Each winter we make bird seed ornaments. It really does not need to be a winter craft/project but it is a project that we have enjoyed making year after year during our winter break. Our craft room is currently our sunroom so we enjoy listening to music and watching our feathered friends have a little snack. Depending on the type of birds that you have in your area, really depends upon the type of bird seed that you purchase for this project.
Ingredients and Supplies
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup (can be dark or light)
4 cups birdseed
cookie cutters (to form the shape of the bird seed holders)
waxed paper
ribbon/yarn/string
Add the bird seed and continue mixing until it is well coated. You can tell when the bird seed is coated as you cannot see the flour on the seed, and it starts to clumping.
Spoon your bird seed mixture into each mold (aka the cookie cutters), fill it half way in the mold. Use your fingers to push down on the bird seed so that is packed/dense and will stay in it shape. Then add your “hanger” at the top of the mold. We cut our desired length of yarn and folded it over to form a horseshoe…placed the ends of the string about 1 inch down from the top of the mold, so that the loop would be hung on the tree branch, and then placed more of the bird seed mixture on top of the string and the mold. Once again made sure that we packed the bird seed down tight.
Keep the birdseed mixture in the molds for roughly 2 1/2 hours. Afterwards, gently remove the ornaments from the mold pressing lightly at the edges (not the middle or it might break), and place them back on the wax paper. Allow the shapes to dry for at least 2-3 hours or even overnight before hanging.
Love this idea and how you used the cookie cutters! Kerri
ReplyDeleteWe used metal cookie cutters but the plastic ones would work well too, I would think.
ReplyDeleteWe may have to do this!!!!
ReplyDelete