Is there anything more calming than the sound of wind chimes? Many of us take solace in the “click-clacking” of the wooden and metal pieces in the wind—there is just something about it that brings a sense of calm.
While you can buy wind chimes at most gift shops and hobby stores, it’s much more fun if you make them yourself! While some tutorials will require tools like a saw, some won’t use anything but very basic materials.
Here is a collection of our favorite DIY wind chime tutorials.
Vintage Trinket Wind Chime
Let’s start off with an adorable vintage wind chime that is made completely of antique trinkets! If you are somebody who likes to go to an antique shop and often finds yourself picking up small vintage pieces without any idea of what to do with them, then you finally have a place to put them. Attach them to this beautiful DIY wind chime as seen over at Life, By Hand.
Recycled Wine Bottle Wind Chime
Here is one for all of the wine lovers out there! There is now another use for your old wine bottles. If you follow this beautiful tutorial from the Recycled Aw Blog, you can see how it is possible to make unique wind chimes out of recycled wine bottles of all sizes.
Bottle Cap Wind Chimes
We think that this wind chime from Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails is just adorable! It is also most likely one of the least expensive wind chime options on this list since it relies on recycled bottle caps. We also love the way that it uses beads on a wire to make the wind chimes more colorful. This one really pops out.
Teapot Wind Chimes
As you can gather from this list, there are many different materials that you can use to make a wind chime. One of the more unexpected ones is this vintage tea pot, as seen here at ButterNugget. This particular example uses old rusty keys as ornaments, but you could use a number of alternatives, such as spoons and forks.
Simple Wood and Stones
If you are a beginner who has never made a wind chime before, this very simple structure from Garden Therapy is a good place to start. It demonstrates how you can make a very attractive wind chime using only garden stones, driftwood, and wire. If you do not have the proper drill required to create a hole in a garden stone, you can always buy gemstones that already have a hole in them at the craft store. They should have them available in a variety of styles and colors. You can definitely use driftwood that you find on the beach, but keep in mind that this could always be store-bought as well.
Whimsical Keychain Wind Chime
Without small metal objects, there is no “chime” in wind chime. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to necessarily use stones or glass. You can just as easily use unexpected materials, such as keys. We love this example that we found at Can Can Dancer that uses old vintage keys as a wind chime ingredient. The pearls on a string just add an extra touch of vintage vibes.
Hearts Wind Chimes
Hearts are such a fun and versatile shape! This wind chime made of hearts comes courtesy of No Time for Flash Cards. You can actually make these heart shapes yourself by melting beads into the desired shape.
Old CD Wind Chimes
Remember the 90s and 2000s, when CDs were all the range? Chances are you still have some old CDs laying around the house. While there is no need to really listen to them anymore (everything is digitized, anyways), there is one very special use that you could have for the CDs: wind chimes! Get the directions from Happy Hooligans.
Mason Jar Wind Chimes
How surprised are you that there is yet another fun craft use for mason jars? Not very surprised? Us neither. If you follow the instructions of this tutorial from Saved by Loved Creations, you will need to use a special tool to cut the mason jar in half (it is important that you follow this tutorial carefully as it can be dangerous to cut glass haphazardly). If you would prefer to not cut the mason jar, you could always hold it upside down and attach chimes to it this way.
Kid-Friendly Wind Chimes
While many kids will love the idea of making a wind chime as a craft, not all wind chime tutorials are kid-friendly. Some of them involve the use of sharp materials and a child could not safely be involved in their creation. This adorable wind chime from Rainy Day Mum is as kid-friendly as they come, using only a paper cup and bright bulky beads. It is still recommended that you supervise your child while making this wind chime, as the beads do present a choking hazard.
Ice Cream Spoons
Here is another option that is a perfect craft for kids. It provides the perfect use for those miniature plastic spoons that you get at the ice cream shop. Instead of placing them in the garbage bin, save your spoons next time. You can turn them into a beautiful wind chime as seen here at Handmade Charlotte.
Can Wind Chimes
Here is another wind chime that can be made from recyclable materials. You can make it from old discarded tins that used to house canned fruit, veggies, or beans. The next time you go to set a can in the recycling bin, place it aside instead. You can then wash it and use acrylic paint to brighten up the cans and give them a whole new life, as seen here at A Girl and a Glue Gun.
Suncatcher Wind Chime
What could be better than a beautiful wind chime? How about a suncatcher wind chime? This suncatcher wind chime from Stay at Home Life is one of the more complicated wind chime tutorials on this list, but if you can pull it off the end result is more than worth it. It is good for the environment too, as you can take old discarded glass (this one uses old shot glasses) and melt them down to make them into an entirely new shape.
“Fish” Wind Chime
Don’t worry, this wind chime is not made out of actual fish scales. Until, it uses those plastic Easter eggs that you can find at the dollar store to create the appearance of a fish. This is a great way to recycle those extra Easter eggs that your kids have grown out of (or bored of). Check it out at Morena’s Corner.
Terracotta Flower Pots
If you are going to DIY something for the garden, why not make it…garden-themed? That’s exactly what has happened here with the terracotta flower pot wind chimes from House of Joyful Noise. You can have the option of either buying terracotta flower pots that have already been painted, or you can do what they did in the tutorial and paint the terracotta flower pots yourself. There is no wrong way to go about it!
Macrame Wind Chime
Macrame is all the rage, and there is no reason why the trend also can’t be applied to wind chimes! You can see how to make simple but beautiful macrame wind chimes from this tutorial at Pretty Life Girls.
Pots and Bells
We featured another terracotta pot wind chime on this list, and while this one also uses terracotta pots it features something a little bit different. This uses smaller terracotta pots and bells. The bells give it a different sound compared to the other wind chimes. Check it out at Thimble and Twig.
Once you have a wind chime in your outdoor space, it’s hard to imagine not having one. Their soothing noise is sure to keep you company every night. Which wind chime tutorial are you going to try first?