Beaded Sun-Catchers

Charlie & Cathy, long time regulars here at the inn, are responsible for quite a few of the goodies you see around the grounds. It started some years back when Cathy was taking a class making flower pots out of peat moss. I wondered if it would be similar to plans I had torn from a magazine for constructing giant concrete leaves. She decided we should  give it a try. They turned out great.  I kept the one in the round bed out front and gave the rest away as gifts.

Since then, occasional homemade additions show up; the tree bench out back, a smaller bench in the woods, and the mirrored gazing ball out front are all "C&C" originals.

This summer, Cathy found the bead sun-catcher idea on Pinterest. She collected inexpensive beads from different craft stores, I took apart some old jewelry and Charlie went to his wood shop to make us some hangers.

The wood hanger is about 15" long with a groove routed in the top the accommodate the lead weights we used as stops. Twelve holes were drilled for the fishing line and an extra hole was drilled at each end for the cable wire hangers. The 50 lb fishing line was cut into 12 strips about 20" long with a  round lead weight tied to one end.  The other end was fed through a hole and the beads were strung on and finished off with (fishing) slip sinkers to weight it down.

Cathy found the she liked having some beads that weren't clear that showed up better when the sun wasn't shinning and that she needed the blues, pinks and reds to stand out from all the green in the yard.  When we first hung this outside, the hummingbirds kept coming around to check it out!

I made one a little differently.  I had some old round metal buttons that were tied to one end of the string. Smaller beads from an old pair of dangley earrings that I really liked were mixed in with some of the bigger beads.  I only made five strands and hung them from an old small metal embroidery hoop (it took about five hands to get it lined up and snapped into place.

Mine has too many green beads to show up well outside so I have it hanging in the bathroom so I can enjoy it while soaking in the tub.

I have seen lots of versions of these online.  I liked the one done hanging from driftwood that had the occasional seashell mixed in.  Cathy said she was going to start checking out flea markets and garage sales for fun costume jewelry to use. If you make some, post pictures here so we can enjoy them!

Fun with TP Rolls

If life gives you lemons.....

Or toilet paper rolls.  As an innkeeper of a house with 11 bathrooms, we have tons of those!  So, when I see ideas on Pinterest for things to do with TP rolls, I "Pin It."  I saw several versions on this theme but this is the simplest.

Cover the roll in peanut butter,

roll it in bird seed,

and stick it on a branch.

The first time we put them out, the birds were suspicious and hesitant to try them.  I set a covered roll in each one of their regular feeders and they quickly caught on.  The seed "pods" are all up and down the holly bushes lining the porch, making for great bird-watching from the dining room. The birds love it as they have more feeding stations when the weather make foraging difficult.

I went ahead and made several of them and stuck them in the freezer so they are ready when I need them without all the mess.

One site has you add a string, which wouldn't work as well for me but is great if you have accessible tree branches.

This idea from Martha Stewart could be fun to try with my miniature bundt pans. They could be adorned with ribbons for the holidays and given as gifts to bird-watching friends. If and when I do it, I will post results.