DIY: Valentines Inspired Bird Feeders

Alright who else on the West Coast got swallowed up by a blanket of white stuff? I may be the only one, but I actually really enjoyed the big dump. It made everything a beautiful winter wonderland. The shoveling sucked, but I did get lots of exercise and fresh air. The power didn't go out for very long (YAY BC Hydro!). And I got lots of projects finished up that I kept pushing to the side!

Heart shaped bird feeders was one of those projects we knocked off the to do list, (original recipe found over HERE). Zach helped me with this valentines craft and it was relatively quick and painless. While the kids lunched I whipped up the ingredients (no this isn't a "naptime craft" says the mother of three :P). When Zach was ready he helped me scoop the birdseed concoction into a heart cookie cutter, I popped them out and that was it! As Rylee would say, "Easy Peasy Lemon Squeesy."

Supply List:

Cookie Sheet

Parchment Paper

Twine

Cookie Cutter

Cooking Spray

Straw/Chopstick/or Bamboo skewer

Mixing Bowl

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp Flour

1.5 Tbsp Corn Syrup

1/2 an envelope of unflavoured Gelatin

1/4 cup Water

2 Cups Bird Seed (I just bought ours in bulk from the pet section of the grocery store)

*this recipe makes approximately 12 hearts in a 2" heart cookie cutter

What You Gotta Do:

Step 1: Add your flour, corn syrup, gelatin, and water into a bowl and mix until they resemble liquid glue. Add your birdseed and mix it all together.

Step 2: Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spray the inside of your cookie cutter with cooking spray. (You will need to respray your cookie cutter every couple hearts)

Step 3: Place your cookie cutter on parchment paper and fill with birdseed mix, pressing down firmly to pack it in. 

Step 4: Using your skewer poke a hole through the heart. 

Step 5: Remove heart from cookie cutter carefully and place on parchment paper to dry (I let mine sit 24hrs but that was overkill, 8hrs is probably good). 

Step 6: Insert twine through the hole, (if your hole closed over while drying, don't panic, just reinsert your skewer), tie a knot and your done! Attach a tag if your giving as a gift or just go hang it outside and watch the birdies come!