Who Knew Tin Can Lids Could be Such Fun?

Tin can lids and glass beads reflect sunlight in this easy-to-make wind chime.

The great thing about creating crafts from repurposed items is that you can experiment like crazy at virtually no cost. I mean, if you mess up a few tin can lids and discarded stove drip pans, who cares?

For my garden whimsy workshops, I had collected a plethora of can lids, as well as a few drip pans. So I decided to design a wind chime with them. As I sorted through my treasures, I discovered that the insides of the lids come in different colors. Some are silver; others, gold; and still others, copper.

To begin, I drilled five equidistant holes in the top of a drip pan. Then I strung tin can lids in alternating colors and sizes, interspersed with glass beads and spacers, as shown in the photograph.

The lids reflect light so well in my kitchen that I’ve decided to keep the chime inside. But I’m also curious to see how the chime would look if I left it outside and let it rust. It might look hideous. Then again, it might take on an interesting patina. So I’m going to make a second chime for outdoors just to see how it responds to Mother Nature.

Try making one yourself. It’s easy, and it won’t cost you more than the price of a few beads which, come to think of it, you may already have stashed away.

For more wind chime ideas, check out woohome.com.