23 DIY Wind Chimes to Enjoy Some Pleasant Sounds in Your Garden

Aside from the visual aspects of gardening and enjoying the sights and smells of flowers, another natural element to introduce is sound. Creating an audio element from DIY wind chimes is a great way to add to the ambience of a garden. Creating homemade wind chimes can be a fun and creative project to add art into the outdoor landscape.

There are many projects online geared towards how to make your own wind chimes. Homemade wind chimes allow for unique individuality in artistry. Feel free to create a vintage, cottage, rustic, or modern look to DIY wind chimes. Below are twenty-three DIY projects for how making wind chimes for the garden.

1- Found Objects Wind Chime

Creating a set of homemade wind chimes like this one by handmadecharlotte from natural or found objects is a great way to construct a unique audio element for the garden or patio area. Utilizing acorns or beech nuts which have fallen from the trees while incorporating plastic ice cream spoons is a great way to get kids involved in garden design. Adding extra accessories like found bird feathers or colorful leaves is a nice art project for marking the autumn weather season changes.

2- DIY Homemade Bamboo Wind Chime

Using plant material from the garden, such as cut and dried bamboo can be a great use of garden utilization. If bamboo is not found in the garden, using a simple hollow bamboo stake can be an easy swap. Bamboo grows so quickly that it is a sustainable material to use to replace other wood projects. Using different lengths and thicknesses for the bamboo creates different sounds for the wind chimes.

Tutorial: DIY homemade bamboo wind chime by hgtv

3- Nautical Clam Shell Wind Chime

Clam shells found along the water and on the beach are another great resource for found, natural elements to create sound in the garden. Whether using a keepsake from a beach trip or purchasing a collection of clam shells, screwing holes in clam shells, and arranging them like a chandelier or rain chain structure can be a great project. The clam shells will create a unique sound unlike many other wind chime materials.

Tutorial: Nautical Clam Shell Wind Chimes by instructables

4- Wood and Metal Indoor Wind Chimes

Indoor wind chimes that add elements of sophistication and design can be a creative DIY project. Using materials found at the local hardware store, this DIY wind chime project by food52 uses metal washers, filament, wire, leather, and anything else that can be found to be useful. This project incorporates an old set of chimes to enhance the sound element of the DIY design. Alternatively, there are many other metal items such as metal plumbing pipe that can create chimes. Wood and metal elements can bring various shapes to the design while also creating different unique sound combinations.

5- Homemade Dream Catcher Wind Chime

Dreamcatchers are something that are used to help catch bad dreams and keep them out of your head while sleeping. The use of dreamcatchers as a wind chime design like this one by instructables sparks a lot of creativity for both indoor and outdoor use. Using lace, thread, and beads to create individual dreamcatchers that hang underneath a much larger one can be a long process. Try taking an existing dreamcatcher and creating smaller ones to hang, considering sound creations to get the chimes.

6- Classic Copper Homemade DIY Wind Chimes

Using copper pipe for plumbing, different lengths of pipe can be cut to create different sounds or notes. Wood, string, and copper pipe make this DIY wind chime project by chicaandjo simple. Experiment with different lengths of pipe or follow the video tutorial which ranges in sizes of ten inches to twenty-two inches long.

7- Create and Tune Metal DIY Wind Chimes

This tutorial at wikihow provides different tips for creating and tuning wind chimes to sustain sounds for a pleasant garden experience. Using metal chimes helps sustain sound longer while metal pipes have a higher pitch. Many purchased chimes have five notes in scale, so that can be a jumping off point for a pleasing and familiar wind chime sound. Experiment with lengths of pipe to see what length creates what type of sound. You can test the sound with a tuning application on a smartphone.

8- Repurposed Xylophone Wind Chimes

A fantastic idea for creating a wind chime by instructables with already tuned materials is to repurpose a children’s xylophone toy. Using the individual metal plates for the xylophone, you can create magic with selective tones. You could even repurpose the striker for the wind chimes. Hanging this wind chime in the garden or even on the patio where children will be able to hear the familiar sounds is a great idea. 

9- Rainbow Button DIY Wind Chimes

Collecting buttons either taken off clothes or from second-hand stores can be an alternative and creative material for creating a DIY wind chime by craftsbyamanda. Combined with recycled tin can tops for weight, this tutorial can be a fun project to do with kids. Buttons can also be purchased at craft stores. All it takes are buttons, can tops, and some string for a fun audible craft.

10- Driftwood and Bead Wind Chimes for Kids

Another fun wind chime tutorial by craftsbycourtney specifically tailored for children with beads and paint that is more decorative than specifically geared towards sounds in the garden. Allow kids to make decorative strings of beads for this project while also picking out a nice piece of driftwood. Make this project a weekend art activity.

11- Recycled Material Wind Chime Lamp

Making a DIY wind chime like this one by instructables can be done with found objects as well as recycled objects. This tutorial is a step-by-step process for creating a unique wind chime lamp from many different materials. This DIY homemade wind chime lamp features battery powered LED lights for an added nighttime benefit. Let creativity run wild with the objects and materials used with this ten-step wind chime lamp tutorial.

12- Miniature TerraCotta Wind Chimes

Incorporating the use of terra cotta plant pots that can be found at any hardware, craft, or garden store is an inexpensive way to DIY a wind chime like this one by houseofjoyfulnoise that can be customized to your liking. The tutorial features a design where the terra cotta pots fit inside each other with some space for the wind to clang them together for the sounds. Putting an old metal spoon or fork on the end as a striker is a cute idea as well. Terra Cotta pots can be easily painted to fit any décor theme.

