by Trenda at Cottagegreenonthelake.com
Seeing snow in East Texas is always an anticipated occasion, like a circus or carnival coming to town! Everyone dashes to one of our two grocery stores and stocks up on groceries, hot chocolate and firewood … hopeful that the possibility of the “flurries” predicted in the forecast will somehow materialize into towering drifts and days enjoyed in front of the fireplace.
So .. with a forecast of possible snow on Friday, there was expectation in the air as the temperatures hovered below 30 … and by afternoon, our hope of seeing some snow was rewarded when the first tiny flakes appeared!
I wanted to make sure our “furry friends and feathered folks” had plenty to eat to keep themselves warm and I decided to set up a winter picnic for them with some extra special treats… birdseed ornaments! I chose a recipe that Mavis Butterfield eHow Contributor submitted on Pinterest (click here for Mavis Butterfield eHow Contributot’s recipe for birdseed ornaments) During the entire process I was apprehensive that my ornaments wouldn’t slip out of their molds or remain intact and I was happily surprised when each of the ornament’s “held” their shape and slid out easily from my plastic cookie cutters (part of an extensive collection my dear daughter in law (DDIL)(: gave me.
Assorted ribbons and twine added to the birdseed ornaments …
I love these “woodland” tags and thought they would add a little whimsy, hanging amongst the branches with my birdseed ornaments. This is a free printable I downloaded from Decorator’s Notebook by Bethan John (click here for free printable woodland tags) They printed off beautifully and I made extra’s for package tie-on’s and other ideas, yet to come!
I also made some extra tags using a die-cut label maker and some rubber stamps that fit right in with my woodland/lakeside theme: a clump of oak leaves and acorns stamp, a single leaf stamp, and a bird nest with eggs stamp … the bird nest is my favorite! I used a hole punch to make a hole in each tag and then slipped ribbons through the hole. To add a little variety to my paper ornaments, I used several different ribbons and either knotted the ends of the ribbon and slipped the labels over a branch or clipped them to my little fir tree, using mini-clothespins.
Then I had the fun of creating my winter tablescape and putting out “picnic fare” for our birds and lakeside critters. (: I covered our outdoor table with a Coleman blanket in a buffalo plaid in navy, khaki and forest green and placed a tall Fir tree (one of our Christmas decorations) in the center of the table … it worked great for hanging my birdseed ornaments and woodland/lakeside tags on! A sweet little birdbath that Richard gave me (usually a part of our cottage decor inside) is filled with fresh water and I used chunky urns and “woodsy” platters to offer a buffet of different seeds and peanuts.
A Hairy Woodpecker “heard it through the grapevine” that there were peanuts on the menu! (: A little Red-breasted Nuthatch, native to Ontario Canada perches on the side of a “new favorite” … a rough blown-glass bowl, a special gift from our daughter’s boyfriend, that is perfectly suited for Cottage Green with painted pine boughs and a “sprinkling” of snow.
Look how adorable my cookie cutter letters spelling B-I-R-D came out! I loved how charming these letters looked all together so I just lined them all up on a forest green plate edged with leaves and acorns and set them out for the birdies to enjoy!
A Cardinal surveys the winter buffet …
The “piece de resistance?” … sunflower hearts!
Today’s Menu …
A House Finch awaits his turn “in pecking order” on the downspout …
Well, we didn’t have any accumulation of snow, but we did enjoy our beautiful snow flurries … our whirling, twisting, dancing flakes and we enjoyed 3 cold winter days. But 3 days is just enough … and we were ready for the return of our usual, mild Texas winter weather. Happily, today’s temperature was in the mid 60’s and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday … it’s going to be in the 70’s! Ahhh … now, that’s more like it!
But next time there’s a chance of snow or snow flurries in the forecast for a little town on Cedar Creek Lake in East Texas, you can be sure that … everyone will once again dash to one of our two grocery stores and stock up on groceries, hot chocolate and firewood … hopeful that the possibility of the “flurries” predicted in the forecast will somehow materialize into towering drifts and days enjoyed in front of the fireplace. (;
From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda
Thank you for spending some time with me today. Please leave any comments or questions you may have, in the COMMENT section.
Cottage Green on the Lake 