Birdseed Ornaments

If you read yesterday’s post, you know I have an affinity for birds around the holidays.  Dozens of feathered friends find their way to my Christmas tree every year.

With their migration in mind, I thought I’d do a little something special for all the birds who don’t actually inhabit my holiday tree.

In this, Day 5 of my 25 Days of Christmas holiday series, I’ll show you how to make these cute birdseed ornaments that you can serve up to the hungry feathered friends in your neck of the woods.

This is a great holiday project for kids and grownups alike.

These birdseed ornaments are not only fun to make but equally enjoyable to keep an eye on as hungry birds swoop in and help themselves to free and yummy lunch.

You’ll only need a few supplies including 4-cups of birdseed, some jute (burlap string) and a few large seasonal cookie cutters.

Ideally, the cutters should be about 1-inch thick to create a sturdy ornament.

Place the cookie cutters on a sheet of wax paper and spray thoroughly with cooking spray.

Make sure the spray gets into any nooks or crevices.

Bring 1/2-cup of water to a low boil, and 3 tablespoons of corn syrup and stir thoroughly.

Reduce heat and add 2-1/2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin and stir continuously.

The gelatin will form several clumps at first, just keep stirring and it will eventually dissolve.

Don’t over cook this mixture.  As soon as the gelatin disappears, remove from heat and pour solution into a mixing bowl.

Add add 3/4 cups of flour and combine until mixture is the consistency of cake batter.  I had to add a small amount of extra water to get the desired consistency.

Now add 4-cups of birdseed.

I used an assorted mix which contained a basic blend of seeds.

Next step is to fill the cookie cutters.

Pack the birdseed mixture into every nook and cranny of the cutters until it’s nice and tight and filled to the brim.

Use a sturdy straw or un-sharpened pencil to create a small hole in the top of the ornament.

As tempting as it may be to want to see how the birdseed shape turned out right away, do not remove the ornament from the cutter just yet.

Set the ornaments aside to dry for at least 24-hours.

This will allow the corn syrup and other ingredients to really mesh with the birdseed and harden thoroughly.

After drying, gently push the ornaments out of the cookie cutters.

They should slide out freely as long as you greased them thoroughly.

Loop some jute through the hole, tie a knot and slide the knot down toward the hole in the back to conceal it.

It’s important to say that I added these artificial berries just for a little color for these photos only.

You should not leave this kind artificial embellishment on the ornament permanently because it may pose some risk to birds if ingested.

The jute string is safer to leave on the ornament because it’s a more natural fiber that birds will not likely eat and could possibly be used as material for nest-building.

Day 5 down, 20 more days to go.   I hope you’re enjoying the series so far.

Stay tuned, there is a lot more fun and inspiration ahead.

In cased you missed it, here’s a look at:

Day 1|Day 2|Day 3|Day 4

Hope you stop by again tomorrow (12/6) for Day 6 of my 25 Days of Christmas series.

See you then. ♥