MAKE AN EASY ORIOLE FEEDER

Once again, I was about to throw something in the trash and realized that I could make something useful out of it.  It's gotten to be an affliction and I might be starting to get a little worried about it! 

I love it when I see that first flash of orange that lets me know the orioles have arrived!  Their song is so beautiful and unique that I often hear them for a few days before they are brave enough to make an appearance.  For years I fed them orange halves that I just sat out on my deck rail because all of my hanging space is taken up by hummingbird feeders.  But....it was messy and the orange halves would draw ants or get blown off of the deck rail.  Then, my sister told me a secret.....
Orioles LOVE grape jelly!!!  I did not know that. Much cheaper than oranges.  I started putting grape jelly out for them and they did love it, but....same problem...either my dish got covered with ants or blown off or worse yet, if it rained, the jelly would flood out all over the deck and make it sticky.  I am happy to say that I have solved all of those problems and did it for FREE...using something I was about to throw away.

You can use any container that has a lid, mine just happened to be the little container that these mini pies came in.  (Thank goodness I'm too lazy, I mean busy, to bake a pie.)  
I primed it with some spray paint and then painted it orange because orioles are attracted to orange. 
I found another little plastic something to hold the jelly in the center, added some of those little decorative glass pebbles around it to weight it down when the wind blows.  Then I put water in the rocks as an ant barrier so they couldn't get to the jelly.  

I sat it out on the deck rail using the inverted lid kind of like a coaster under neath.  When it rains, all I have to do is put the lid over it.  

I left one black...just to see if it really made a difference to the orioles, but I'm guessing once they arrive and figure it out it won't.

They're due any day now and I'm ready for them.  Just waiting for that first flash of brilliant orange!

I think one of these and a jar of jelly would make a great inexpensive Mother's Day gift, don't you?

Linking up to any or all of these fine parties.....