DIY Pine Cone Bird and Squirrel Feeders

Some of you may remember this fun craft from when you were a kid. It was one of my favorites. I loved going out in the chilly weather with my mom to gather pine cones, making the feeders in our cozy kitchen, and watching and identifying each bird that snacked on our creation. This is a fun project to do with or without kids. It's a great craft to kick off the fall months and they look adorable hanging in the backyard!

I hope you have as much fun making these as I did!

What You Need

5 large pine cones (Experiment with different sizes and quantities!)
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups mixed birdseed
Wire (I used beading wire), crimp beads and pliers or strong twine
1 shallow microwave-safe dish  (I used a short, square Gladware food storage container)
1 deep dish  (I used a tall, rectangle Gladware food storage container)
Pastry brush or clean paint brush
Wax paper
Tablecloth

Method
Make sure the pine cones are free of dirt. Cut 5 pieces of wire or twine, about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long each. Start by taking a pine cone and wrapping the wire once or twice around the middle, and tucking in the tail to keep it from unraveling. Now, continue wrapping the wire around and toward the top of the pine cone. When you get to the top of the pine cone, wrap the same spot several times, as well as thread the loose end of the wire under and through a few already-wrapped spots, and pull tightly, to secure (sort of like sewing!) You don't need to go over-board on the wrapping, but you do want to make sure that the pine cone isn't going anywhere- squirrels have some arm muscle! Position the wire so that the pine cone hangs straight down. Repeat for each pine cone.

Step 1: Wrap Pine Cone with Wire

Prepare your work area with a tablecloth. 

Set aside a piece of wax paper in a safe place for drying.

Pour the 1 1/2 cups birdseed into the deep dish.

Pour the 3/4 cup peanut butter into the shallow microwave-safe dish. Microwave the peanut butter in 20 second intervals, stirring each time, until it becomes thin and runny.

Step 2: Prepare Your Work Area

 

Now the fun part! Take a pine cone, holding it by the top, and place it into the dish of melted peanut butter. Using a pastry brush or clean paint brush, 'paint' the pine cone with the peanut butter, turning it to coat it evenly. Make sure to use the brush to get into all the nooks and crannies and to coat both the tops and bottoms of the all the 'scales.' You may prefer to drizzle the peanut butter over the pine cone and then use the brush to spread it out. Whatever works for you! You'll probably need to reheat the peanut butter between each pine cone to keep it thin and easily-spreadable. Hold the pine cone by the wire over the dish and let the excess peanut butter drip off.

Step 3: Paint the Pine Cone with the Melted Peanut Butter

Now, place it into the container of birdseed and gently roll, shake and pour the seed over the pine cone to coat it thoroughly and evenly, again making sure to fill all those nooks and crannies!
Gently shake off any loose birdseed.

Step 4: Roll the Pine Cone in the Birdseed

Place the pine cone on the wax paper to dry, about 30 minutes. Repeat for all the pine cones.

Step 5: Allow the Pine Cones to Dry

Now it's time to hang your Pine Cone Bird and Squirrel Feeders!

Step 6: Hang the Pine Cones by Wrapping the Wire Around a
 Branch, Trellis or Other Support Very Securely

I used crimp beads from my jewelry supplies to hang the feeders. Hardware stores also sell a variety of crimps. Just thread a crimp onto the wire, wrap the loose end of the wire around the support (tree branch, board, etc), and thread the end of the wire back through the crimp from the top. Slide the crimp up the wires toward the support to tighten. Use pliers to squeeze the crimp closed and trim the excess wire.

If you don't have or don't want to use the crimps, simply just wrap the wire or twine around the support several times before tying and knotting the ends very securely. You may even want to hammer a nail into the support and wrap the wire or twine around it several times before knotting the ends.

Wherever you decide to hang your feeders, they must be secure, otherwise the squirrels will be running off with the pine cones (I speak from experience, much to the squirrels enjoyment!) This is why I prefer wire over twine- it's a lot stronger and not as easy for the squirrels to chew through.

This is What Happens When the Feeders Aren't Secured Tightly!

The deck in my backyard is the bird and squirrel hot-spot, so I decided to hang the feeders on the trellis that's on the deck. I hung them at different lengths for a pretty display. You can hang them however and wherever you like!! Hang them from whatever support you like: a fence, tree branch, trellis, gazebo- use your imagination! You could even attach the feeders to a wire clothes hanger that's been bent into a circle, or a small embroidery hoop, and hang the whole thing for a whimsical mobile display.