13- DIY Repurposed Keys Wind Chimes

Creating a fun and easy wind chime like this one by kenarry using old keys that have lost their purpose is a good idea for garden décor. With changing locks or moving into a new house, old keys tend to gather and collect without any reason to really throw them away. You can create a key wind chime using old plastic or terra cotta pots as well as beads, string, twine, and old keys. A metal striker for the keys such as an old utensil can be used for creating the sounds of the chime against the wind.

14- Pipe Cleaners and Beaded Wind Chime Project

This tutorial is more of a visual art project with pipe cleaners and other children’s art supplies making up the visual interest of the wind chime like this one by onecrazymom. Alternatively, the tutorial suggests the addition of copper pipe and fishing line to make it more of a true wind chime with sound. Using pipe cleaners and felt balls could be a great way to dampen the sound of the copper tubing to maintain calm sounds. Visual interest is more of the focus with this tutorial, but different lengths of pipe can be added for more of a visual and auditory experience. 

15- Whimsical DIY Silverware Wind Chimes

Imagine repurposing silverware and dinner plates for use in the garden! With this wind chime tutorial, you can reuse some old China pattern plates from storage for a creative wind chime DIY project like this one by interiorfrugalista. Using silverware or utensils for eating food is an added whimsical part of this cool tutorial. The silverware wind chime uses a cup and saucer set for the top portion with silverware hanging down for the chimes. In another variation, you could use a dinner plate and hang a cup in the middle from the handle for a wind chime striker against the silverware. Create a fun themed wind chime from this tutorial.

16- Painted Canning Lid Wind Chime

Wind chimes like this one by craftingagreenworld generally need metal to be able to carry a higher pitched sound. In other tutorials, other found objects are used but with this tutorial the canning lids are both inexpensive and readily available. Canning lids can be a great, safe material to use for creating a unique wind chime project. Not only incorporating the canning lids but also painting the lids with paint to make a more individualized garden art piece. Using a simple wood or metal ring and some string, this wind chime project can be done in a few simple steps.

17- Cut Glass Homemade Mason Jar Wind Chime

A cut-glass wind chime project like this one by savedbylovecreations may seem like a more expert-level activity, but glass cutters are available in many hardware stores. Using mason jars or a glass jar from a purchased food item is a great way to incorporate the use and design elements of glass in the garden without the risk of dealing with broken glass. Cutting the bottom off a mason jar enables it to function much like a bell. Adding beads and chain or metal washers can provide more sound combinations to the project. Cut glass needs to be sanded to make a smooth edge and then it can be used outdoors and without worry.

18- Melted Bead Heart-Shaped Wind Chimes

A fantastic tutorial idea for creating a Valentine’s Day wind chime like this one by notimeforflashcards using melted plastic beads to create red, white, and clear hearts as chimes. This smart idea entails the use of plastic beads, the stove, and a heart-shaped silicone pan. Filling the silicone pan mold can be done by kids while the stove use can be done by adults. Hot gluing the cooled hearts to string and hanging them from a stick can be a great Valentine’s Day project.

19- Beaded Stone Pendant Wind Chimes

A wonderful use of local craft store supplies and jewelry-making supplies is to use beads, string, and stone or gem pendants for creating a DIY wind chime like this one by instructables. Made from glass beads, silver chain, and stones meant for necklace pendants, this DIY jewelry wind chime is a fun project that can be used indoors or outdoors. Add a cool color scheme for the visual interest of the wind chime. Adding ribbon or a hollow striker in the middle for making sound with the stone pendants will make this a wonderful wind chime project.

20- DIY Bottle Cap and Jingle Bell Wind Chimes

A homemade wind chime like this one by frogsandsnailsandpuppydogtail that puts the chime sound and uses jingle bells is a great idea for a creative homemade DIY project. Reusing and repurposing old bottle caps that can be spray painted and accessorized with jingle bells and colorful wire is a cool outdoor art project. This tutorial is short and sweet in creating bottle cap jingle bell wind chimes. Adding multiple strands of wire, caps, and bells in succession can be a creative way to add sound to the garden in a fun and funky way.

21- Rainbow Metal Key Wind Chime

Getting children involved in art projects and DIY garden projects is always a good idea, especially when using repurposed items and fun decorative colors. Creating a simple wind chime design like this one by giving.innerchildfun with old keys is a great way to spark creativity and interest with kids. Children can have fun painting and decorating old keys and tying them up for use as an outdoor wind chime. Add a metal or hollow striker in the middle and the keys can produce sound in the wind. This homemade wind chime project can be completed in five simple steps.

22- Beach Trip Seashell Wind Chimes

Imagine going on a trip to the beach and collecting some seashells and a piece of driftwood. Why not remember a fun adventure by turning those beachside items into a wind chime for the patio or garden? With this tutorial, in just a few simple steps, creating a beach themed wind chime like this one by poindextr.wordpress can be simple for indoor or outdoor use. Add colored beads or buttons for some added colors to the strands of shells.

23- Homemade Painted Stick Wind Chimes

Creating a wind chime like this one by happyhooligans that has wood sounds like bamboo but with the use of found sticks in the garden, can be a great alternative when you don’t have access to dried bamboo. This painted stick wind chime project is simple and easy. Painting sticks in a rainbow color theme is a great way to add color to the garden when the garden colors start to fade or when the flowers have yet to bloom.

Summary

There are many unique and creative ways to add a wind chime to the garden with any of the twenty-three DIY projects listed above. It is important to be creative and artistic when it comes to any DIY project. Utilize found objects or readily available items that can be recycled or repurposed into a wind chime project. Don’t forget to have children join in on the fun and introduce them into how gardening can be an interesting hobby for all ages alike.