Rhonda

    Hi Ashley!
    This is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing it with us!
    I’m going to go to some thrift shops and pick up some bowls to make some of them myself!
    Thanks again!

  8. Sarah

    This gives me an idea for using something I already have, a broken cup and saucer bird feeder on a stand. The cup part broke , saucer is intact. I’ll find a pretty bowl to glue on top instead, maybe one to put under, upside down too! Thank you!

  9. Pat

    Just found your site. I’m in Northumberland, England. Another one for the ‘project’ list. Thanks.