As I type this, I’m sitting in my living room with the back door open to the deck, a light breeze blowing, and the sweet sounds of my handmade windchime sing to me. I love the sound of a windchime, and I wanted something unique to add to the deck we built last year. Today I want to show you how to make your own DIY Boho Windchime.
Last summer, my husband and I built a deck…ok, I won’t lie – my husband built a deck. I supervised and hammered a few nails. I love adding little decor pieces to our new outdoor space, and this windchime is perfect.
To make your own, you’ll need:
*2 wooden rounds – 1 large, around 8-10″ diameter and one small (I used a wooden toy wheel)
*Glass beads
*Windchime pipes (ours came from an old windchime that had fallen apart)
*Vinyl string
*A weighted item, like my little owl
*A ring to hang the windchime from
First I painted the smaller wooden round bright turquoise.
While that was drying, my hubby helped me drill holes in the larger wooden round. We drilled one in the center & 8 around the outside. There are 4 holes for the windchime pipes and 4 for strings of glass beads.
Now to make the windchime. Cut a really long piece of vinyl string and tie it in a slipknot around the ring. I added a bead to the string that will sit on top of the large wooden round.
Ok, the rest of the instructions were tough to photograph, but basically, you’ll follow this process for each of the 4 pipes & 4 strands of beads:
*Slipknot a long piece of vinyl around the ring.
*Push the vinyl string through the top of the large round through one of your pre-drilled holes.
*Tie a knot directly under the large round to keep the string in place. Be sure to level the top wooden round as you add more strings.
*For the windchime pipes: You’ll have two strands of vinyl string for each of the 8 holes, so split the strands and insert one strand through each of the windchime pipes and tie a knot to connect to the other strand.
*For the beaded strands: Just add beads in random order, making sure they will be long enough to hit against the windchime pipes.
String the small wooden round in the center of the windchime the same way as above, and add the weight at the end of the strand – in my case, this was the owl.
This was the first time I’ve made a windchime, so let me help you learn from my mistakes:
*If I were to make another one, I’d put the strands of beads & windchime pipes closer to the center.
*Another suggestion would be to try different kinds of string. I think the vinyl string will last a long time, but it’s slick so it has to be knotted multiple times to keep the beads from slipping off.
Just find a spot to hang your windchime so the wind hits it, and enjoy the beautiful sounds!
The weather has finally started to warm up, and I’m able to leave the back door open more often and listen to my windchime. I love the sweet sound! I can even hear it from my bedroom!
*This post first appeared on The Everyday Home as my monthly contributor post.
One Response
I’ve always loved wind chimes, maybe because they add a little bit of magic to your porch or garden. My dad made a wind chime with pipes that were tuned to the key of one of our favorite songs, “Song for the Mira.” It was my favorite sound. Little wind chimes will always sound magical, but the deeper tones are so soothing.