In case you lost your directions or missed out on a kit, we have you covered. In this series, we will be showcasing past projects, in particular those that were originally released as Surprise Craftertunity kits at the library. So get ready to grab some spare materials and start crafting!
Birdseed Ornaments
As adapted, annotated, and lengthened from the original Saltwater Kids blog tutorial for use by the Brown Deer Library
February may be the month of love, but it can be much more than that. The middle of winter can be hard for our feathered friends. Plants and insects are harder to come by and the weather in Wisconsin can be downright frigid. Why not show your love for your local feathered friends by making one or more of these decorative molded ornaments in which all of the materials can be used by them to help them through the winter. And you'll get something out of it too: the beauty of nature delivered to a window near you.
Note: The original "recipe" was for enough to make over a dozen rather thick ornaments easily. We have paired down the recipe in the kit some, enough to make 3-4 thick ones or 6-8 thin (1/4 recipe), but have included a listing of the original amounts as well for future use or to make enough to give away as gifts.
Original Materials: Materials for Kit's Recipe:
3/4 cup flour 3/16 cup flour
1/2 cup water 1/8 cup water*
1 envelope unflavored gelatin 1/4 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 Tbsp. corn syrup 3/4 Tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups bird seed 1 cup bird seed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.) 1 cookie cutter & 5 muffin liners
nonstick spray nonstick spray (only for cutter)*
drinking straw 2 drinking straws
waxed paper twine
ribbon/twine
Instructions:
Combine the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined.
Add the birdseed to the mixture, stir until well coated.
Spray your mold(s) with cooking spray. Spoon the birdseed mixture into each mold. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it down and make the top smooth. Poke a hole through the top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through.
Leave the birdseed mixture in the molds for two to three hours. Then, remove the straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove the hardened ornaments from the mold and place them on the wax paper upside down. Allow them to dry for at least 2-3 more hours, or overnight.
Cut your ribbon or twine and carefully put it through the hole.
If you are giving them as a gift, Now is the time to package them up. If not, hang them on a tree or from a railing near a window and wait for the birds to discover their treat.
*Items with an asterisk after them you have to provide yourself.
Again, if you are into bird watching, conservancy, or simply want to get back to nature, these are wonderful I have seen a few entries online in which giving them away as hostess gifts was also suggested. And if you have children, these are simple enough for them to make as a project too.
Also, one of the beauties of this gift is that the birds can literally use everything. Obviously the seeds and suet fill them up, but the ribbon, twine, or yarn can then be used to line their nests. It is a fully green project.
Notes:
Optional Add-Ins:
I saw an excellent rendition of this same project done in Garden Gate magazine as well. They added in dried cranberries and peanuts. I saw another blog add in meal worms for added protein for the birds, although that version used actual suet (rendered animal fat) and initially intended for chickens, but the concept still holds. I saw one version that added in small branches as perches. I am sure there are other additions you can consider as well. There aren't very many wrong things to add in, provided they are safe for the birds. Just be aware that if you have a squirrel problem, adding in foods that they like will increase the likelihood of their eating the ornament instead.
Muffin liner pointers:
1) You do not need to spray them before filling nor do you need to dry the ornaments on wax paper. The paper liners remove themselves nicely from the ornaments and you can therefore dry them in reverse on the liners when you flip the ornaments out of them.
2) Because paper liners are not as stiff as cookie cutters or muffin tins, I found sticking them in a measuring cup during the initial filling process was helpful. The liners were then removed from the cups and lined up on a cookie tray that I stuck in the garage overnight.
A note on straw placement:
Don't go too close to the edge. The farther in you go, the sturdier your ornament will be and the longer it will stay on the ribbon. Mine were all pretty close to the edge and they suffered the price, especially the one that wasn't quite dry.
Some notes on drying and ornament thickness:
1) The thicker the ornaments are made, the longer they will take to dry. When I tested the recipe, I accidentally made mine much thicker (1 1/2-2") than the original website did (probably about 1/2" thick). Thicknesses were not given (other than through pictures, which can be hard to tell). To that end, I figured if I just let them dry overnight, that would be enough. It wasn't. There was still some give in the morning when I strung my scrap of yarn and I didn't know any better. When I went to hang the ornament outside as a test, I didn't even make it to the door before it pulled through and broke the ornament (about 3 feet from where I started). It took the rest of the day after flipping them for them to fully be dry.
2) As you might be able to guess, do not, I repeat DO NOT, string the ribbon or twine through the ornament until it is COMPLETELY dry. Otherwise you risk damaging the ornament. Fixing it at that point isn't really an option, as gelatin doesn't really reconstitute very well. At most you'll be able to lay it out on a flat surface for the birds to find there.
Note on storage:
Don't! Or at least consider refrigerating it until you are ready for them. I read one person's blog post where she had used the recipe the Saltwater Kids blogger did and then let them sit in her apartment for a week to use later with someone else. The result was not pretty. Once all of the ingredients are combined, these do become perishable. They should be used fairly soon after they are made to avoid molding or otherwise going bad. Once outside, the cold weather allows them to last longer and fights off any mold that might like to try them.
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