DIY Miniature Suet and Birdseed Wreaths

Miniature Suet Wreaths:
I've made larger suet wreaths before - here's the DIY instructions: DIY Suet Wreath  - but this version is quick, easy and adorable. ♥ This would be a fun craft to do with children and it's a unique way to offer suet as a winter protein source to your backyard birds.

Supplies:

- Wilton Easy-Flex Silicone 4 Cavity Mini Fluted Tube
- Miniature grapevine wreaths
- Ingredients for suet:
     1 cup lard
     1 cup chunky peanut butter
     Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
     3 cups cornmeal
     1/2 cup flour
     4 cups birdseed
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Jute or string for hanging
- Holly berries (optional)

Spray the silicone pan with nonstick cooking spray then (if available) add a few holly berries. Fill each wreath shape half full with the suet mixture then press in the miniature grapevine wreath. Add suet on top of the grapevine wreath and refrigerate overnight. Once the suet has hardened, it should be easy to remove from the silicone pan. -  Hang with jute or string and add a raffia bow if desired.

I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds! ~ Rebecca's Bird Gardens (Facebook)

Tufted Titmouse ~ Carolina Chickadee

Miniature Birdseed Wreaths:
For this miniature birdseed wreath, I've found that a metal pan works the best. It's the same recipe and steps that I use for larger birdseed wreaths, but I added holly berries (to the metal pan) prior to adding the birdseed mixture.

Here's the recipe - makes about 20 miniature wreaths

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm water
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 package unflavored gelatin
8 cups birdseed
Nonstick cooking spray

Stir the gelatin into the water and heat over medium heat until dissolved. Whisk in the corn syrup and flour. Stir well until there are no more lumps. It will make a thick gooey paste. Add the birdseed and stir until all the seeds are coated.

Add the holly berries (optional) to the prepared pan - then using a greased metal spoon, press the seed mixture into the wreath shapes (be sure to press the mixture down firmly until it’s well packed and even).

Place the pan in the refrigerator until set (about 30 minutes) then carefully remove them from the molds by turning them upside down onto a cookie sheet. Let the wreaths dry for about 5 days (turning them occasionally so that they dry throughout).

If you only have one miniature wreath pan, you could cut the recipe in half or make a larger wreath - using a bundt pan - and a pan of miniature wreaths...

I invite you to follow my Facebook page to see the products available in our shop, my DIY projects and more photos of my backyard birds.

DIY Heart Bird-Feeders ♥

Grapevine Suet ♥

Carolina Chickadee ~ Tufted Titmouse

Downy Woodpecker ~ White-breasted Nuthatch

Prepare the basic suet recipe (allow it to cool) and coat it to one side of the wreath. Refrigerate for 30 minutes then push it onto the other side of the wreath. Wear gloves - it's messy...

2 cups lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
2 cups chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
6 cups cornmeal
1 cup flour
8 cups birdseed







Or - you can simply use heart shaped candy or cupcake molds to make miniature ♥  suet feeders!

Tufted Titmouse

Or  ...  spread peanut butter on a grapevine ♥ and press in birdseed.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Birdseed ♥

Carolina Chickadee

Male House Finch

Makes 2 wreaths or several ornaments.

3/4 cup flour
1 cup warm water
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 package unflavored gelatin
8 cups bird food (such as seeds, peanuts, berries, dried fruits)
2 heart cake pans or other molds
Nonstick cooking spray
Wire - bend into a heart shape...

Stir the gelatin into the water and heat over medium heat until dissolved. Whisk in the corn syrup and cornstarch. Stir well until there are no more lumps. It will make a thick gooey paste. Add the birdseed and stir until all the seeds are coated. Place the  1/2 the mixture equally divided into two greased heart cake pans. Add the heart-shaped wire - then add the remaining mixture.Using a greased metal spoon, press the seed mixture into the pans (be sure to press the mixture down firmly until it’s well packed and even). Place the pans in the refrigerator until set then carefully remove them from the molds by turning them upside down onto a cookie sheet. Let the wreaths dry over night (turning them occasionally so that they dry throughout).

Happy Valentine's Day from 

Rebecca's Bird Gardens ♥

Down Home Blog Hop

DIY Suet Wreath

I recently conducted a class for the Master Gardener chapter that I'm a member of on making bird-feeders utilizing natural sources, recycled materials and re-purposed items. Of course the best bird-feeder is what nature provides: nuts, seeds and fruit from native trees, shrubs and wildflowers (and native insects)... Here's my hand-out for my "bird" talk I give:  Creating a Bird Garden

But - this class was all about creating bird-feeders and I came up with a few originals and I experimented with several I found on the Internet. For this DIY suet wreath, here the link to one of the best tutorials I found: Create a Suet Bird Seed Wreath

I've been making my own suet for years and I am sure the birds prefer my homemade version over a purchased suet cake... In fact, I've never had a bluebird visit a suet feeder at my property unless it contained my homemade recipe! In addition to coating pine-cones with my suet mixture, I've been experimenting with some other options to offer this food supplement. Here's my recipe and the link to what I've came up with so far... DIY Suet Feeders

Suet Recipe
1 cup lard  ~ You can render your own suet from beef fat (it's an all day process), but I prefer purchasing lard, which is pork fat.
1 cup chunky peanut butter
Melt the lard and peanut butter together, then add:
3 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
4 cups birdseed

For the suet wreath, I added the following to the basic suet recipe:
1 package unflavored Knox gelatin dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

Add the prepared suet mixture to a greased Bundt pan. I also picked up a helpful tip from the tutorial above and added a wire ring insert. - Place half of the suet mixture into the pan, add the wire ring, then the remaining suet. Pack the mixture down thoroughly into the pan with the back of a metal spoon. Refrigerate overnight. Allow the wreath the return to room temperature and it should be easy to remove from the pan. I added braided strips of burlap to use as a hanger. This wreath holds up much longer than you would expect and the wire ring insert helps to keep it from falling apart.

Good Housekeeping shared this tutorial.  ♥
Here's the link: 8 DIY Bird Feeders ~ Good Housekeeping

Update! I purchased a silicone Bundt pan at a thrift shop - it makes removing the wreath from the pan much easier!

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse