What’s more fun than creating a birdie buffet in your outdoor space? Our DIY Birdseed Ornament is a great activity for kids of all ages. Even small hands enjoy packing cookie cutters with sticky birdseed, and with adult supervision, a hole can be added to the ornaments to hang them outside. They look so pretty hanging from a tree branch or a shepherd’s hook, but to a bird, they look good enough to eat!

Depending on the size of your cookie cutters, the recipe below will make 8 to 12 birdseed ornaments. Get creative with different cookie-cutter shapes! They make a thoughtful gift for the bird or nature enthusiast in your life. Or, another fun idea is to tie one to a gift bag or basket. Leftover ornaments can be wrapped tightly and stored in the freezer for up to three months.

Ingredients for Birdseed Ornaments

• 2 1/2 cups of birdseed
• 2 packets of gelatin
• 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• Cooking spray
• Cookie cutters
• Twine

Instructions for Making Birdseed Ornaments

Step 1: Dissolve the gelatin. Pour 1/2 cup cold water into a small microwave-safe bowl. Add the two packets of gelatin. Let the mixture rest for two minutes and then microwave on high for one minute. Let the mixture rest again for two minutes and then stir to completely dissolve the gelatin.

Step 2: Add the birdseed to a large bowl. Then, add the corn syrup and the gelatin. Thoroughly mix to combine all the ingredients. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Step 3: Lightly grease the cookie cutters with cooking spray. Remove the birdseed mixture from the refrigerator and firmly pack the birdseed into each cookie cutter making sure to fill evenly and to the top.

Step 4: Use the eraser on a pencil to poke a hole that will be used to hang the ornament. Refrigerate the ornaments overnight or for eight hours so the birdseed sets.

Step 5: Carefully remove the birdseed ornaments from the cookie cutters. String a piece of twine through each of the birdseed ornaments and tie at the top.

Step 6: Hang the birdseed ornaments from a tree, a shepherd’s hook, or from the ceiling of a porch or balcony.

Ready for more amazing DIY ornaments? Get fancy with our Beaded Snowflake Kit! Or, keep it Spring-spirited with our Sequin Easter Egg Kit. And don’t forget to share your Birdseed Ornaments on social media and tag us at @hellodragonflyfun.