We made these ornaments to decorate our tree, outside still growing in our yard. This was the first time we had done this sort of thing, so we are still working on the outdoor decorations. I am tired of wasting $50 every year to buy a tree that will be pretty for a few weeks and then just die. This falls right into the consumerism that we are trying so hard to get away from. I much more enjoy going outside and feeding the birds while decorating our tree. We are going to have to find some more ornament ideas for next year though.
I really liked these ornaments because they are pretty and mini bird feeders. My little girl (2) was able to help me make these decorations without any trouble. We also made salt dough ornaments, but these were more fun to share.
All you need is molds (I used my silicone soap molds), straws, string, birdseed, and shortening. First you melt the shortening and mix in the birdseed. I don’t know how much I used of each, but next time I will use more shortening. The ornaments weren’t sturdy as I would
have liked them to be so we ended up just freezing them right before we hung them. Pour the mixture into the molds and put a straw through where you want the string. Put them in the freezer overnight. 
Once they are frozen, pop them out of the molds, pull the straws out, thread the strings and you’re done. Beautiful and tasty treats for the birds!
Building a New England Homestead 