Skip Stone Birdbaths: The Cuter, Cheaper DIY From Wine Bottles And An Egg Plate

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While stone birdbaths can add a real air of elegance to your garden, they can also end up looking a bit outdated — after all, the original design dates back to the 1800s. If you're looking to create a bird-friendly garden and want to purchase one, they can also be expensive. Fortunately, there's a beautiful birdbath DIY you can create with items you may have at hand: an old egg plate and an empty wine bottle. If the term "egg plate" gives you pause, it really refers to any cut-glass dish or plate, which your local thrift store will likely have plenty of if you don't.

Much cuter than an expensive stone birdbath, this DIY is easily customizable to your personal tastes. If you want a uniform look, choose a clear glass bottle that will coordinate seamlessly with your dish. If you're looking to add a pop of color, find a bottle in a vivid blue or green to create a vibrant focal point in your yard. Or, if you have a bottle with a particularly beautiful label lying around that you couldn't quite bring yourself to get rid of, this could be an excellent opportunity to give it a new lease on life.

If you're ready to try this charming DIY birdbath idea, you'll need to start by assembling your materials: a glass dish, chosen bottle, a piece of rebar, and glue. Facebook user Lisa Hud recommends E6000 glue, which she used for her own wine bottle birdbath. Next, choose the spot in your garden where you want to position the bath and hammer the rebar into the ground, ideally using a rubber hammer like this option from Home Depot. Next, take your glue and use it to affix the dish to the bottom of the wine bottle, lining it up so it is centered on the bottle's base. E6000 is an industrial-strength adhesive, and specifically states that it works on glass, making it a good choice for this project. Put a little more of the glue around the mouth of the bottle, and slide it down over the top of the rebar, holding it in place until the adhesive takes.

Now that you have your completed bath, there are plenty of decorative elements you can include to customize the finished product still further. If you want to give your birds a bit more fun while bathing, you could incorporate a solar-powered water fountain like this one from Amazon. You could also take a leaf out of Facebook user Anøcha Marwa's decorative book and incorporate an ornamental bird figurine, just to make it absolutely clear that your creation is a birdbath.