Make a DIY Candy Dish Bird Feeder

Create this holiday DIY bird feeder for just a few dollars to feed your feathered friends this Christmas!

I have a bunch of store-bought bird feeders that are durable and hold plenty of seed for my backyard birds. But I do love creating simple feeders to match the seasons, often with items I find at dollar stores or in bargain bins. These feeders cost only a few dollars, and I can usually recycle the materials later, so they’re fun projects even if they only last a month or two. For instance, I made this DIY bird feeder with plastic candy dishes from the dollar store, plastic lanyard laces, and a few beads I had on hand. Simple, pretty, and festive!

Candy Dish DIY Feeder

Candy Dish DIY Bird Feeder Materials

  • Candy-shaped shallow plastic dish (I used two for a tiered feeder)
  • 48″ of plastic lanyard lace for each feeder or tier
  • Four plastic beads in color of your choice
  • Scissors

Candy Dish DIY Feeder Materials

Candy Dish DIY Feeder Instructions

  • Cut two 24″ pieces of plastic lanyard lacing.
  • Tie one piece of lanyard lace around one end of dish as shown, passing the lace around from the top and tying at the the bottom, then bringing the lace back around to the top. Repeat on the other side.

Candy Dish DIY Feeder 2

  • String one bead on each lace as shown.
  • Tie each pair of laces at the top. Gather together and use to hang feeder.
  • If you want to create a tiered feeder, loop the hangers of the bottom feeder over the sides of the top feeder as shown.

Candy Dish DIY Feeder 3

Looking for more DIY Bird Feeder ideas? Click here?

Jill Staake
Jill lives in Tampa, Florida, and writes about gardening, butterflies, outdoor projects and birding. When she's not gardening, you'll find her reading, traveling and happily digging her toes into the sand on the beach.