Asked on Mar 28, 2017

How do you keep squirrels out of your yards and bird feeders?

Sherry Gamble
by Sherry Gamble
My third favorite craft project last year was adding BLING to glass jars & vases with self adhesive rhinestones. I found them in Dollar stores, Walmart, JoAnn Fabrics & Amazon.com. Then I would add a candle or fill jar with candy.
My second favorite craft project is recycling beautiful Christmas cards. 1) I cut them in same size circles, matching then gluing them together to make flat Christmas ornaments that I added to each Christmas card I sent out. 2) I buy large frames with mats from thrift stores, spray paint them in contrasting Christmas colors; lastly attaching the Christmas card & VIOLA! a Christmas gift to remember & you won't recycle or re-gift!!!
My first & very favorite thing to do is collages using cutouts from those small novelty magazines we all get in the mail. I have a huge pile (& need more) of cutouts. I divide them in to groups so I'm not always going thru them when I begin the next project. I use thrifted, painted or repaired frames, same size cardboard spray painted black, & a few tiny embellishments of rhinestones, stickers of birds, hearts, crosses or dogs & cats.
I have given one of these to every family member & friends. It's extremely time consuming, but well worth the chuckles that keep on giving.
I usually divide the cardboard into 4 imaginary areas of themes: comical, their profession, their relative/friend status to me (mom, aunt, cousin, etc.), their hobbies, Christian quotes, what pets they love, etc. My parents are so lucky, they have 2 from me crafted decades apart & they still enjoy them! (I only have one photographed; the other one is a huge Christmas collage from many Christmas Cards.)


Recycled Christmas cards in plastic jar lids; some were embellished.


Recycled Christmas cards in plastic jar lids or glued 2 back-2-back & just add ribbon hangers!


This was an ugly plain wooden frame & mat I spray painted silver, added silver & blue rick-rack, blue themed cards & adhesive or rub-on embellishments. Beautiful!


Another ugly plain wooden frame w/spray painted mat; color them is gold, green & cream. Again, added adhesive or rub-on embellishments.


I spray painted the ugly paint peeling frame gold & the mat a brilliant purple w/gold, bluish purple & primary colors to make this really pop!


Simply spray painted the frame gold, the mat green & attached similar colored cards!


I spray painted the frame gold, the mat burgundy w/contrasting dark green inner mat; attached metallic gold, red & green Christmas cards. (I love when I can cut some of the image that extends into the mat; looks so CHIC!)


I didn't spray paint over this lovely dark wood frame. I spray painted the mat gold & used metallic gold & richly colored cards; I also cut the decorative edging from cards & later attach them to matching color themed cards, as I did in the 1st & 3rd frames w/in the mat.


This is the smallest one I crafted: 5x7. I only spray painted the mat silver; then used red metallic themed pieces of Christmas cards I matched together. Lastly, I created "warm holiday wishes" by piecing together decorative trims & Christmas phrases!


This one is very simple but elegant. I just spray painted the mat a dark sea foam green & added "stained glass" looking Christmas card.


This collage was made for an ex-male friend. It's themes refer to parental status, children, his polish heritage, love, computers & Christ! (I kept it!)


Recycled Christmas cards cut into various shapes & glued, slightly overlapping. This was my all time favorite collage. Enjoy!
  5 answers