How to Make a Rainbow Wind Chime from Recycled Cans

I love crafting with recycled cans and wind chimes are one of my  favorite things to make with them! (check out my Fourth of July Wind Chime and my Halloween Ghost Wind Chime posts!) 

Wind chimes are fun projects to make with kids and a fun way to decorate your porch or garden. Make this rainbow wind chime for St. Patrick's day, to celebrate the arrival of spring (AKA "rainbow season") or just because!

Supplies

• 5 tin cans in different sizes which nest together
• Martha Stewart Patterning Tape
• Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan OR  white primer
• Paint brushes
• FOLKART Multi-Surface or Outdoor Paint
• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Purple
• Dremel Micro Rotary Tool (or a hammer and nail)
• Metallic gold pipe cleaners (approx 3)

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Directions

Step 1: Prime

Prime the cans using either primer or chalk paint. I had some Chalk Paint Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan on hand from a previous project so I used that.

Step 2: Paint

Before painting, use the patterning tape to mark off the sections you'd like to paint. Each of my cans had two sections. 

Once sectioned off, go ahead and paint the cans. I painted mine like this:

• Can 1 (largest): red (top) // orange (bottom)
• Can 2: orange (top) // yellow (bottom)
• Can 3: yellow (top) // green (bottom)
• Can 4: green (top) // blue (bottom)
• Can 5 (smallest): blue (top) // purple (bottom)

Set the cans aside to dry. If needed, add a second coat of paint once the first coat is dry. Removing patterning tape once all paint is dry.

Step 3: Assemble

Punch holes in the tops of each can by either using a Dremel Micro Rotary Tool (my personal preference) or a hammer and a nail.

Tie a knot in the bottom of one of your pipe cleaners and thread it through the smallest can so that the inside of the can is resting on the knot. Figure out where you would like the top of the second can to hang and tie another knot and thread that can onto the pipe cleaner. 

By the time you get to the fourth can, you will need to connect the second pipe cleaner to the first. Make the join large and bulky so the can rests on it. Continue stringing the cans together. For the final can. make a hanging loop with the pipe cleaner.

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