Make a Birdseed Wreath

A birdseed wreath is an inexpensive craft you can make with your kids or give as a gift to a bird lover in your life. Create a wreath in a Bundt pan or similar shaped mold using bird seed, gelatin, corn syrup, and flour. Add variety to your wreath by making it with suet and peanut butter, water, or festively shaped molds. Hang your wreath with ribbon in a place that birds frequent.

Ingredients

• 4 tsp (20 ml) of gelatin (about 2 packets)
• ½ cup (118 ml) hot water
• 3 tbsp (44.4 ml) light corn syrup
• ¾ cup (177 ml) flour
• 4 cups (.95 L) bird seed

Steps

Creating the Wreath

1. Coat your Bundt pan or mold in non-stick spray. Pass the spray back and forth over the inside of your mold until all surfaces are covered. Alternatively, use shortening to grease the bottom of your mold. Be thorough; all surfaces should have a light layer of shortening.
   • Failing to do this could result in your wreath sticking in the mold. Frequently, stuck wreaths break or crack during removal.
2. Heat water in a small pot or kettle. Clean the pot or kettle first with dish soap and warm water. Rinse it carefully to avoid soap contamination, which may make birds sick. Add a half cup (118 ml) of water to the pot or kettle over high heat. When it is lightly boiling, turn off the heat.
   • If more convenient, you can also heat the water in a microwave safe bowl or dish. Heat the water until it is steaming or near boiling.
3. Combine wreath ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the gelatin, hot water, corn syrup, and flour to the bowl. Stir it with a utensil, like a wooden spoon, until it thickens to paste-like consistency. Add the birdseed to the mixture and continue to stir until the seed is evenly distributed.
   • Using more gelatin should make a sturdier, more resilient wreath. If you have issues with wreaths cracking or breaking, add more gelatin.
4. Transfer the mixture to the mold. Your seed mixture will likely be clumpy at this point. Use your utensil to push the mixture into a Bundt pan or a similar ring shaped mold. Completely fill the pan with the mixture by pressing it into the pan firmly. The top of the mixture should be flat.
5. Wait at least 24 hours for the mixture to dry. Some gelatins may dry in as few as eight hours. You can test the mixture by pressing its surface gently with your finger. If it’s soft, it needs more time to dry. For the best results, you may want to wait 48 hours, when the mixture will be fully hardened.
   • Your gelatin may be ready in as few as two hours if placed in a refrigerator to harden. When the mixture is hard to the touch, remove it from the fridge.

Hanging the Wreath

1. Remove the wreath from its mold. Gently flex the mold by bending it with light pressure from your hands. If the wreath is stuck in the mold, use a sturdy, thin tool, like a knife or spatula, to wedge between the mold and the wreath. Work your way around the mold with the tool to loosen it, then remove the wreath.
2. Add a hanger to the wreath. Tie a length of sturdy ribbon around your wreath in a decorative bow. Loop another length of ribbon around the wreath and fasten the ends in a simple knot so you can hang your wreath on hooks, nails, posts, and so on.
   • Using a heavy fastener, like rope, may be too rough on your wreath and cause it to break. Prioritize lightweight fasteners, like ribbon and twine.
3. Hang your wreath and enjoy. Position your wreath where you frequently see birds in your yard, like around active birdfeeders or nearby a bird bath. Hang your wreath from the branches of trees with bird nests. Then you can sit back with a pair of birdwatching binoculars and enjoy your birdseed wreath.

Adding Variety

1. Create a winter birdseed wreath with ice. Spread a thick layer of birdseed along the entire bottom of a Bundt pan or mold. Fill the mold with clean water. Put the mold in the freezer until frozen. Remove the ice wreath carefully and hang it. Birds will peck away at the ice to get the seeds.
2. Experiment with different molds. Shaped molds can make many different kinds of decorative birdseed “wreaths.” For molds that may be difficult to hang, use a pencil to push a small hole in the wreath mixture while it's still soft. When it hardens, thread ribbon through the hole for hanging.
   • To prevent unique mold shapes from falling apart too soon, you may want to add a little more gelatin to these.
   • Though not round like a traditional wreath, holiday molds can make festive decorations.
3. Make your wreath with suet and peanut butter. Suet is a kind of thick, fatty substance used in cooking. It can be purchased at most grocery stores and general retailers. For this wreath, you’ll need 3 blocks of suet, a half cup (118 ml) of peanut butter, and 9 cups (2.1 L) of birdseed. To prepare a suet peanut butter wreath:
   • Liquify three blocks of suet over low heat in a large pot. Stir the suet as it heats with a wooden spoon. Do not bring the suet to a boil.
   • When melted, add the peanut butter to the suet. Continue to stir, and when the mixture is consistent throughout and fully melted, remove it from the heat.
   • Mix in the birdseed with your spoon. Transfer the suet to a Bundt pan or similar mold that has been coated with non-stick spray. Let the mixture harden overnight in a refrigerator.

Things You’ll Need

• Mixing bowl (medium to large size)
• Bundt pan (or a similar ring shaped pan/mold)
• Wooden spoon (or whisk)
• Non-stick spray
• Wide ribbon (or similar length of fabric)
• Hook (or a metal ring; optional)
• Small pot (or kettle)

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Handprint Butterflies
• Make a Bow with Wired Ribbon
• Make a Travel Size Craft Kit
• Make Spring Crafts
• Create a Time Capsule
• Build a Still
• Name a Project