Recycled Bird Feeder

Recycle and create a pretty spring bird feeder from used McDonald's Happy Meal bucket and plastic mayonnaise jar.

Approximate Time: 30 minutes

Supplies:

• McDonald's Happy Meal bucket (bottom only needed with attached handle)
• plastic mayonnaise jar with lid
• hammer
• nail punch or nail to punch holes needed or drill bit if desired
• scissors to cut down pail to 2-3 inches tall and to cut side windows in jar
• 1 long screw with bolt
• spray paint of color choice
• acrylic craft paints for decorative painting and assorted paint brushes
• clear paint sealer for lasting outside exposure

Instructions:

Use these left over items to create a pretty spring bird feeder.

 
1. First take your plastic mayonnaise jar and punch a hole in each side just a little past the lid this is where you will just pop on your handle from the McDonald's Happy Meal bucket. I just used a hammer and nail to punch my holes, but you easily use a tiny drill bit if you desire to create your holes.
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2. Punch another 2 holes on your mayonnaise jar on both sides about half way up just to get a starting point so you can use your scissors to cut out 2 little windows for the birds to reach inside to get the bird seed.
3. Cut your McDonald's bucket down to about 2-3 inches tall. This will be used as your base under the plastic jar to be used as both a perch and catchall for any seed that falls out when the birds eat from it. You can cut your pail any shape you like. I did mine on a scallop cut since I was doing a sunflower theme painted on the bird feeder.
4. Poke a hole through the center of the bottom pail and the center of the plastic jar.
5. Take a long screw and go up through both containers from the bottom side up and reaching inside your window you cut onto your jar attached the bolts onto the screw all the way down.

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6. Spray paint your complete piece, but not the inside of the jar.

 
7. After it has dried you can then hand paint on any theme you like using acrylic paints. I did mine in sunflower theme.
8. Let dry and spray on 1-2 coats clear paint seal.
9. You can fill your feeder by taking off the jar's lids or just filling it by reaching into the jar's windows.
10. Since the handle just pops in and out of your jar you can either just loop over a limb as I did or pop it off on one side lap over branch and pop back on to jars side.
11. Then just hang in a tree and let the birds enjoy.