A New Challenge!

Posted by Ian On June 5, 2009

I'm pleased to announce that I have started my own little company - mare ad mare, which is latin for 'sea to sea' and part of the Canadian motto (check the cover of your new passports). Our goal will be to build a fresh new brand of clothing for Canadian (and wannabe Canadian) girls. I will be using this blog, much as I have in the past - to continue showing people around the globe (over 50 countries now!) what it's like to be a Canadian girl, tracing the footsteps of our 3 girls as we explore more of this great place we call home.

Un petit baiser

Unique shirt for Canadian girls

'Gimme a little kiss' - says it all. Now for big girls! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

JUMP IN!

Fall shirt for Canadian girls

A big pile of leaves for you here! As a Canadian summer turns to fall, the leaves change colours and then fall off the trees. Kids rake them up and play! So go on, Jump into Fall with this Orange T. Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Pass the Marshmallows!

Summer shirt for Canadian Girls

Summer in Canada is the time for camping, camp fires and of course - Marshmallows! Get ready to go roast some in this summer yellow T. Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Spring...Finally!

Spring shirt for Canadian Girls

After a long Canadian winter, spring can never arrive too soon! Pull on this Spring Green T and go planting girls! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

It's not ALWAYS cold in Canada...

Winter shirt for Canadian Girls

How many times have you had to tell someone that it's not always cold here? Well, sometimes it is cold - but to make your point, grab this little winter blue T and let them know that it's not just snow and ice up here all the time! Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

Un petit baiser

Unique shirt for Canadian girls

'Gimme a little kiss' - says it all. Girls, grab this little white T, and go get your kiss ;-) Check www.mareadmare.ca for more details. All designs copyright of mare ad mare.

As you may know - I have a little more time on my hands lately, and thought that I'd get a few edits done and get some more Canadian Kids related posts up...

Meghan and I made a birdfeeder awhile ago out of a few things we had lying around.

What you'll need:
  • empty peanut butter jar (plastic - duh) if you are not in north america, and don't have access to a peanut butter jar, try Nutella...
  • old coat hangers (not plastic!)
  • pliers
  • birdseed
  • some bacon fat (not absolutely necessary)
  • Bamboo skewer (or reasonable facsimile)
  • masking tape
Step 1.
Untwist the coat hanger, use the pliers here if you're not superman with the hands. You don't have to straighten it, just get it apart.

Step 2.
Poke holes in the Peanut Butter jar. Positioning of these holes is the key... if it were laying on it's side - the hold should be just above halfway to the top, and just over halfway to the lid.
This allows it to stay upright - but allows for movement so the squirrels aren't able to stay on it.

Step 3.
Put the coat hanger through the two holes and then twist it back together so it looks like a normal coat hanger. (that's how you hang it!)

Step 4.
Cut hole in lid. Just big enough that birds can get in.

Step 5.
Poke hole in lid, just below opening - for the bamboo skewer. Something for the birdies to land on.

Step 6.
Fill with birdseed.

Step 7.
Nuke the bacon fat. Then pour it into jar with seeds. Give it a good shake.

Step 8.
Put the lid on.

Step 9.
Put a little tape on the hanger, on either side of the jar. Stops it from falling to one side or the other...

Step 10.
Hang it.



Now just a warning... I tried this at first without the bacon fat. The squirrels figured out that they couldn't stay on it, but could knock it over a bit, and spill some of the seeds out. That's why I went for the bacon fat... The bacon fat (not too much - don't want to weigh it down!) holds the seeds in - no spillage.

Here's how I found out that I needed to add the bacon fat...




And here's what it looks like in action! A birdfeeder... feeding birds!








4 Response to "Homemade Bird Feeder"

  1. CancunCanuck Said,

    Love it! What a great idea and fun videos, thanks. :)

     

  2. Anonymous Said,

    Very clever - and which part did Meghan do exactly?

     

  3. Blog Said,

    OMG I've been wanting to buy a birdfeeder, since I just leave food out on my table in the backyard. I'd just do mine sans bacon -- cuz I'm vegan....! THANKS for the great info!

     

  4. mare ad mare Said,

    Thanks all.

    XUP - I didn't force Meghan into any heavy child labour, this is an activity for daddy's 'n daughters ;-)

    Haley-O - you might be able to substitute with a little vegetable oil, just to give a little tack to the seeds so they don't fall out if squirrels get access to it...

    I guess this is what happens to a temporarily unemployed engineer, gotta build something! :-P

     

    About Me

    My photo
    It's not about the money you make, the toys you have, the clothes you wear - it's about the life experiences you go through, the challenges you face and the stories you tell... Having just moved back to Canada (after almost 8 years in the U.S and Germany), we have lots to show our girls and our friends around the world about Canada. We're going to be telling our stories, hope you enjoy our adventures. Mare ad Mare means 'sea to sea' and we want to show the world, from Sea to Sea - this is what it's like to be a Canadian Girl!