Free Nature Crafts

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Bird House Wind Chime

by Twila Lenoir

You can make this bird house wind chime in any color scheme - our sample was done in American patriotric colors, perfect for Independence Day - but you could easily make yours in the colors of any flag, or to match any decor.

If you find it hard to buy just the metal chime rods, an economical alternative is to buy an inexpensive wind chime from a dollar store or thrift store, and just remove the metal chimes to use for this project. Bird House Wind Chime
Supplies:

• small wooden bird house with a small entrance hole
• red, white, blue and gold acrylic paint
• fishing line or beading line
• metal chime rods
• wooden circle or large wooden button
• bead
• decorative string
• drill (or a hammer and nail)
• needle-nose pliers or long tweezers
• sealer
• key ring

Bird House Wind Chime
Instructions:

1. Start by drilling five small holes on the bottom of the bird house, placing one hole in each corner and another hole in the center. You'll also need to drill two holes on the round wooded disk, like holes in a button.

(If you don't have a drill, simply hammer a nail where you want the holes, then remove the nail to leave behind a hole.)

2. Paint the bird house and the wooden disk in your choice of colors. When the paint is dry, seal all surfaces with an appropriate sealer - use an exterior sealer if you plan to place the wind chime outdoors.

3. Thread the fishing line through the hole on one of the metal chimes. Hold both ends of the line together and thread through one of the holes in the bottom of the bird house. Poke the pliers or tweezers through the entrance hole in the bird house and grab both ends of the line.

Pull on the lines so that the metal chime is drawn right up to the bottom of the bird house. Tie the ends together, making several knots, until the finished knot is large enough not to fall through the bottom of the bird house. Cut off any excess, then let the knotted line fall back into the bird house. The chime should hang just the way that you want it.

4. Repeat Step 3 with the other three chimes, taking care to knot the lines for all the chimes so they all hang at the same length as the first one.

5. Thread fishing line through one hole of the wooden disk, add a bead to the line, then thread the line back through the other hole. Thread both ends of the fishing line through the center hole of the bird house. Grab the lines and pull them through the opening on the bird house. Knot the lines together at a spot that will allow the wooden disk to fall in the center of the chimes, but not beyond them. Cut off the excess line and let the wooden disk fall into place.

6. Finally, if the bird house has no hanger, fasten a decorative string to the top of the bird house and hang it up near an open window, or outdoors, where you can hear the chimes tinkling in a gentle breeze.