How to Make Your Own Birdhouse

One of my family’s favorite winter activities is watching the wild birds. This year we decided to try and create some edible birdseed houses. All you need to begin are some wooden bird houses, which you can easily pick up at your local craft store. You’ll want to twist in some eyelet hooks and add some string so you can easily hang it. Then gather up your materials to decorate. You’ll want a variety of natural elements so you can create designs and attract a variety of birds. Start with lots of wild birdseeds, and a variety of nuts and fruit like peanuts, almonds, dried cranberries, dried apricots and oats.

The birds at our house love black sunflower seeds, so I make sure to have plenty of them for this project. I also like to grab some sprigs of greenery off some of my evergreens for a little added winter decoration. Now it’s time to make our edible glue. You’ll need 3/4 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of hot water, 1 packet of unflavored gelatin and 3 tablespoons of corn syrup. Pour hot water into a glass bowl, then mix in your gelatin packet until dissolved. Then stir in flour and corn syrup. Spread the glue mixture onto your birdhouse with a brush and then get to decorating with your seeds, nuts and fruit. You’ll want to work in small sections so the glue doesn’t dry. Wait at least 30 minutes before hanging it up.