Some people throw the tin cans away, and give up the chance to use them for some simple and still wonderful decoration for their backyard.

You only need two tin cans to build this magic device, then leave it to the wind to play and sing on this beautiful chime! Or you can mix the tin cans with some broken jewelries for a more artistic effect.

You neighbors will definitely copy your projects!

The Singing Wind Chime

Get two different sizes tin cans for this project, and cover them with spray paint in your favorite color. Grab a few small metallic items for a beautiful end of the wind chime (I chose some Chinese bells), a few beads, and some fishing wire for hanging.

Use a nail and a hammer to make four holes in the bottom of the smaller tin can, closer to the edge, and another one right in the middle, like you would shape a star. More holes in the bottom mean more objects to hang. so count you broken jewelries because they turn into gorgeous hanging pieces.

Take a fishing wire piece 11 in. long, pull it through one of the four holes, then tight it to a bead to one end, and hang one metallic object on the other end. The bead should be on the top of the tin can, while the metallic object hangs below.

Repeat the operation for the other three holes, except the one in the middle.

Make a single hole in the bottom of the bigger can. To fix the bigger tin can over the small one, pull the central thread of fishing wire through the middle hole of the small tin can, and tight a small piece of wood or a bead at the end, to prevent the tin can from falling.

Pull the other end through a plastic tube then through the hole of the bigger can, and make a loop for hanging. (The plastic tube shouldn’t be longer than 3/4 of that tin cans’s length, and his role is to keep the bigger can up enough so the smaller one can move within.)

Check the picture below to see how the pieces fit in together.

Hang the wind chime outdoor, and let the wind do the job! You just have to enjoy the sound!

The Fancy Wind Chime

Don’t give up your broken jewelries, but turn them into a fancy wind chime for your backyard! You can’t imagine their potential until you see this!

Here’s what you need for this project:

a small branch from a tree (8 to 10 inches long)
a piece of string long enough to wrap around the tree branch
fishing wire
broken jewelries and beads in different colors
different objects that you can hang – keys, small rocks, sea shells.

Place a bead or a painted key in the middle of a 8 to 10 inch piece of fishing wire, then use both heads of the wire to thread the rest of the beads or broken jewelries. This is how you make small necklaces in different lengths (mine are 4 to 6 inch long) that you will later use.

Hang these necklaces to the tree branch, leaving a small distance between them. Wrap the end of the wires around the branch and secure them with knots. Wrap the string around the tree branch covering the fishing wire coming from the hanging necklaces.

This is what you get after taking all these steps: