Make Ethereal DIY Wind Chimes For Your Yard With Mason Jar Lids

Wind chimes are pleasant and soothing. They even have the power to reduce anger and anxiety. You can make a windchime with items from your junk drawer and other objects, including keys, sea shells, and silverware. You can also repurpose old mason jar lids to make ethereal wind chimes. Either the metal hollow screw band portion or the solid metal lid — or both — can be used for this whimsical DIY project.

Any size lids will do for this project, and you can use more than one size. You'll also need some type of string or twine, and something to tie the lid rings to. Possibilities include a stick, old bangle bracelets, or other hard ring items, but really anything you have that's ready to be repurposed can fit the bill.

You might also want to add more objects to the chimes to create a more interesting, melodious sound. You can use small metal cans, bike gears, or small bells. Before committing to any one object, tie it to a string and let it hit the hanging mason jar lids to determine if you like the effect. You may want to experiment with a few options before finding the sound and volume that you like.

If you'll be using the ring portion of the lids, add some flair by filling them with something decorative. Use flower petals pressed and mod-podged onto hard clear plastic or sandwiched between contact paper sheets, cut to fit into the rings. If you'll be using the solid portion of the lids, you can decorate them with paint and markers and coat them with clear acrylic. The major disadvantage to using solid lids, however, is that you'll need to drill a hole through them to hang them.

If you have smaller mason jars, or you just have a lot of miscellany that needs to be reinvented, you could add entire jars to wind chime as well, and fill them with the decorations of your choice (adding some jingling bells or fairy lights would be especially cool).

Not a fan of the metallic look? Paint your mason jar lids or rings in the hue of your choice, or make them sparkle by painting them with something shimmery, like Rust-Oleum's Specialty Glitter Spray Paint. And to keep your twinkling wind chimes rust-free all year round, add a little WD-40.