DIY Wind Chimes with Tin Cans

Get creative with your wind chime design by painting the cans in vibrant colors or adding decorative elements like beads or charms. You can also experiment with different lengths of string or wire to create a varied sound when the cans clink together. Personalize your wind chime further by incorporating other materials such as seashells, driftwood, or glass beads. Let your imagination run wild and have fun crafting a one-of-a-kind wind chime that will add a touch of whimsy to your outdoor space.

What You'll Need

• 3 Aluminum cans in different sizes that will fit or nest together.
• Pretty paper napkins
• Mod podge or white glue
• White craft or chalk or spray paint
• Twine for outdoor use
• A large nail and a hammer (or an electric drill)
• Scissors
• Nail file or sandpaper

How to Make Tin Can Wind Chimes

Paint your cans with white paint. I used chalk paint mainly because it dries quickly. Spray paint would be pretty quick too. The white paint will make a nice backing for the napkins.

Punch a hole in the middle large enough to feed the twine through. Alternatively, you can use a drill for this part.

Separate the napkins removing the plain backing paper.

Cut the napkin to cover the can leaving a little bit of extra paper on top and bottom.

Apply mod podge or thinned white glue to the can and carefully place your napkin on top smoothing as you go.

Then coat the top of the napkin with more glue.

Next, use a nail file or a piece of sandpaper to file off the extra napkin paper on the top and bottom.

Use a couple of coats of polyurethane spray to protect the cans.

Thread the twine through the largest can first leaving enough twine to hang the wind chime and then tie a knot inside under the hole to hold it in place.

For the next can try using a piece of masking tape to mark where you want the knot so that the large can just overlaps. Then push the second can out of the way to tie the knot at that spot.

You can overlap the cans as much or as little as you like.

Hang them on your porch or patio for all to enjoy.

Note: These cans do make a noise but it's not the twinkling noise of a typical wind chime. However, you could add some bells or shells or anything you like at the bottom for extra musical sound.