What you need
Plenty of seashells
Plastic bucket, water and household bleach (if you haven’t already cleaned your shells)
Clear plastic fishing line
Scissors
Awl, Phillips screwdriver or other sharp pointed object (or you can use a drill with a small bit)
Plastic eye goggles (to protect your eyes when making holes in the shells)
Household cement and waxed paper (if you don’t want to drill holes in your shells)
Decorative piece of driftwood or a small tree branch
Instructions
If you’ve recently taken a vacation to the beach, chances are you brought back a bucket of seashells. You can make a beautiful wind chime from them, so that you can enjoy your memories of the beach every time you look at them blowing in the breeze.
1. If you haven’t already cleaned your shells, wash them in a bucket with warm water. You can add just a little bit of household chlorine bleach to help disinfect them. When clean, spread them out on paper towels to dry.
2. You have the choice of either making holes in the shells so that you can string them, or just using household cement to attach them to the strings. Making the holes will create a sturdier wind chime.
3. Some shells just naturally have a hole in one end, so if you have those, you won’t even have to create the holes. If you are using a drill, place the shell on a protected surface and drill slowly and carefully so that you do not break the shell. Wear eye protection in case a shell breaks. If you are using a awl or screwdriver, place the shell on a protected surface and use a twisting motion with the sharp object to gradually grind a hole through the shell. Continue either method until all the shells have a hole in them.
4. If you don’t want to drill holes, then plan on using household cement to attach the shells to the strings after the next step.
5. Cut lengths of clear nylon fishing cord to create the individual chimes for the wind chime. These often look nice if they are not all the same length, but you can make as many strings as you want, making them as long as you prefer.
6. Thread the fishing line through a shell, tying it with a knot to secure. You can string and knot many different shells on the same string. Repeat until all the strings are covered with shells. If you are using household cement, lay the strings on a piece of waxed paper and attach the shells with small dabs of cement. Let dry completely.
7. Tie the strings to the piece of driftwood or branch. Space the strings out so that they look attractive, but keep them close enough together so that they can clink against each other in the breeze.
8. You can also use household cement or craft glue to attach some small shells or other decorative accents to the driftwood or branch. Let dry completely.
9. Tie a loop to the top of the driftwood or branch as a hanger.
10. Hang your wind chime and enjoy.
Staff writer for WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, Jessica Ackerman has extensive design experience, using wall hanging crosses and flowers wall art.
Now I have a cute project that will use some of the many shells we collected. Thanks!
its very cute and beachy i love it