Now that Earth day is just over a week away, I wanted to share a craft that is something we do every year and involves recycling. This one of the simplest types of bird feeders you can make. This makes it a great craft for your younger kids.

Materials Needed:

• Empty quart sized cardboard milk carton
• Scissors
• String or cord
• Hole punch or pencil
• Bird seed

Instructions:

1. Have an adult help you cut a hole in the bird feeder – it should be big enough so a bird could come and sit and eat the feed, but not too big or the carton will become unstable.
   
2. Have an adult help you cut a hole using the hole punch in the top of the milk carton and put a string through the hole. Alternatively, you can poke a hole on either side of the flap at the top of the carton by poking a pencil through the top.
3. Tie a knot in the string.
4. Fill the carton with bird seed until it reaches the top of the hole.
5. Hang the cart on a tree branch and watch the birds enjoy their snack!

Tips:

• A quart size carton works perfect as it isn’t too large and holds a decent amount of food.
• You may choose to decorate the outside of the carton but keep in mind that it will be outside in the elements and decorations may wash off in the rain. Also, you wouldn’t want the birds pecking at flaking paint!
• Check your bird feeder regularly and refill as needed.

My cats love catnip. The only problem with buying catnip toys for them is that the catnip doesn’t ever seem to last that long, well the smell at least. This means that I go and buy these toys for the cats, they play with them for a few days and then discard them and they sit around the house. Well after doing a bit of research, I decided I was going to make my own but try and different type of stuffing instead of cotton that is used in most toys bought at the store. This is what I have come up with to make the smell last for much longer.

Materials Needed:

• Two cut out pieces of material, any size, any shape (I use 3 in x 3 in squares the most)
• Sewing Machine
• Button Thread (regular thread is not as strong and could cause stuffing leaks)
• Uncooked  White Rice (not Minute Rice)- Must be uncooked as it will make the oils absorb the catnip oils
• Dried Catnip (or fresh if available)

Instructions:

1. Get a bowl and mix 3 parts uncooked rice with 2 parts of catnip in a bowl with cover. Cover and shake well. (If using fresh catnip, chop leaves in small pieces and microwave on a plate for 1 minute to dry the catnip out a bit.) Set mixture aside.
2. Put two pieces of material together with right sides (bright side) IN and back sides (dull side) OUT. Sew around the edges but leave ½ inch opening. Be sure that you reinforce the beginning and end sewing by reversing stitching a couple times. I like to go over all the stitching as well.
3. Using a wooded spoon handle, turn sewed piece inside out. Using a small funnel, pour mixture inside of the sewed piece up to 2/3 full. The toy will feel like a small bean-bag which cats love! The secret — THE RICE ABSORBS THE CATNIP OILS AND MAKE THE CATNIP SCENT LAST A LONG TIME!
4. Sew up the ½ inch opening. Test stitching to be sure there are no openings or leaks. The cat toy is done! Throw to your cat(s) and watch the fun! They love rubbing and rolling and tossing!

Anything that is collapsible is a good idea when you are on the go. So naturally, I wanted to find a great collapsible dog dish to take to the park or with us when we travel. I searched everywhere for one and couldn’t find one anywhere. So I decided to make one on my own and that is the one that I will share with you all.

Materials Needed:

• Dog bowl template (picture at the end of the tutorial)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Brayer
• Bone folder
• Pinking shears
• Oilcloth
• Heavyweight plastic from three-ring binder
• Petronio’s All-Purpose Cement
• Paintbrush
• Heavy-duty adhesive Velcro dots

Instructions:

1. Cut two 20-inch-square pieces of oilcloth.

2. Print three copies of the dog bowl template.

3. Using the template and a ruler as a guide, cut the stabilization pieces from the plastic. Cut one large triangle, three small triangles, and three large curved pieces.

4. Brush cement glue on one side of the plastic pieces.

5. Brush cement glue on the wrong side of each cut piece of oilcloth, leaving a clean 1-inch perimeter.

6. Wait for cement glue to get to dry-tack stage.

7. Lay one piece of oilcloth glue-side up. Lay the plastic pieces down onto this piece of oilcloth, pressing them into the glue, in the formation shown in the assembly key on the template. Leave about 1/16 of an inch between the large triangle and the curved pieces; leave about 1/4 inch between the curved pieces and the small triangles.

8. Lay the second piece of oilcloth over the first piece, with glue-side down, aligning edges of both pieces of oilcloth and sandwiching the plastic pieces between them.

9. Use a brayer to smooth out air bubbles.

10. Use a bone folder to trace the edges of the plastic pieces.

11. Trim 1/4 inch around the entire shape formed by the plastic pieces with pinking shears. The cut line is represented as a dotted line in the assembly key on the template.

12. Turn entire piece over. Place adhesive Velcro dots, with male and female pieces stuck together, on each of the small triangle tabs.

13. Turn the piece over so the Velcro dots are on the bottom. Fold up the 3 curved sides of the bowl, pulling the area under each of the triangle tabs in toward the center and folding them flat against the inside of each side. Fold each triangle tab over the lip of the bowl, sticking the other side of each Velcro dot to the outside of the bowl.

14. To collapse the bowl, separate each Velcro dot and flatten.

Everyone is looking for ways to save money. One way to do this is to reuse or repurpose items you already have laying around the house. If you have a pet, one thing you might use is a food scoop. Instead of going down to the store and buying a scoop that is flimsy, make one out of a product you have already bought. By recycling an empty laundry bottle, you will have a food scoop that will be able to withstand a large amount of food. The instructions for making this are simple and easy to follow. There are also tips at the bottom that will help you along.