Valentine Inspired Bird Feeder

For Valentine’s season, I thought it would be fun to do a few garden inspired crafts with Little Gardenista. One of the new crafts that we created was a heart shaped Birdseed feeder.  With a few simple ingredients and easy steps, we made ornaments for the birds and of course the squirrels got a hold of a few.  Follow the steps below to create Valentine themed craft that the wildlife and family will enjoy!  


Ingredients and Tools needed: 

  • Birdseed

  • Unflavored gelatin (one generic box from grocery store will do!)

  • Thin rope, twine, or string (needs to be sturdy)

  • Boiling water

  • Measuring cup

  • Large mixing bowl

  • Large spoon

  • Parchment paper or cookie sheet 

  • Heart shaped cookie mold OR cookie cutters


Steps to Create:

  1. Empty two envelopes of unflavored gelatin into your mixing bowl.

  2. Mix ½ cup of boiling (important that the water is boiling) on top of the gelatin. 

  3. Stir the water and gelatin until the gelatin is dissolved or not clumpy. 

  4. Measure and pour two cups of birdseed into the bowl.  

  5. Mix thoroughly.  

  6. Roll out the parchment paper onto the table or cookie sheet.

  7. Scoop a small amount of the birdseed mix into the heart shaped cookie mold. Don’t fill the mold all the way. 

  8. Loop the twine, rope, or string and place the ends into the molds

  9. Continue filling the mold to the top with the birdseed mix

  10. Set the ornaments in an area where they can fully set or dry, which may take up to 24hrs

  11. Pop out the Valentine inspired ornaments, hang them on a bush or tree, and watch the wildlife enjoy!

A few tips, I learned that you may find helpful.  

  • Don’t use cornstarch.  It isn’t good for your wildlife buddies’ digestive systems, so try not to use it if possible!

  • Be sure to inform your Little Gardenista and Gardeners that the birdseed is for wildlife, not little people.  

  • Birdseed and unflavored gelatin both have a different smell.  Just be aware some kids do not like it. 

  • Gelatin keeps the ornament together and can be sticky.  Having spoons ready to scoop into the molds will help keep the area cleaner and minimize some kid’s unhappiness of sticky hands. 

  • If you decide to use cookie cutters, rather than a cookie mold, choose molds that have rounder edges for best success.  Also, space the cutters out on the parchment paper on top of a cooking sheet.  

  • Start with small batches to make sure you don’t lose kids interest and ingredients don’t overclump.  

  • Let the ornaments fully dry before popping them out of their molds.   

  • Use sturdy twine, rope, or string so the ornaments stay longer on the tree for everyone to enjoy!

  • Last and probably most importantly, have fun with this activity.  Sometimes messes, like spilt birdseed or spilt mixtures, happen but thats what makes it more memorable.  

Let me know what you think about this activity or some of your favorite garden inspired Valentine ideas either below or on my social platforms. 

Kristy Buchler