Bird feeder out of bowls:

-2 or 3 plastic or wood salad bowls
-24" threaded rod
-6 nuts and washers
-Contact paper (optional)
-3" turnbuckle
-Hook
-Drill
-Scissors

Drill a hole in the center of all of the salad bowls. Thread the bowls on the rod (one on the bottom to fill with seed and one or two on top upside down to act as a squirrel baffle) and secure in place with the nuts and washers. We used a green bowl decorated with contact paper under a frosted translucent bowl to create a charming decorative effect. Then attach the turn buckle to the top of the rod with the hook in the top of the turn buckle and you're ready to fill with seed and hang outside.

Here's a tip: line the bottom of the bowl with peanut butter and press the seed into. It will be a treat for the birds and won't make the feeder as heavy as if you filled the entire bowl with seed.

Book Safe: Find a book you no longer want to read. A hard cover works best, but if its thick enough you might be able to make a paper back work. Open the book up and turn about 20 pages in, then open the back cover and turn 20 pages in from there too. Then, starting about 1" in from the edge of the pages, start to cut a hole in the remaining pages with an exacto knife (if you have the tools handy you can use a drill press and a band saw for a cleaner result) When the pages have been cut away, close the book and you have a cavity inside thats perfect for stashing valuables. If you want, you can decorate it with trim and use it as a gift box as well.

Picture frame tray: Remove the glass, image and backing from a picture frame. Attach handles to the edges, making sure not to block the indent for the glass and image with the bolts for the handles. Then pick an image to serve as the surface of your tray we used wallpaper, but you can use a photograph or print, a collage of family photos or clippings, or fabric. Then put the glass, image and backing back in the frame and secure from the bottom and your tray is done!

Episode 103 Main Page