This project turns your old Christmas tree--or a small backyard shrub--into a gift for the birds. Decked out in peanut butter pinecones, orange-slice ornaments, colorful cranberry-and-popcorn garlands, and cookie-cutter bird treats, it not only makes a festive feeder, but also provides shelter for small birds like sparrows and juncos. Place it within prime viewing range of the bird blind and watch the feathered crowds gather.

THE TREE

Set up your tree where you can observe it from a window. To keep it standing upright, use a tree stand or make one by nailing the wooden boards in an X to the bottom of the tree, hammering through the wood and into the trunk.

THE DECORATIONS

Dress up your Tree Feeder with any of the following edible "ornaments":

PEANUT BUTTER PINECONES: Wrap one end of a pipe cleaner around the top of each pinecone, leaving enough at the top to serve as a hanger. Using a spoon, slather each cone with peanut butter, then roll it in birdseed.

ORANGE-SLICE ORNAMENTS: Poke a hole with a pencil at the top of each orange slice. Thread with raffia or ribbon; when it's time to deck the tree, tie each slice to a branch.

CRANBERRY-AND-POPCORN GARLANDS: Insert a 2- to 3-foot length of thread through the needle. Sew cranberries and popcorn together in an alternating pattern, ending with a firm knot. Repeat and tie the sections together, until you have enough garland to drape the tree.

COOKIE-CUTTER BIRD TREATS: Friends think we're nuts to bake for the birds--except, of course, our feathered friends.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
Mixed birdseed

Cream the butter, then beat in the eggs. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter-and-egg mixture. When well mixed, cover and chill. Flour a wooden board and roll out the dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters; at the top of each cookie, make a hole with a drinking straw. Press in a coating of birdseed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 12 minutes. When cookies are cool, insert a length of ribbon through each and tie.

NOTE: In wet or humid weather, these may drop from the tree. To make a more durable alternative, trace cookie-cutter shapes on cardboard and cut them out. Coat the shapes with peanut butter, dredge in birdseed and hang.

You might also like:

Find more about:

• Birds |
• Decorating Projects |
• Kitchen Crafts |
• Outdoor Projects |
• Preschooler |
• School Age |
• String, Rope, and Yarn

Related Categories:

• Bird Crafts |
• Outdoor Projects |
• Table Crafts