Bird seed ornament favors

I wanted to title this post "Bird seed tree hanger favors" simply because I don't think these creations are particularly ornamental. Birds are going to eat them. And then they won't look nice anymore. But most people think of these as ornaments, so....

When I saw these on a DIY blog, I knew they would be perfect to put in the goody bags at my baby's owl-themed birthday party. Guests received an owl finger puppet, a wildlife conservation chocolate bar and this little treat for the birds.

There are variations to this recipe, but the most common recipe I found online was this one, from several different sources. I ended up making two batches.

To make these "ornaments," you'll need:

1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup (I wonder if honey would work? Hmm.)
4 cups birdseed
3/4 cup flour

Dissolve the gelatin in the water and stir in the corn syrup. Mix the flour into the bird seed in a big bowl, then stir in the liquid.



The mixture blends nicely.



Then, choose your shape. Spoon the bird seed mixture into silicone molds, muffin tins or cookie cutters, which is what I used.



Aren't the animal-shaped cookie cutters cute?

After you get the mixture into your shape, poke a hole into it so you'll be able to thread a ribbon or twine through for hanging. I used a kebab skewer to make a hole and sort of wiggled the skewer a bit to enlarge the hole.



Then you just let the shapes dry. I found that some of the shapes broke when I took them out of the cookie cutters -- maybe some nonstick spray would have prevented that from happening. Maybe not. The birds ate the mistakes, though, so it was all good.

After you tie the ribbon or twine onto the dry shapes, then you can put them into bags for giving.

And you can say your project is for the birds!

Host an owl-themed birthday party

It's hard to believe, but my baby is going to be two years old this week. Sniff, sniff.

We had a party for him on Saturday with about 40 family members and friends showing up. I don't think my baby knew everyone was there for him -- but he had a good time.

It was my husband's idea to have the party at a local wildlife rehabilitation and nature center, where biologists bring out various animals for the kids to touch and teach everyone about them. The nature center asked what my baby's favorite animal is. I told them a giraffe. Heh! Well, they don't have any giraffes, but they do have owls, and he does know what an owl is, so I thought that was great.


Eastern screech owl

And owls are fun fun for a party theme. I started with a blue owl party decor package from the Bee & Daisy Etsy shop. The image files allowed me to make a party invitation:



And candy bar wrappers. I resized and cut out the head of the owl to paste on plain brown paper lunch bags to make the goody bags.



The goody bags also contained an owl finger puppet (I love finger puppets!) and bird seed ornaments for the party guests to hang in their trees:


This one is in the shape of a shark. There were other shapes, too -- including an owl -- which I made with cookie cutters.

I made a pull-apart cake (a cake made out of individual cupcakes) in the shape of an owl, thanks to an idea by Family Fun Magazine.



And owlets.



I made some of the owlets wheat- egg- dairy- and nut-free for my preschooler.

The Bee & Daisy Etsy shop decor stash included printables to make a banner.



Because the nature center didn't allow balloons (too easy to get tangled in the ceiling fans of the screened-in pavilion and a hazard to wildlife), I had to make something else that was fun. Tissue paper balls it was.



Everyone had a fun time!

How to alter a sewing pattern for a larger cup size/bust

One of the frustrating things for me about sewing patterns is they don't usually include a way to account for a larger bust. Seems like a no-brainer, but if you're not an A or B cup, then some styles might not fit you even after you've followed the directions to a T -- and the pattern companies don't tell you that. It took me years to figure it out myself.

I wanted to make a simple, quick dress to wear to a luau-style party recently (like it?), and that's the obstacle I ran into. Any style (either a store-bought top or dress, or one you sew) where the bodice emphasizes the breasts usually doesn't fit me. The seam line that marks where the bottom of the bust should be? It goes right across the middle of mine. If I pull down the top or dress so the seam is where it should be, then I feel I'm going to fall out of the top. So I usually avoid styles like that.

The pattern I wanted to use is a good example of this kind of top, even though the halter style keeps your girls covered. Not only is the bust separate from the rest of the top, but each breast is defined:



I had made one of these tops before and extended the bottom of the bust line just a bit when cutting out the pattern, and it worked great.

But six years and two breastfed kids later, and I need more extensive alterations to make this pattern work.

First, I knew my bust measurement was bigger this time around, so I needed to cut the pattern to fit what my "new" size should be. I had already used the pattern pieces and had cut away the line showing the larger sizes, so I made a good guesstimate.



(Whenever I am making my own pattern or using another pattern as a jumping-off point, I like to use the classifieds. It has straight lines.)

I also held the pattern piece up to me and measured how many extra inches I'd need to cover the bust area. Then I added that on to my classifieds pattern.

When I was looking into how to do this, I discovered that the more-professional way to do alter a pattern for a larger cup size is to cut the pattern piece vertically and horizontally through the middle, add inches based on your measurements, then tape the pattern back together. I will try that next time.

My pattern has darts, and I ignored the pattern's lines showing where to sew the darts, because now they would be shifted. So after I cut out my fabric using my altered pattern, I held each fabric piece to me, inside out, and pinned it where the darts needed to be. Turned out I also needed to put in darts near the armholes (the fabric bunched out in that area when I held the fabric to me), which weren't shown on the original pattern.



Marking the darts myself rather than relying on the pattern worked out so well that I think I just might do darts this way from now on. The darts perfectly lined up when I pinned the outer fabric piece to the inner fabric piece (the facing):



So fear not marking your own darts.

