Don't Throw Out Your Old Boots: Instead, Turn Them Into A Unique Birdhouse

Birds bring a little extra magic to your outdoor living area, and watching them interact with nature only increases the urge to protect it. One way to encourage birds to visit and safeguard the environment is to reuse products you have on hand to craft a birdhouse. Some of the most unlikely items make great little homes for your feathered visitors, including your old boots. As a bonus, these are eco-friendly bird feeders that double as chic outdoor decor if you've got cowboy boots and enjoy a country vibe.

The process of transforming worn-out footwear into a nesting sanctuary isn't a set process; it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. The main components that make this DIY work are creating a hole for the birds to enter, adding a perch for them to stand on, and adding a rain cover like a flap of wood or a chimney cap. If you're interested in creating a bird-friendly garden at home, this is a great way to begin. Just grab an old pair of boots you don't want to throw out, and give them a glow up your feathered friends will love.

Along with your boots, you'll need some supplies for your eco-friendly birdhouse. Pick up a box cutter, protectant like Minwax polyurethane spray, a drill, heavy duty glue, metal hangers like Navona S hooks, a piece of PVC pipe, a wood round, and a wood dowel. The round and pipe need to have the same circumference and should be slightly smaller than the boot. To protect birds from the rain, you'll also need a small chimney cap or other topper, like the Eyrosa bird feeder rain guard. Now you're ready to attract birds to your yard with this modern birdhouse DIY; all you've got to do is put it together.

Spray the boot with protectant, and let it dry. Glue the wood round to the bottom of the PVC pipe, and insert both. Cut an opening in the boot, and use your drill to continue the hole through the pipe. Glue on the wood dowel for a perch just under the doorway. Drill some holes in the top, and thread S hooks through to link the rain guard, or glue in the chimney cap. 

Some crafters skip the PVC insert and use one wood plank as a cover and another as the base. Customize your boot bird feeder to suit the aesthetics of your garden with paint or ribbon, or by sticking on gemstones, faux flowers, or other embellishments. You'll have a truly unique spot for birds to come beautify your yard, and you saved a pair of boots from the landfill.