Rainbow Button Wind Chime

This button wind chime in rainbow colors is one of my favorite projects in my book Button Mania. Since it’s still summer and we have plenty of months left of warm weather, I thought this would be a fun tutorial to share.

Button Wind Chime

Here’s a short video that will show the button wind chime in action in a light breeze:

In case you are wondering where I got all the buttons, you can buys bags or containers of them at craft stores and discount department stores. I bought mine mostly from WalMart, but I did pick some up at Michaels and JoAnn’s. You can also shop for them at Amazon.

What to buy a rainbow wind chime? It’s not made with buttons, but it IS gorgeous!

 

It took me almost an hour, but I got all of my buttons sorted by color. I seem to have an awful lot of antique white… Hmm… Guess it’s time for a project!

A photo posted by Amanda Formaro (@amandaformaro) on May 31, 2014 at 8:55am PDT

I like to keep the container in my studio full, so I’m always stocking up! Don’t you just love all the colors of the button wind chime?? And because it’s a rainbow, it’s also part of my collection of St. Patrick’s Day crafts.

You’ll need some canning lids too. I thought about using recycled laundry soap lids in different colors, but I wanted some uniformity in the look, so I went with the canning lids. It’s still recycling, you can’t can with those a second time!

 

Bottle cap flower in my herb garden that I made for my book “Button Mania: Buttons, Bottlecaps and Beyond!” -releases next month! Link in profile #buttonmania #craftsbyamanda A photo posted by Amanda Formaro (@amandaformaro) on Jul 12, 2015 at 6:04am PDT

Button Mania: Buttons, Bottlecaps and Beyond! is appropriately named. There are button crafts, projects using bottle caps and even plastic lids that can’t be recycled. Don’t you just love this bottlecap flower I posted on Instagram? You can get the tutorial in the book!

 

My desk lamp is one of my favorite things in my studio. It was a project from my #rubberbandmania book and I smile every morning when I turn it on. ☺#amandasstudio

A photo posted by Amanda Formaro (@amandaformaro) on Jun 18, 2015 at 6:31am PDT

There are also instructions for my Button Lamp Shade. This lamp is right next to me every day on my desk. I love it because it’s so cheerful and bursting with color!

 

My bottlecap rag doll horse sits on a shelf and greets me every morning. From my new book Button Mania: Buttons, Bottlecaps and Beyond! #buttonmania A photo posted by Amanda Formaro (@amandaformaro) on Jul 15, 2015 at 12:54pm PDT

Another of my favorites is this rag doll bottlecap horse. here he’s sitting on a shelf right inside the door of my studio. He’s so cute! So as you can see, there are plenty of fun projects in the book, so hopefully, you’ll order a copy! My other two books are coming out at the same time: Paper Fun Mania and Star Wars Mania. So now let’s get back to making this wind chime, shall we?

What you need to make a Button Wind Chime

• 1 large, sturdy plastic lid
• Lots of buttons
• String
• 16 pony beads
• 12 tri-beads
• 12 metal canning lids
• Hot glue gun
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• Hammer and a nail
• Thumbtack
• Outdoor craft paint (optional)

1. Use hammer and nail to poke a hole in the top of each canning lid.
2. If you’d like, paint each of the lids, front and back and let them dry.
3. Use a thumbtack to poke four evenly spaced holes into the inside rim of the plastic lid. This will be for your hanger.
4. Use a thumbtack to poke twelve evenly spaced holes in the top of the plastic lid.
5. Measure and cut sixteen pieces of string, about 24-inches long. Tie a pony bead to the end of each string.
6. Set four strings aside and thread remaining twelve strings through the top of the lid so that the pony bead holds them in place.
7. Tack a bead in place with a little hot glue.

8. Thread the first string through four large buttons and add a tri-bead. Add some white glue to each button and the bead.
9. Repeat step 6, eleven more times, adding a few more buttons each time to create a tiered effect.
10. Tie the end of each string to a canning lid.

11. Use the four remaining strings to create the hanger.
12. Thread each one through the holes in the sides of the lid.
13. Gather all four strings together and tie in a knot.

Now hang it up outside and enjoy! I hope you have fun with this project!

Reprinted with permission from Button Mania: Buttons, Bottlecaps and Beyond! by Amanda Formaro, published by Studio Fun International

More you might like:

1. Dangling Button Earrings
2. 4-Seasons Button Tree
3. Batman vs. Superman Button Checkers
4. Plastic Lid Wind Chime

Print Project

Rainbow Button Wind Chime

Supplies

• 1 large sturdy plastic lid
• Lots of buttons
• String
• 16 pony beads
• 12 tri-beads
• 12 metal canning lids
• Hot glue gun
• White craft glue
• Scissors
• Hammer and a nail
• Thumbtack
• Outdoor craft paint optional

Instructions

• Use hammer and nail to poke a hole in the top of each canning lid.
• If you like paint each of the lids, front and back and let them dry.
• Use a thumbtack to poke four evenly spaced holes into the inside rim of the plastic lid. This will be for your hanger.
• Use thumbtack to poke twelve evenly spaced holes in the top of the plastic lid.
• Measure and cut sixteen pieces of string, about 24-inches long. Tie a pony bead to the end of each string. Set four strings aside and thread remaining twelve strings through the top of the lid so that the pony bead holds them in place. Tack bead in place with a little hot glue.
• Thread the first string through four large buttons and add a tri-bead. Add some white glue to each button and the bead.
• Repeat step 6, eleven more times, adding a few more buttons each time to create a tiered effect.
• Tie the end of each string to a canning lid.
• Use the four remaining strings to create the hanger. Thread each one through the holes in the sides of the lid. Gather all four strings together and tie in a knot.

This post was originally published on Jul 15, 2015.