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Friday, February 10, 2012

For the Birds

 A cardinal with its feathers all puffed out against the morning chill. We thought winter had passed by us, but this week we're having nightly freezes.  Bird watching for a few minutes as I have a cup of coffee in the morning really adds a bright spot to my day and carries me happily through some of the less pleasant chores of home-making. :)
 A red-bellied sapsucker dwarfing my suet ball. I guess he doesn't care that I hung it for chickadees and other smaller birds. The nerve...lol.
 For those who wanted to know what I use in the suet here's an approximation that I read in one of my Audubon books. They suggest a basic mixture of: one part fat ( can be suet from rendered fat or bacon grease or other fat) one part peanut butter,  and six parts cornmeal. To that you can add your choice of seeds, raisins, nuts, stale bread, oat groats, etc. The birds in my neck of the woods don't care for raisins so I use black oil sunflower seeds.
 Just give all the ingredients a good stir and shape as you like to fit the type of feeder you have on hand. I put the bowl of suet mixture in the freezer for about thirty minutes to harden then shaped it into a ball....
 then I placed it in an empty (recycle!) onion bag and tied a knot close to the ball.
  I tied another knot above the first one so I could make a slit between them to hang on a hook.
 Here's a block of suet mixture that I put a lot of sunflower seeds in, and of course, the birds light on it first. ;)
I've started another quilt using the fabrics in the pics below...
I'm getting kinda giddy about quilting, (who knew?) and hoping to make a quilt that will fit a bed this time...don't know what size yet, though.
 I hope these blend well in the order I plan to use them...we'll see.
                                                                   
Before the cold snap this week my daffodils in this pot had popped out.

Have a great weekend, Y'all!
The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Roses of Inspiration Linkup

19 comments:

  1. Lucky birds.
    The materials you have chosen look lovely to me. I think choosing the material for a quilt is the hardest but most vital part of making a quilt ( and can be very expensive too !)
    I'm about to finish my fourth and largest quilt. For the reat of the year it will be small quilty projects for me.
    Cheers

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  2. You make your suet the same way I do. They love it. I really like the downy woodpeckers. We have several in our yard during the summer months. Love also seeing your daffodils. Lovely indeed. None here. Good luck with your new quilt project. Hugs Judy

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  3. Your suet ball loos delicious...no wonder you have so many birds! Your fabric colors are wonderful. Can't wait to see what you make :) We've had such a mild and snow free winter this year, that I wonder if our flowers will bloom early too ???
    Spring is right around the corner :)

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  4. Beautiful Cardinal! We don't get them out here :( I do miss them. Great how-to on the suet ball, thanks. Love the colors you've chosen for your next quilt.

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  5. My daffodils are drooping here !
    Way too cold ! Your suet will help the birds keep up their body heat
    during this bitter cold snap !

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  6. The birds must love you! I'll have to see if I can make the suet. I think that the quilt that you are going to make will be gorgeous!!!!

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  7. Am I the only who thinks that Cardinal reminds a lot of one of those Angry Birds?

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  8. Thanks for sharing your suet recipe. My daughter and I made some and brilliantly put them out in the summer (we were trying to clean out our freezer for space). Yes, genius as they melted by the end of the day in a puddle... There just might be "something" to feeding them in the winter...

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  9. Oh how I love seeing Cardinals. Sadly, we don't have them here so it's a joy seeing photos of them :)

    Yes, the birds must love you! What yummy treats you have given them.

    Thanks, dear Toni, for sharing at Roses of Inspiration. Enjoy your week! Hugs!

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  10. What a beautiful cardinal and that material is awesome. Can't wait to see your quilt.

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  11. oohhhh I am a birder lover, feeder, watcher as well!!! my favorite aunt, who taught me the art of bird watching, always made her own suet!!!

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  12. Hi! I'm visiting from Roses of Inspiration. We have tons of cardinals too...all year long but they have been coming out in droves since the weather has gotten cold. We buy suet blocks all the time but have never made my own...something to consider! The fabrics you chose for your quilt should look so beautiful together...love the colors! Have a great week :)

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  13. Enjoy your quilting :0) cardinals are truly my favorite bird... mari

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  14. The Cardinal is beautiful. I always love them and they remind me of my grandmother for some reason. I paint them too. The yummy treat for the birds is perfect in the winter and it looks like you have a lucky visitor. Your fabrics for the quilt are beautiful. I imagine it is complete since this post.
    Happy Creating.
    Hugs from Texas

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  15. Your birds are spoiled, I love that!
    We have quite the amount of birds that come for breakfast here at our home, and a part of those birds are wild turkeys. I have had more fun feeding and learning to talk to those turkeys. The bring me laughter and joy just to watch them and their ways with one another.

    I popped over from my dear Stephanie's link up party and so happy that I did. I thought I was following you, but it seems I was not.
    Blogging, I have so much to learn. :)

    Have a blessed day,
    Debbie

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  16. Hi there.
    I'm visiting from Stephanie's blog link. I've enjoyed your post and will follow you. The Blue Ridge is one of my very favorite parts of the world. God bless!

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  17. Hi there.
    I'm visiting from The Enchanting Rose blog link. I've enjoyed your post and will
    follow you. The Blue Ridge is one of my very favorite parts of the world.
    God bless!

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  18. great idea for the birds... I just love the colors in those fabrics, will make a lovely quilt

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  19. Oh I have so enjoyed visiting you. I loved seeing the birds visiting your garden. The colours are so pretty. And thanks for the bird feeder tutorial, I may have a go at making one this weekend. Your quilting fabrics are beautiful, they look like they will work really well together.
    Ali xx

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Thank you for your comments!