Power Tools

Whether you like mobiles or windchimes, they are probably something we all own at some time in our lives. Not only can you use them in your home, they can also be used to great effect outside too! In the garden or in porches etc., particularly when they jingle.

Of course you can make them in a variety of ways and they leave plenty of scope for a bit of improvisation on your part! You will need to save a lid for this from something you use at home. Preferably a plastic one, to have a base to work from, as you will need a circle to hang your items from.

If you have found a suitable lid for this, you now will have to remove the middle of it. So get cutting with a craft knife or scissors. The width of the rim left will need to be at least 1 centimetre and now you will need to make some holes at regular intervals all the way round this.

Choose four main holes which can be used for your hanger. You might like to paint your circle now, either with a silver, gold or coloured acrylic. Of course, this will have to dry before you can then paint the other side.

You need to sort out your hanging strings now (4 in all). So gather what you will, in the form of string or cord. The cord needs to be cut long enough to enable you to go through one of your four designated holes, with enough string left at the bottom to hang your items, but also have enough length at the top to hang it by, when joined with the other three. Enough to knot them all together and make a hanging loop.

Attach a large bell to the end of these four strings. Now cut more strings, to match the length of the others, from the ring only. Tie them on and then aim to put a small jingly bell at the end of all the others.

If you think this is may be too plain, you can always decorate these, by painting the bells in other colours and use gaudy cords. Nail varnish colours would do the trick, or some metallic paint, or any acrylic.

By now you should have got the formula to make up your own ideas on this project, which is good. But just to get you on the right track, I will make a few more suggestions. If you have any old keys lying around the house, you could give these a coat of paint to use, simple idea, but they work.

Shells, if you are anywhere near a beach, are good, as a matter of fact, you can buy these now for crafts with the holes already in. Or, on the other hand, you could use small stones or pebbles on the end of your strings, if you put a spot of the right glue on them.

Personally, I often think that strings made of coloured beads in glass are rather nice. Also, at Christmas, why not use the lovely silver and gold beads as decorations and cut them to the size you want and, if that’s not enough, you can still add items at the bottom.