There is a show on HGTV called “Creative Juice”. I don’t believe they’re making new episodes anymore, so the show is all repeats, and on at some ungodly hour like 5:30 am, but thanks to modern technology, I just DVR it and watch it at my leisure.
I’ve tried several of the projects presented on the 30-minute show — they’re fun, easy, and functional. And while I wait to indulge my creative juices in the culinary realm when school starts in a few weeks, it’s been one way for me to satisfy those artistic cravings.
My latest project is a bird bath. The show presented it in a different way, using stencils and that kind of thing. I modified the instructions a bit by using some fun pastel spray paint.
The base of the bird bath is simply three terra cotta pots (turned upside down, of course) in 14″, 12″, and 10″ sizes. The water container is a 16″ terra cotta saucer. The containers are held together with acrylic based silicone caulk. I also used the silicone to adhere the saucer to the top of the base.
I further modified the project by adding a 6″ saucer to hold bird seed.
The only change I made from the photo is to move the small seed tray into the center of the bird bath and adhere it there. After letting it all dry for 24 hours, I found that the silicone didn’t provide a stable glue to hold the saucer on the edge.
I’ve been wanting a bird bath for my backyard for some time, but the price tag for most of the ones I liked were upwards of $150. In less than two hours, with about $65 worth of materials, I made this one-of-a-kind creation that reflects my taste and style.
Much more fun and satisfying than bringing an expensive one home from the garden center!
The Culinary Cougar 
Michelle, this is great! It looks great and even I could do it! I just wish I had more than a balcony to put things like this on! —Susan
By: Susan on June 16, 2010
at 12:57 pm
I was at Pier One yesterday and they have a variety of sizes of round glass tops. I was thinking you could easily convert this to a table, too.
By: Susan Turner on June 17, 2010
at 9:58 am
Great idea! Yes, it could easily be converted into a cool glass-top table. It was super-easy to do, and the birds are loving it — we’ve seen cardinals, orioles, blue jays, and a few others at the feeder. Unfortunately, the squirrels love it, too, but not much we can do about that!
By: Michelle on June 28, 2010
at 5:11 pm
I cannot wait to make this. I am also going to modify it by giving the feeder a little lift with a miniature upside down pot. That way the water never gets in the food.
By: Lindsey on November 11, 2011
at 1:12 pm
Absolutely wonderful……….I have lots of pots stacked in my back yard, & always have odds & ends of spray paint! Just need that caulk! Talk about a great project for about $5! Thanks for sharing!!
By: pat clark on November 22, 2011
at 7:32 pm
I love this idea. I have been wanting to get Bird bath myself for a long time but hesitant to spend 100+ for the ones I like. Can you please tell me where you got your supplies from? Thank you.
By: Shraddha Iyer on December 7, 2011
at 11:44 am
Shraddha — All of the materials were very easily found at my local Home Depot. I even got the spray paint that I used there, although if you wanted something a little more fancy, I’m sure any Michael’s or Hobby Lobby would have an assortment of craft specialty paints. Good Luck!
By: Michelle on December 7, 2011
at 4:40 pm
Since those spray paints are not truly water proof but water resistant do you have a way of sealing the bowl of the birdbath to ensure it will not peel? I was thinking maybe marine varnish might work.
By: Patty Hicks on December 20, 2011
at 1:28 pm
I used a sealant of some kind (it’s been a while, and I don’t recall exactly what it was), but I would think that marine varnish would probably provide an even better sealant than what I used.
By: Michelle on December 20, 2011
at 2:40 pm
Did you have to do anything to the “bowl” to keep the water from soaking into the clay pot?
By: Linda on January 2, 2012
at 5:32 pm
Other than a sealer after I painted it, Linda, no, I didn’t.
By: Michelle on January 2, 2012
at 8:04 pm
For The Inside Of The Bird Bath, Might I Suggest The Type Of Paint They Use For Swimming Pools…It Is Waterproof/Resistant & You Dont Have To Seal It…
By: Tonia Rogers on January 15, 2012
at 10:03 pm