"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..." remember this song from Mary Poppins? I always liked that poor old bird lady who sang it. Sure, she may have been a bit odd, but who isn't? Recently, I was looking out of my house, listening to the busy whir of cars and realized that I have not once seen a bird outside of my window! I'm not a huge bird lover or anything, but I do highly appreciate the sound of chirping birds in the springtime. Today's DIY is the hopeful cure to one of the city dweller's problems. And not only is it cute, it's not a time-consuming craft. You could probably finish this one in 20-30 minutes. Let's get started, shall we?
You will need a few simple supplies for the birdhouse:
-It would be so impressive to make your own, but I found my birdhouse at our local craft store, Michaels.
-acrylic paint (I chose a lovely teal colour, which happens to be close to a robin's egg blue!)
-gold foil or something of the like to decorate the roof. You could also use wood veneer to make shingles.
-paintbrush
-glue or acrylic medium
This part is simple enough. Start off by painting the house, adding your own unique touches as you go. I chose to paint a white rim around the hole of the house!
Once dry, add your roof. I chose a gold transfer foil...but unfortunately the transfer part wasn't working so well on the wood, so I ended up using acrylic medium to adhere the paper. You could use anything you like to create a roof- paint, wood, cork...etc.
Ooooh so shiny. Maybe this will draw the birds to me (and hopefully not just black birds). If you live in a rainy climate like I do, it might be good to add a coating of some kind to protect it from rain, but I'm just going to hang it underneath a protective balcony :). Ok, onto the bird seed!
You could just buy seed for your birds, but often the mixes aren't catered to specific birds and include a ingredients that may attract unwanted species. Also, who wants to buy when you can make?? Here are some supplies you'll need to make the seed. Depending on which birds you want to attract, you'll want to select a few to make a custom blend!
-unsalted peanuts. DO NOT use salted or dry roasted. Peanuts attract greenfinches, house sparrows. Crush them up and you'll attract robins and wrens!
-sunflower seeds. Generally, attract a variety.
-steel cut oatmeal (never cook it!)
-millet to attract house sparrows
-berries
-popped popcorn
-nyger seeds to attract goldfinch
-old bread/croutons for sparrows
-wheat & barley grains for pigeons, doves, and pheasants
-split peas, beans, dried rice and lentils for larger species
-flaked maze to attract black birds (but do you really want to? really??)
Once you have your ingredients chosen, time to start mixing!
Now that looks like a feathered friend feast! If you want more ideas on ways to attract birds (such as making bird seed cakes, suet and more), visit this site for some great tips on feeding specific birds.
Happy bird watching!
-Jenni
p.s. We have our giveaway winner! Congratulations to Melanie Rempel on winning the necklace! We'll be sending you an email soon to confirm your address.
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