What Once Was a Wire Basket is Now a Suet Holder

Being creative is having perspective. It's not just the obvious; it's seeing it as something else, something different. Which is why I love repurposing, recycling, and a new word to me as of today - up-cycling. Whatever you want to call it, it's a great thing to "find new uses for used things".

Wire Basket with Safflower Suet Cake

I have bought many a suet feeders that have cost from as little as a couple of dollars to ones that were more than 10. I don't really like putting them out for two reasons: 1. They dissolve/melt away when it rains because I don't have covers for them and 2. The raccoons manage to get a hold of them, which means the feeders get carried off or they are destroyed, never to be used again. So now instead of buying new suet feeders, I scout out used wire votive holders, wire baskets, well really wire anything as a matter of fact at local thrift stores. Surprisingly, these wire things can take many shapes, colors and sizes: hearts, stars, bird cages and even pumpkins. They're very versatile, in that you don't have to be limited to just a suet cake.




Nutty Suet in Wire Basket

  



Small Wire Star with Whole Peanuts

 

Wire Heart with Nesting Material

Small Wire Pumpkin Cage with Shelled Nuts



Depending on the shape and size, unshelled peanuts could work, as well as shelled peanuts. Come nesting season, these same products can be stuffed with nesting material that can be made from things around the house: shredded paper, cotton balls, stuffing from an old pillow, scraps of cloth and pine needles, for example. They often come with a handle or chain for hanging, which makes it easy to hang from a tree limb or other fixture. Additional hooks are sometimes needed. 



  

I didn't pay more than $2 for any of the ones pictured. I've been lucky enough to find big wire cages that can hold a bird feeder, but that's another post I'm happy to say.

So until next time...find something to Repurpose.

Thanks, Okie