But do fear the kitty, who likes to lie on top of things like fragile tissue-paper patterns.



Anyway, after the hard work of measuring, tracing, cutting, pinning and sewing the altered bust, I could focus on the easy part -- the skirt. The pattern I used is for a top, so I just continued extending the line of the top past the hips and cut it longer to make a dress. I cut it on the bias of the fabric (diagonally, which gives your garment a bit of stretch), so the dress' length was at the mercy of the fabric width.

A little dress (for a little work) for a little party -- and it fits pretty good, if I say so myself.

Project: Make seed paper for a plantable homemade card

Ever seen those greeting cards made out of paper that you can plant, which grows flowers or herbs? My husband gave me a card like that a long time ago, and I thought it was fun.

It's also fun to make your own seed paper -- and this is a great project for older kids.

(That's code for my preschooler and toddler weren't that interested or able to help.)

First, you make a frame. I used a plastic 8X10 picture frame on clearance for $3.50, and some mesh that I think plastic Easter eggs came in. The mesh is doubled and duct taped onto the frame. Not pretty, but functional.



Then you use a blender to whip up some slurry -- torn pieces of paper you were going to recycle anyway (I used office paper; one piece had red ink, so the paper turned out slightly pink) that had been sitting in a big bowl of water for a day.

Yum yum.

You pour the slurry into a large dish.



Add your seeds. If I do this again, I will also add tiny flowers placed just so on the paper. You know, weeds can be pretty.



Shake your frame through the slurry to get it all paper-y, and place the frame on an old towel.



Blot to soak up the water, then carefully peel off the layer of new paper.



Let the paper lie flat to dry, and then you can decorate it to use as a card to give to your favorite person.

Think I'm the homemade seed paper card expert? I'm not! I tried out this project as a National Wildlife Federation Be Out There Founding Mother. Find all the detailed steps for making seed paper, and suggestions for good wildflower seeds based on where you live, at the National Wildlife Federation site.

Make your yard a Certified Wildlife Habitat

It's here! I have an officially certified backyard wildlife habitat!

Long before our kids were born, my husband and I worked on making our yard friendly to wildlife. We learned what wildlife need: shelter, water, food and a place to raise their young. It was easy to make sure our yard had all of those elements. We knew about the National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat program, but we just never got around to certification.

When I heard recently the NWF is hoping to reach 150,000 yards certified, I finally filled out the forms online. (See on my certificate, I'm number 139,834.) It's a simple process.

If you want to be a bird nerd cool like me and make your yard a wildlife habitat, just make sure you have what wildlife look for in a habitat:

Shelter



See this dead tree in my yard? It's called a snag. And it's great for wildlife! A rock pile or rock wall or even thick brush work too.

Water

Wildlife also need a source of water. We live on a canal that attracts wading birds like herons and egrets, and it's also home to turtles. A bird bath in our wildflower garden gives smaller birds a place to find fresh water.

Food

Our yard also provides sources of food for critters, like the queen palm seeds that I've seen raccoons eat:



The firebush that gives butterflies nectar:



Cocoplum bushes that will eventually fruit (and I see something has been eating the leaves):



Several bird feeders that attract different birds at different times of the year:



Place to Raise Young

Behind the bird feeder in the picture is a Dutchman's pipe vine, which is a larval host plant, aka food for caterpillars that grow into swallowtail butterflies.

My husband built a nesting box that is just the right dimensions for an American kestrel or a northern screech owl. (But most of the time, it houses squirrels, and that's OK too.) One time, he put a video camera in the box and recorded an owl making a nest there. Sure wish I could find that video! Another time, bees made a hive in there.



If you don't want to make a nesting box, that's OK because many animals live in trees. If you have a tree in your yard, that might be a good place for a critter to nest.



Sustainable Gardening

Do you use mulch? Maybe you compost or have a rain barrel? These are beneficial to wildlife too. We avoid using pesticides in or around our yard because we don't want to kill off the butterflies we have worked hard to attract by planting nectar and larval plants.

You can see it doesn't take much to attract wildlife to your yard -- after that, it's just a matter of filling out the Certified Wildlife Habitat form and paying the fee ($20). Then tell all your friends, who will think you are an awesome wildlife expert.

Project: Slipcover a children's couch

Want to see my kids' new couch?



Yeah, don't you love it? Bet you're wondering where you can get a couch like this.



Well, I'll tell you. You can pick it up for free at a local swap or yard sale! What a deal!

Then the fun begins.

Add something cushy for the tushies.



Some foam from the local fabric/craft store works great. Two packages, then you cut to fit.

The next part is tricky. You take some newspaper and trace the different sections of the couch: the back, the seat, the seat back, the sides, the skirt, the arms. Transfer to fun fabric. Cut and sew. Put it back on the couch. Sew some more. Put it back on the couch. Make faces. Swearing is optional. Sew some more. You get the idea.

Eventually, you get this:



The arms are challenging. I left the front open, basted around the edge, and pulled it tightly to make a gathering and close up the hole. Then I sewed on a button like my life depended on it.



Like the button? It belonged to my husband's late grandmother. I think she would like to know I used two of her buttons to make something for her great-grandchildren.

My two sons like having their own little couch, and when it gets dirty, I can take the slipcover off and wash it.



My big couches were a little jealous, but I'm sure eventually they will need to be slipcovered too.