I was inspired to make this craft after watching a movie where I saw a wind chime made with seashells. Online I’ve seen a wide range of prices for these kinds of wind chimes anywhere from $20 to $90. I decided to make this myself because it only cost me about $5 and because I got to decide what I wanted the finished wind chime to look like. That to me, is the best part about crafting making something unique that fits your style exactly.
Step One: Gather the materials
You will need seashells, twine or fishing line, rope, an 8 inch wreath form, beads, scissors, a hot glue gun and gloves.
You have a lot of creative freedom with this craft. I’m using the wreath form to hang the shells but I’ve seen people use a range of different things from embroidery hoops to old picture frames, so if you don’t have a wreath form or don’t want to buy one you can probably find something else around your home that will work. I got the shells from Dollar Tree, but many people go out and collect their own shells. If you’re picking up shells from the beach, first make sure it’s allowed where you are and then be sure to clean them when you get home. Some websites even suggest boiling them for a few minutes to kill bacteria. The ones I got from Dollar Tree needed a good wash and dry and they were good to go.
If you are buying shells I suggest paying a little extra and getting shells that have predrilled holes. I made holes myself for this craft and it was time consuming since I didn’t have a drill. There are a lot of tips and videos online for how to make holes in shells without a drill, however, I didn’t have a lot of luck with any of them. I ended up using a nail and hammering a hole in the shells, since these are very thick, I was able to do that without damaging the shells too much but it’s much easier to buy shells with holes or use a drill with a bit that’s made for tile or other hard materials. Just remember to use a face mask and eye protection if you are making the holes yourself.
Step Two: String the shells and beads
Before you start stringing your shells and beads it’s a good idea to decide what kind of pattern you want to make. You might want to keep like types together or do one shell and one bead. It’s up to you. It’s also a good idea to decide if you want your strings of shells to be the same length or vary in length and cut your string or fishing wire accordingly.
I made a pattern alternating the different types of shells and sets of beads. And, I decreased the length of the twine for each string of shells. To string the shells I pulled the twine through the top of the shell so they would hang down. I strung the shells and beads from top to bottom with the largest shells at the top and ending with the small conch shells at the bottom.
I didn’t make a hole in these tiny shells I used for the end of the string, instead I made a double or triple knot and tucked it inside the shell. That was enough to hold the shell in place.
I used Jute twine because I couldn’t find fishing line and I decided to use the Jute rope as well so I could keep the same look going. I recommend wearing gloves if you use the twine from the Dollar Tree because it is a bit rough and scratchy on bare hands. It also sheds so you probably should work on a surface that is easy to clean or put down some newspaper first.
Step Three: Hanging the strings of shells and making the base
So, I’m not sure if this is called a base or not but I don’t know what to call it. It’s the thing to hang the shells on. For mine, I used the wreath form and the Jute rope. The first thing I did was decide how I wanted to space out the strings of shells then I simply tied them to the wreath form with a secure knot. Then, I covered the wreath form with Jute rope.
The rope can be unraveled into three pieces. Once you’ve got the three ropes you can begin by first hot gluing the end of the rope onto the wreath form then just wrap it around. You don’t need to apply more hot glue until you reach the end of the rope, then glue the end down and start a new rope. This wreath form took me about two and a half pieces of rope.
Step Four: Hanging the wind chime
To hang the wind chime I made four braids with the Jute twine. If you’re using fishing line you won’t need to do this step, but because the twine didn’t feel strong enough to hold the wind chime I braided the individual strings for added strength. Then, I tied each string as if the wreath form was a compass at North, South, East, and West. Then I tied the four strings together in two spots, one to hold it together and another to hang the wind chime. Where you make the second knot depends on how low you want it to hang and how much twine you use.
Your wind chime is done! Now all you have to do is hang it up. Make sure you secure it with a really strong nail or hook, especially if you’re hanging it outside. I’m keeping mine inside because it’s hurricane season and I don’t want it to fly away.
I love the way the beads reflect the light and bring that bit of color among the mostly white shells. I also love the few shells with a little color in them offsetting the ones that are cream colored. I really think that the juke gives this a very beachy feel, almost like you’re shipwrecked on a deserted island and made this for your tree house.
