Early Valentine gift to Mother Nature
06 Jan 2012 6 Comments
in OUTDOOR IDEAS, VALENTINE'S Day Tags: bird, bird feed, Birds, birdseed, Christmas Tree, feed the birds, food, Frazier Fir, meal, Nature, Ornament, peanut butter, Recycle, Repurpose, St. Valentine, ST. VAlentine's DAy, Valentine, Winter
[click on photos, for larger view]
During Christmas, I purchased a small, inexpensive Frazier Fir tree to place inside a beautiful winter sled-tree stand given to me by one of my clients. I loved the idea of having a fresh tree on The Seasonal Home’s front porch (close to the front door) so I can enjoy a wonderful pine smell each time I pass by.
It just so happened that I placed the tree in front of the kitchen window and one day, while doing the dishes, I noticed a sweet bird, who landed in my fir tree to rest. I would have been thrilled if my feathered visitor had stayed long enough for me to take a photo, but as quick as it landed… it was gone. I immediately started thinking about ways I could encourage more birds to visit the tree (it’s just too wonderful to recycle yet!), but it wasn’t until I was about to throw out a stale loaf of bread that the solution came to me… fill my tree with welcome winter bird treats!
Even though I’m still filtering my way through organizing holiday decorations, my thoughts are already heading towards St. Valentine’s Day. And based on the huge amount of visitors, to my site, who are searching for Valentine, St. Patrick’s Day & Easter ideas, I must not be alone in that thought process (lol)! Anyway, those thoughts gave me the idea to pull out my Valentine cookie cutter and use it to create several winter birdie (treat) ornaments to hang on my tree.
So, after gathering my jar of peanut butter, a roll of thin ribbon, my container of bird seed and the loaf of stale bread, I was ready to go into production. First, I used my cookie cutter to create heart-shaped pieces of bread. Next, I spread peanut butter on one side (of each piece) and using a toothpick, poked a hole in the center of the top/middle of each side of the heart. Now, it was time to feed the ribbon through the 2 holes and tie a knot. (HINT): I found that the bread dries out quickly, so it would be best to create the 2 holes & feed the ribbon through, as soon as you’ve spread the peanut butter. The last step is to dip the side of the bread with peanut butter on it into a plate of bird seed and your ornaments are complete and ready to hang!
I hope lots of feathered friends visit my tree of winter treats and allow me the privilege of photographing their beauty, in exchange.
Enjoy the Creativity!
Eileen