Outdoor Holiday Decorating – Homemade Bird Seed Ornaments

These Christmas bird seed ornaments are two kinds of magic for me:  They merge the spirit of the holidays with the outdoors.  The birds visit my barren winter garden, and I have yet another way to use my Christmas cookie cutters.  Plus, no more staring at nothing when I’m doing dishes.

These are super simple, and kind of gooey to make, so the kids will LOVE helping out.

You’ll Need:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3 tbsp. corn syrup
• 4 cups bird seed
• Christmas themed cookie cutters
• Large cookie sheet
• Cooking spray
• A straw
• Waxed paper
• Ribbon

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup.  Add bird seed to the mixture and stir to fully incorporate.

Line a large cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Coat the waxed paper and cookie cutters liberally with cooking spray.  Set the cookie cutters on the waxed paper pan and spoon the bird seed mixture into the shapes.  Press the mixture down firmly so that it fills all of the cookie cutter.  Cut the straws into 2″ segments and push one segment into each “ornament.”  Make sure the straw goes all of the way through the mixture, because the resulting hole is where you will tie the ribbon that will hang the bird seed ornament.

Allow the bird seed to dry in the cookie cutters for 2-3 hours.  Then, gently remove the cookie cutters and straws.  All the ornaments to cure overnights.

When you are ready to hang the ornaments in the trees, tie the ribbon through the hole in the ornaments and get to decorating the great outdoors.

**If these look familiar, they are.  I posted them a couple of years ago, but wanted to post them again as a refresher or for any One Hundred Dollar a Month newbies.