Bird Seed Ornaments
Don’t forget about your feathered friends this holiday season. There are many recipes out there for bird seed ornaments, and pine cone ornaments. I want to share my no fuss, I wish I could say no mess mixture.
When I want to make bird seed ornaments I pull out a glass mixing bowl, and place a suet cake in the bowl. Then I pop it in the microwave for 20 second intervals.
I pop the bowl out of the microwave to check the consistency and stir the mixture. If it’s not melted I put it back in the microwave for another 20 seconds.
When the suet cake is all melted, I add a half a jar of peanut butter. I use non-hydrogenated. I like to make a few pine cone ornaments while I’m making bird seed ornaments. I add a little bird seed to the mixture, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Then I dip the pine cones in. The pine cones should come out with a layer of the seeds, suet and peanut butter mixture.
After I dip a few pine cones I add a full cup of bird seed to the warm mixture. Have some strings cut and ready before you add the rest of the seed. You can also add dried fruit, cranberries, chunks of apples, nuts, or popcorn to the ornament mixture.
The next step is the messy part. Grab a small handful of the mixture, and a string. Lay the string on top of the mixture in you hand, then add another small handful on top.
Work the mixture with your hands to form a ball with the sting in the center. When you are happy with the shape lay the ornament aside on a cookie sheet, or sheet of aluminum foil to cool and dry.
Once the ornaments are cooled hang them on the nearest tree for all your feathered friends to enjoy. You can also add a decorative ribbon to the ornaments and give a collection of them to your nature, or garden loving friends for Christmas.
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POSTED IN: Decorating with Nature
13 opinions for Bird Seed Ornaments
SageRave
Nov 16, 2007 at 7:13 am
Last winter was especially stern, here in Denver. The poor squirrels started chewing the trees where they could.
This fall we started a feeding program..sounds official, eh? Actually its just my efforts, along with my husband’s, to keep our little buddies from starving.
Kate
Nov 16, 2007 at 7:28 am
I have to laugh because if I made those, my husband would eat them all before the poor birds got a chance. They look just like his special “fitness” cookies.
Heather
Nov 16, 2007 at 9:28 am
I’ve always wanted to try these - maybe I’ll give it a shot with the kids over the holiday breaks coming up!
Christmas Tree For The Birds
Nov 17, 2007 at 12:03 am
[…] can make your own bird seed ornaments, or you can make a nut and seed garland to hang on your tree. You can also slice some fresh fruit […]
www.christmasforallofus.info » Bird Seed Ornaments
Nov 17, 2007 at 12:15 am
[…] linette added an interesting post on Bird Seed Ornaments.Here’s a small excerpt:I like to make a few pine cone ornaments while I’m making bird seed ornaments. I add a little bird seed to the mixture, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Then I dip the pine cones in. The pine cones should come out with a layer of the seeds, … […]
www.topjewelryforyou.info » Bird Seed Ornaments
Nov 17, 2007 at 12:16 am
[…] linette put an intriguing blog post on Bird Seed Ornaments.Here’s a quick excerpt:I like to make a few pine cone ornaments while I’m making bird seed ornaments. I add a little bird seed to the mixture, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Then I dip the pine cones in. The pine cones should come out with a layer of the seeds, … […]
HowToMe
Dec 2, 2007 at 12:02 am
I just read on a gardening forum (http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crafts/msg1110582313376.html) that an an environmental educator at Lancaster County Central Park said peanut butter is not good for birds because they do not have a salivary gland. Eek. I was about to make some of these… Do you know of any other recipes for birdseed ornaments? P.S. I looked at your other post and love the idea of putting fruits out. Neat :-)
Thanks.
linette
Dec 3, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Thanks for stopping by Mother Earth’s Garden, I hadn’t heard about peanut butter being bad for birds. I will have to check into that. I wonder if it’s just the hydrogenated kind? The recipe will work just as well without the peanut butter. Just leave the peanut butter out and add a little less bird seed (about 1/2 cup less) to the mix.
Sandy
Dec 8, 2007 at 6:17 am
If you do not have suet, you can also make no-bake bird seed treats by mixing the bird seed with a little molasses, which helps it to stick together. I don’t have exact measurements, we just wing it (ha ha… wing it!). The birds love them!
Feed The Birds!
Dec 11, 2007 at 1:34 pm
[…] posted some information a couple weeks ago about making Bird Seed Ornaments, and on decorating a Christmas Tree For The […]
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Jan 16, 2008 at 11:49 pm
[…] Mother Earth’s Garden - Bird Seed Ornaments […]
Bird Snacks
Feb 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm
[…] grapes if you place them around your feeder or hang the fruit from a tree. I posted a recipe for bird seed ornaments that works as a bird snack all year […]
Bird Snacks
Feb 22, 2008 at 1:46 pm
[…] grapes if you place them around your feeder or hang the fruit from a tree. I posted a recipe for bird seed ornaments that works as a bird snack all year […]
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