Have Birdhouse, Will Travel

A couple of years ago Paco and I were asked to design and build a one-of-a-kind birdhouse for TRAC, aka Trinity River Audubon Center, for whom we volunteer. The project, in which 20+ local artists, bird enthusiasts and architects participated, was part of an annual fundraiser for the Center. As most non-profit events like this go, the object is first and foremost to raise awareness of the Center, which in turn (hopefully) attracts more members, underwriters and sponsors. Because education is one of the cornerstones of the Audubon Society nation-wide, naturally the more school-age kids we can "reach and teach" the better. All of this takes funding, of course, which brings me back to our birdhouse.
 

In just so happened that at the same time I had become obsessed fascinated with "Tear Drop Trailers", which, if you've ever heard of them, are tiny little trailers that are, yes, shaped like a tear drop. They are kind of thick and chunky, with a curvy roof and just enough room for you, your significant other and your cat. It isn't big enough to actually swing the cat, however, so please don't try. Here is a picture of one I found online:

 

As you can see, the Tear Drop is pretty tiny but just so darn cute. The back hatch opens up into a camp-style kitchen and bar  entertainment area.

You can actually buy a kit online and build it yourself, or just buy the plans and really do the heavy lifting. There are some vintage ones out there for sale in varying states of (mostly) disrepair. There are even a few companies that are making new-fangled ones with lots of ModCons, but we are purists. If we some day have a garage we would like to build our own and then take lots of road trips, just Paco, me and our cat Chester (the one too big to swing). With my recent discovery of Tear Drop Trailers, it only made sense to create a miniature Tear Drop Trailer birdhouse for the fundraiser.

If you are so inclined, and because this blog is all about creating and repurposing things you may have lying around your house and/or garage, below are a few photos taken at various stages of completion. Most of the materials we used were what we already had, such as the uber-heavy MDF board; the only thing we bought was an aluminum kickplate from the Depot, which Paco carefully cut down for the curvy roof. Oh, maybe a little paint, too, but most folks have some of that lying around and when it's a tiny little trailer you don't need much.

 

Step One: Make a pattern. This was easy as there were lots of plans online to choose from. This is the one I started with and then improvised:

It's just amazing what you can find on the Interline when you Do the Google.

 

Then I handed it off to Paco with a very loose set of instructions, such as wheels that actually turned and a curvy tin roof. Wasting no time, Paco disappeared into his workshop where he keeps the Man Tools and went to work. It wasn't long before he emerged with this:

       

This is the rough version of the birdhouse, complete with fenders and tires.
Now it was my turn to start painting. No pressure.

  How does that man do it? In a matter of hours he had sawed, ripped and chiseled his way to create this masterpiece of engineering. I guess one explanation is that he IS an engineer so of course it would be perfect. Plus, he is creative, artistic and just so handy with those Man Tools.

 

Step Two: Paint. Get out your paint pots and put on your smock. Since I consider tomato red and bright yellow to be true retro colors naturally I chose them for the exterior of the trailer. Don't worry about scaring the birds away with bright colors as they actually are attracted to them. This is evidenced by their continued attacks on our homegrown tomatoes, whose bright red skin is like a shiny beacon daring the birds to swoop down and help themselves to our crop. Regardless, here is the finished product, painted and ready to be hitched to the star car of the highest bidder:

That's a Scissor-Tail Flycatcher adorning the name of our trailer-birdhouse.
It's all about the birds.

 

Vanity plates are a must-have.

 

Someone on my Facebook page left a comment asking if we were planning on vacationing soon in it (not realizing the actual tiny scale) and I commented to the effect that only after I had lost 100+lbs. I am flattered that it looked so authentic!

Fast forward to the night of the auction / fundraiser: the birdhouses were all sold that evening and taken home by their new owners. We have since created a more conventional birdhouse for a recent TRAC fundraiser and it, too, found a good home. We aren't sure how many more of these we will be asked to build as there are other, more exotic fundraisers on the cards (shameless teaser) but we are always ready to lend a hand.

Paco and I are blessed to have befriended so many like-minded folks ready to give their time and talents to support this very worthy cause. Non-profits can be the perfect place to give back and make a difference in someone's life. I bet there's one out there for you, waiting to be picked (just like our tomatoes).

Chairs,
Gigi