Winter Decorations

Eighteen years ago I made a resolution to have all of our Christmas decorations put away before January 3rd. Our middle son was due on the 3rd and I wanted everything down before that day. Well, he came promptly on time and I’ve kept my resolution ever since!

But I just hate to see all the pretty decorations come down so soon and the winters here are so dreary in the PNW! :o(  So I decided to just put up a few pretty wintery decorations to get me through until Valentine’s decorations go up…

I am so glad I picked up these giant plastic snowflakes at the Dollar Tree clear back in November! They are just what my snow-less January decor needed!

I was also able to get some great after-Christmas deals on some not too Christmas-y stuff to go in my window display…

But my favorite just might be the little glittery paper houses that twinkle after the lights go out!

I got the pattern for the houses at HERE at Just Something I Made.    

Bird Seed Eggs

I saw these little bird seed eggs this summer at the Bible Camp gift store and immediately wanted to figure out how to make them myself! My only drawback was to determine how to get all that birdseed to stick together. Thankfully my friend Stephanie came up with a water/flour paste. Not a couple of days later a blog popped up on my Reader board, and she was right! You do use flour and water.

So I made my own (finally) and I love the way they turned out! The egg shapes are my favorite but you could make them whatever shape you like…

Step 1- Grease Jello egg mold

Step 2. Make a paste of water and flour that is the consistency of Elmer’s glue.

Step 3- Add bird seed until it is a sticky goo. There needs to be mostly bird seed but still sticky enough to sticky together.

Step 4- Pack very tightly into both side of Jello molds. Overfill them just a tiny bit. Be sure to keep hands moist with water to keep bird seed mixture from sticking to your hands!

Put both sides of mold together, lining up the two halves and press together.

Lift off the top mold.

Step 5- Gently pry eggs out of mold with butter knife. Pack them tightly together using your hands. Be sure to keep hands moist with water to keep bird seed mixture from sticking to your hands!

Step 5- Place back gently into molds and let dry in a cool dry spot for at least 24 hours.

Flip eggs over and let dry another 24 hours.

Step 6- If you added a string for a hanger while packing them into molds, you can hang them from tree branches. Otherwise, place in bird feeders and watch the birds this winter from your window!