DIY a birdbath for a doll's garden

The duck 'floats' on top of the clear plastic
 sheet as though he is swimming and the  grey
papier-mâché pulp makes our birdbath look
 just like a real life concrete version!
       To begin this project, you will need the help of an adult to cut away the birdbath form from a recycled plastic bottle. Include the twist top cap in your cut as well. You can see below that I cut the clear plastic bottle along one of it's seams. The neck of this recycled bottle will become the birdbath's  pedestal. I also cut away the bottom of my bottle to glue to the top of the pedestal. This part will become the birdbath basin.

Supply List:
  • one recycled juice bottle, clear plastic
  • papier-mâché pulp
  • masking tape
  • tiny sea shells
  • hot glue and hot glue gun
  • a recycled piece of plastic sheet
  • a box cutter or sharp Exacto knife or a sharp pair of scissors
Step-by-Step Instructions:
  1. Cut out the parts of your doll's birdbath with adult supervision. This part of the project can be a bit tricky. The plastic bottle has slick surfaces and your cutting tools could slip!
  2. Cover the pedestal with masking tape. I left the green lid at the bottom unmasked because I liked the color of it.
  3. Hot glue the birdbath basin, cut from the bottom of the recycled plastic bottle, onto the top of the pedestal.
  4. Mix together just a small amount of papier-mâché pulp according to the directions on the side of the bag. 
  5. Apply a thin coat of pulp around the outside of the pedestal and also to the underside of the birdbath basin. Let the birdbath dry in the sunshine for a day or two until the paper pulp has hardened.
  6. I cut a circle shape from a second sheet of plastic from a discarded folder to hot glue on top of the basin. This makes the basin look as though it is full of water. Only hot glue the edges of the plastic to the top of the basin.
  7. Now cover the edges of the basin with more paper pulp. 
  8. Push a few tiny shells into it's surface for decoration.
  9. You may wish to spray the papier-mâché pulp surfaces with an acrylic sealer after the birdbath has dried thoroughly in the sun.
Far Left, the recycled lemonade bottle. Use a clear plastic bottle for this craft so that the papier-mâché pulp may
 be seen clearly. Next, is the bottle cut apart so that you can see which pieces of the bottle I chose to construct
the birdbath with. Center, is the dried, paper pulp covered birdbath. Right, the same seen from above.

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