 

 Now sit back and enjoy watching the wildlife snack on your creations!

How to: Make All-Natural Dish Soap

Did you know that with just a few simple ingredients, you can make your own All-Natural Dish Soap?

What are the benefits of making my own dish soap?

1. There are no harmful chemicals or additives
    Although store-bought dish soaps are considered 'safe,' they include chemicals and other additives. My theory? If I can't pronounce the ingredients, I don't use it! I like to know exactly what goes into every product I use, and the best way to do that is to make everything from scratch.

2. Homemade dish soap is less expensive than store-bought dish soap.

3. You can easily customize your dish soap recipe to your liking!
     See notes below

So what's in it and how does it work?

This dish soap recipe contains Tea Tree Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract and vinegar, all of which are considered antimicrobial. The vinegar helps prevent water spots, and the Orange Oil and Extract create a fresh smelling product. The finished product is a fairly thin consistency and because it doesn't contain lathering agents, it won't bubble as much as a store bought soap. But don't worry! It cleans just as well as the thick, bubbly stuff!

Let's get started!

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 oz and 10 grams pure glycerin soap, finely grated         
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon vinegar          
• 1/8 teaspoon Tea Tree Oil                                            
• 12 drops Orange Essential Oil
• 25 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Orange Extract

Method

In a medium mixing bowl, slowly stir together the glycerin soap and water until the soap has dissolved completely. Add the vinegar, Tea Tree Oil, Orange Essential Oil, Grapefruit Seed Extract and Orange Extract and slowly combine. (You don't want to mix the soap quickly, as it will create foam.)

Set aside for about 1 hour. As the water cools, the dish soap will thicken just a little bit. If you would like to adjust the thickness, this is the time (See notes below)

Using a funnel, pour the dish soap into a container of your choice. I like to use a clean olive oil bottle with a pour spout.

There you have it! Your very own all-natural dish soap!

A few notes

*For a thicker dish soap, add more glycerin soap, for a thinner dish soap, add more water.
Since this soap doesn't create much lather, it can be used in your dishwasher. Add a tablespoon to the detergent dispenser. If you add more glycerin soap to the recipe for a thicker consistency, it may alter the amount of bubbles the soap creates- so be careful not to add too much to your dishwasher if you made a thicker soap!

*You can find glycerin soap at health food and craft stores (like Hobby Lobby or Michael's). Tea Tree Oil, Orange Essential Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract can be found at health food stores, and Orange Extract is found in the baking section of your grocery store, near the vanilla extract.

*You can easily customize this recipe by using other essential oils and extracts instead of orange. Lavender and peppermint also make wonderful smelling dish soap!


Let me know how your dish soap turns out!

How to: Preserve Basil for quick and easy use

I love Basil. It's my favorite herb and I try to add it to as many dishes as possible. The problem? It spoils so quickly, and I don't always have the time to chop it up every time I want to use it. So, I came up with an easy way to keep it on hand without having to worry about it spoiling or needing to chop it.  This technique provides perfect portions to add to any soup, sauce or other recipes. You can use this technique for other herbs or even grated garlic or ginger. Get creative!

I went to the produce section of my grocery store and picked up a tube of pureed Basil. I was hesitant the first time I tried it, but it tastes the same as the fresh stuff. Plus, for the amount you get, it's a lot cheaper than those individual packs. Of course, if you want to use fresh Basil, you can. Just use a food precessor or blender and puree the leaves with just enough water or olive oil to form a paste.

Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap. Squeeze the Basil paste into a line about an inch wide, leaving about 2 inches on either end of the line. If you pureed your own Basil, you can use a piping bag or a plastic zip-top bag with the corner snipped off to pipe the paste.

Fold the plastic wrap in half and roll the Basil into a log. (Sort of like a jelly roll) Make sure it's tight- this is crucial for even portioning, and so it doesn't squeeze out all over the place!

Twist the ends of the plastic wrap, and tie each into a knot. Now, take the entire log, and roll it in another sheet of plastic wrap, and twist and tie the ends again.

Place the roll in the freezer until completely frozen.

 

Unwrap the roll and slice into several equal size portions. The Basil thaws pretty quickly, so you might want to pop the slices back into the freezer on a cutting board or cookie sheet for just a few minutes to prevent freezing together during storage.

 Place the slices into a zip top bag and store in the freezer. Now, next time you're making pizza sauce or soup, you can grab one or two slices of the Basil and pop them straight into the pan- no chopping required!