How to Make a DIY Flower-Pressed Wind Chime (1)

Creating a DIY flower-pressed wind chime is a beautiful and creative project that blends nature with craftsmanship. It’s perfect for adding a personal touch to your garden, balcony, or even indoor spaces. This wind chime combines pressed flowers, which preserve the essence of nature, with the soothing sound of chimes. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your own flower-pressed wind chime.

Materials Needed:

• Pressed flowers: You can press flowers like daisies, pansies, lavender, or any flower with vibrant colors and sturdy petals.

• Chime tubes: You can buy these at most craft stores or use empty bamboo, metal tubes, or wooden dowels.

• Fishing line or thin string: To suspend the flowers and chimes.

• Wooden or metal ring: This will be the base for hanging your wind chime.

• Glue or clear resin: For securing the pressed flowers.

• Clear varnish or Mod Podge: To protect the pressed flowers from the elements.

• Drill or needle for making holes: To hang the chimes and flowers.

• Scissors: To trim the string and fishing line.

• Optional decorative beads or stones: To add extra flair to your wind chime.

Step 1: Collecting and Pressing Flowers

Before you begin crafting your wind chime, you’ll need to gather flowers. Choose flowers that have vibrant colors and sturdy petals. Some popular choices for pressing are pansies, violets, lavender, daisies, and ferns.

To press the flowers, follow these steps:

1. Pick Fresh Flowers: Ensure they are free from pests and in full bloom.

2. Place Between Paper: Lay your flowers between two sheets of parchment or wax paper.

3. Press: Put the paper with the flowers between the pages of a heavy book or use a flower press. Leave them for about 1-2 weeks to fully dry and flatten.

Once the flowers are pressed and dried, you’re ready to move on to the next steps.

Step 2: Prepare the Chime Tubes

Next, decide on the type of chime tubes you want to use. Bamboo chimes give a natural and earthy sound, while metal chimes offer a more melodic tone. If you’re using metal or wooden tubes, ensure they are cut to various lengths to create different sounds.

To make your chimes:

1. Cut the Tubes: If they aren’t pre-cut, use a saw to cut the tubes into different lengths. Generally, a longer tube will produce a lower pitch, and shorter tubes will have higher pitches.

2. Drill Holes: Drill a hole at the top of each tube to allow the fishing line to pass through. The hole should be wide enough for the fishing line to thread through easily.

Step 3: Prepare the Base

To create the base of the wind chime, use a wooden or metal ring. This ring will serve as the platform to hang the flowers and chimes from. If you don’t have a pre-made ring, you can create one using a piece of wire, metal, or wood that’s shaped into a circle.

1. Choose the Ring Size: A larger ring will provide more room for the flowers and chimes, while a smaller ring may give a more compact design.

2. Prepare the Ring: If you need to, sand or clean the ring to remove any rough edges.

Step 4: Attach the Chimes

Now, it’s time to hang your chimes from the ring. You’ll use fishing line or a thin string to do this.

1. Cut the Fishing Line: Cut several pieces of fishing line or string to different lengths. The length of each piece will vary depending on how you want the chimes to hang.

2. Tie the Chimes: Thread each chime through the fishing line and secure it by tying a knot at the top to keep it in place.

3. Attach to the Ring: Tie the other end of the fishing line to the wooden or metal ring. Make sure they are evenly spaced for an aesthetically pleasing look. The chimes should hang loosely, allowing them to sway and create sound when the wind blows.

Step 5: Add the Pressed Flowers

This is where your pressed flowers will shine! You can arrange the pressed flowers in several ways, depending on how you want to incorporate them into the wind chime.

1. Prepare the Flowers: If your pressed flowers are large, trim them into smaller pieces to fit your design.

2. Glue the Flowers: Apply a thin layer of clear glue or resin to the back of each pressed flower. Carefully press them onto the chimes, ring, or anywhere you want them to sit. Be mindful not to use too much glue, as it could show through the flower.

3. Seal the Flowers: After the glue dries, coat the flowers with a thin layer of clear varnish or Mod Podge to seal them. This step will protect the flowers from damage when exposed to the elements, like wind or rain.

Step 6: Add Extra Decorative Elements

If you want to add a little extra charm to your wind chime, you can decorate it with beads, stones, or additional small ornaments. Beads can be added between the chimes, or you can thread them along the string to create a colorful pattern.

1. Decorate the Strings: Add beads or small stones along the fishing line to give your wind chime a unique look.

2. Attach Extra Flowers: You can place additional pressed flowers around the ring or along the strings for a more cohesive floral design.

Step 7: Hang the Wind Chime

Once everything is dry and secure, it’s time to hang your wind chime!

1. Attach a Hook: Thread a final piece of fishing line or string through the top of the ring and tie a knot for hanging.

2. Choose a Location: Find a location where the wind will catch the chimes. It could be on your porch, balcony, or even in a tree in your garden.

3. Enjoy the Sounds: Your DIY flower-pressed wind chime is now complete! The sound of the chimes combined with the beauty of the pressed flowers will create a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Tips for Success:

• Choose Flowers with Strong Petals: Some flowers, like violets or pansies, have delicate petals that might break easily when pressed. Choose sturdy flowers that will withstand handling.

• Use Resin for Durability: If you want the flowers to last longer, you can use clear resin instead of glue. Resin provides a more durable finish, but it requires more time to dry.

• Experiment with Colors: Mix and match different flower colors to create a vibrant and eye-catching design.

• Protect from Rain: If you’re hanging your wind chime outdoors, consider adding a waterproof layer of varnish or Mod Podge to protect the flowers and materials from rain.

A flower-pressed wind chime is a simple yet beautiful way to bring nature into your home while creating a soothing ambiance. Enjoy the process, and don’t forget to experiment with different flowers and chime designs to make it truly unique.