Decorate your garden with birdseed ornaments
Whip up a batch of these delicious ornaments and the birds will thank you! This easy project looks great dangling from the branches of the conifers in your garden. It doesn’t take much time, and the ingredients are easy to find. You might even have them on hand already!
Customize your birdseed ornaments
Feel free to swap up the nuts and dried fruit with some that you have on hand to keep the process easy. Personalize each ornament or make it festive by choosing specially patterened ribbon. Or use neutral-colored raffia, as in the photo above, for a look that will last all winter long — as long as the birds don’t gobble them up first!
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Materials
- Microwave safe bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Ribbon or raffia
- Muffin tin
Ingredients (makes 6 birdseed ornaments)
- ¾ cup white or wheat flour
- 3 cups birdseed mix
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup raw peanuts
- ½ cup water (brought to a boil)
- ¼ ounce unflavored gelatin
- 3 Tbsp. light corn syrup
How to make birdseed ornaments
Step 1: Mix up the ingredients
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Next, microwave the water until boiling in a glass measuring cup or bowl, dump in the gelatin and stir it until it dissolves. Stir in the corn syrup, then pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Step 2: Mold the birdseed ornaments
Spoon the “dough” into a muffin tin. You should have enough for about six ornaments. The dough should be thick enough that you can’t pour it — see how it’s sticking to the spoon? While the mix is still moist, poke a hole with a wooden spoon handle. This will make it easy to hang the ornaments.
Step 3: Finish the ornaments
Allow the mix to harden for at least three hours before dumping the cakes out of the muffin tin. Let them dry thoroughly overnight, add a colorful ribbon or raffia for hanging and you’re done!
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