Kathy has a great question that she wrote in to our viewer mail on Home & Family! I absolutely LOVE having birds in my backyard. I love the squirrels, too, but I set out food on the ground for them. But the beautiful sounds the birds make, plus seeing the different kinds of birds makes me so happy, and of course makes my kitties go wild! Have you seen the little noises kitties make when they see a bird? It’s hysterical and the highlight of my day. Summer brings so many birds to our yards, but as we head into Fall and especially as the weather is getting colder, we need to help these little birdies get some food. So I’ve created a bird feeder made out of things your probably already have in your house! And this bird feeder is practically squirrel-proof…or it it’s not, I’d LOVE to see that squirrel because he would be TAL…EN…TED! Here is how to get started!
You Will Need:
- Birch waterproof ribbon
- Hot glue/glue gun
- Rope, twine and/or burlap ribbon
- Wooden spoon
- Piece of plywood or hard wood to serve as the back of the bird feeder holding the cans
- White paint
- Scissors
- 6 tin cans
- Screws
- Screw gun
- French cleat or 2 eye hooks
- Bird seed
- Optional: sand-paper
- Optional: mod podge
- Optional: sponge brush
- Optional: wooden plaque
How-To:
1. Make sure tin cans are clean and dry.
Note: discard the tops if you are using the craft cans that come with lids.
2. If you are recycling a can from your kitchen, look for any rough spots, and use some heavy-duty sandpaper to smooth the edges.
3. If you sanded it, wipe it down again so that it’s clean and dry.
4. Add burlap ribbon to the top sides of your tin can. Secure with hot glue.
5. Hot glue the wooden spoon handle to the bottom of the can, extending out far enough to give our bird friends ample area to sit and grab some food.
6. Add waterproof birch ribbon around the middle of your can, equally spaced between your birch ribbon, making sure to cover the handle of your spoon. Secure with hot glue.
7. Take a board any size you would like, and paint it with a white-wash or dry brush to create a weathered effect. The board i am using is 21” long by 10” tall. (this measurement will be determined by the size and number of your cans.)
8. Add hot glue to the base of the tin can and set it on the board. Continue this until all cans are in place on your board.
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