Named for Portage Glacier, Alaska, PortageWorkshop is also the chosen means for transporting the Artists, Mike and Karen Ratcliffe, from one lifestyle to another. Caught up in careers with big companies, Mike and Karen had to decide what they wanted their future to be like and determined to start their own small business in the spring of 1995.

The idea of Colonial Virginia inspired birdhouses began with a gift from a real estate agent who sold the Ratcliffes' house in Northern California in 1992. "The present was a decorator birdhouse designed to look like a farmhouse. We really liked it but I always thought I could build a better one. When relocating to Virginia we spent a day in Williamsburg to relax and it just occurred to us that a birdhouse could be made to resemble the 18th century houses in Eastern Virginia. That was all the motivation we needed.

EarlyBird™ Houses are handmade wooden birdhouses and boxes based on18th century Colonial architecture. They are a perfect addition to Colonial or period rooms where a cabinet top, mantle, bookcase or side table needs an interesting and attractive item to complement your decorating. Use them in dens, kitchens, Florida rooms, offices or wherever to add interest or as a storage box for small items you want to keep out of sight but handy. Some customers have even made them into lamps.