Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Here's a fun craft that is great for people of all ages to make and enjoy: A pine cone bird feeder!  It's great to make in the winter months as you can make it indoors, hang it up outside your favorite window, and then sit by your cozy fire and watch the birds enjoy the treat through the window.

Here's how to make it:

First of all, gather your ingredients.  You will need:
A large, open pine cone
vegetable shortening, lard, and/or suet
uncooked oats
bird seed
chopped dried fruit
sunflower seeds
string

Tie a few feet of string to each pine cone.  In a mixing bowl, combine a roughly a 1/2 cup shortening, lard, and /or suet with roughly 2 and 1/2 cups of uncooked oats and blend well, until you have a thick, paste-like mixture.  Apply mixture to the pine cones.  In a bag, combine bird seed with the chopped dried fruit and sunflower seeds.




Close and shake bag until well mixed.  Open the bag and gently place each pine cone in one by one.  Coat each one in the birdseed mixture. Let them sit on some waxed paper in the fridge for about 20 minutes, then hang them outside on the branches closest to your window. :)