•  Before a sealer is applied there are many different ways you can choose to decorate your birdhouse. Note that Purple Martins prefer a group of houses that are all plain white.

•  Decide on a design and sketch it onto your gourd. You can use a wood burning tool to burn the outer lines of the design for painting, or to make a design. Any marks from your pencil can be removed with water and a scrubby sponge.

•  You can add color to your birdhouse by using: Acrylics, Water Color Pencils, Oil Pencils, Leather dyes, and/or Wood Stains. Permanent markers (waterproof and non-bleeding) can be used to add detail to your project. Your artwork should be protected with a workable fixative before sealing.

•  Attach a hanger of wire or use a narrow dowel fitted through the holes to hang a wire from. Use the guidelines below to determine how high to hang you birdhouse. Note that a perch on a birdhouse does not help the bird and may help the bird’s enemies get access to the nest.

You can also decorate your gourds for uses other than birdhouses. Here is a picture of some Santa Gourds: