Lite Green by Sebrina Smith
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What's in your kitchen junk drawer? I recently inventoried mine, ( I didn't clean it out - I just inventoried it.) You won't believe what I found in there either: old ketchup and soy sauce packets, junk mail, mystery screws, charging cords that no longer belong to any device I can find, twist ties, a toothbrush (how'd that get in here?) and dozens of packages of those wooden chopsticks from the chinese take out place.

Apparently, some demented part of my psyche believes I'll need 15 twist ties and several tablespoons of soy sauce to survive at some point in the future.

I'm not a hoarder by nature but I have trouble throwing some things out. Take the wooden chopsticks, for example. I mean, really, how many of those can you use to twist up your hair? And unless I decide to have 25 people over for sushi, or make a long poking device a la Friends, I've got to find something to do with them before they completely take over my kitchen.

So here's a neat project from CasaSugar http://www.casasugar.com/1699041 that I'm going to try this weekend.

Eco-architect, Michelle Kaufmann, has created this how-to video with a great way to reuse all those chopsticks and make a DIY, eco-chic birdhouse.

You'll need:

String or wire
Non-toxic exterior glue
Chopsticks

Method

1. Put some glue in a small dish.
2. Lay three chopsticks down in a triangle on a work surface. Make sure that the outer corners connect.
3. Using another chopstick dipped in glue, dab the glue onto the corners of the triangle to fasten the sticks to one another. (I think you could use a small paint brush to apply the glue if you wanted.)
4. Continue layering chopsticks on top at each side of the triangle and gluing as you go. Remember to taper in slightly on two sides as you go upward. This creates the right sized opening for the birds in the finished birdhouse.
5. On the bottom side of the triangle, which is not tapered, stack the chopsticks on top of each other, gluing as you continue. This will be the floor for the birdhouse.
6. Continue working until the opening is about 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches.

This completes the first half of the birdhouse. Repeat steps 1 through 6 to make the other half.


7. When side 2 is complete, match up the two units. To connect, weave string or wire at the top, which will also serve as a hanger for your birdhouse.
8. Give your feathered friends a reason to visit your birdhouse by adding something good for them to eat. Try this: take a pine cone from your yard and cover it with peanut butter. The roll it in birdseed and place inside the birdhouse.