Sea Glass DIY Wind Chimes

Make DIY wind chimes with a piece of driftwood and sea glass beads with this easy beaded wind chimes craft tutorial.

Sea Glass DIY Wind Chimes are gorgeous outdoor chimes that you can make to hang in the backyard or garden. Homemade beaded wind chimes, like this driftwood sea glass wind chime, also make a lovely handmade gift idea! You may also enjoy this beaded sea glass suncatcher craft tutorial.

Sea glass beads and small cowbells make this simple beaded craft easy to make. Create gorgeous outdoor hanging chimes for your garden, yard, or patio with this sea glass wind chimes DIY tutorial.

I’m in love with the fire and ice look that this driftwood sea glass windchime brings to our patio. Sea glass beads look beautiful in any light, but they are magical when the sun hits them.

Related: Rainbow Prism Suncatcher

Driftwood Sea Glass Wind Chime

When we found these gorgeous sea glass beads, my daughter and I wanted to make some sea glass suncatchers, and a wall hanging or beaded wind chime craft with them. She strung the sea glass wind chimes, while my husband and I drilled the holes in the driftwood for the wind chime, and created the twine hanger.

Just because young children probably could not make DIY wind chimes on their own, doesn’t mean they can’t help! We are raising a self-sufficient kid, so we like to invite our daughter to help out with household chores and simple DIY projects like this sea glass windchime.

Working on simple crafts like these hanging chimes means that we also get to sneak in a homeschooling lesson. Stringing beads is a simple way to develop the fine motor muscles of the hand necessary for writing and other handwork projects like sewing a pocket pet mouse. Shhh, don’t tell her it’s preschool. Let’s keep it our little secret 😉

Related: Beaded Name Necklace

Sea Glass Wind Chimes DIY Supplies

Following is a list of craft supplies that are needed to make this simple sea glass wind chimes DIY project.

• Driftwood or bare branch
• Monofilament fishing line
• Small cowbells
• Blue (ocean wave) sea glass beads
• Red/orange (burning sun) sea glass beads
• Green (seafoam) sea glass beads
• Rainbow frosted glass beads
• Crimp tube beads
• Garden twine
• Bead crimping pliers (An inexpensive and simple craft tool.)
• Drill

Related: How to Make a Fairy Garden

DIY Wind Chimes Step by Step Tutorial

Follow the step by step directions to learn how to make beaded wind chimes with driftwood and sea glass beads. Create a graduated sea glass wind chime where the middle strand of beads hangs down longer than the rest like the sea glass wind chimes pictured, or sea glass wind chimes that all hang at the same length.

Step 1 – Drill Holes in the Driftwood

Measure the length of the driftwood that you are working with and drill 3 to 9 evenly spaced holes. (We drilled 5 holes approximately three inches apart in the middle of a 19-inch piece of driftwood.)

Step 2 – Cut Sections of Monofilament Line

Cut 3 to 9 sections of monofilament or fishing line. You will need one piece of fishing line for each beaded sea glass strand that you would like to hang from the driftwood. We began with five strands of monofilament lines that were between two and two and a half feet long to create the sea glass wind chimes pictured.

When finished, the sea glass bead strands for our DIY wind chimes measured 12, 14, and 16 inches long. In other words, we beaded two 12 inch strands, two 14 inch strands, and one 16 inch strand.

Related: Best Rainbow Suncatchers

Step 3 – Attach Cow Bells

Use a crimp bead or tube and a pair of crimping pliers to attach a small cowbell to the end of each strand of monofilament line cut in Step 2.

1. Place a crimp tube or bead on one end of the monofilament fishing line.
2. Next, place a cowbell on the monofilament line.
3. Tuck the short end of the monofilament line into the crimp tube next to the long end of the monofilament line.
4. Push the crimp tube towards the cowbell to decrease the diameter of the loop.
5. Use crimping pliers to squeeze crimp tube shut around both pieces of monofilament line to hold the cowbell in place.
6. Trim off the excess monofilament line.

Step 4 – String Sea Glass Beads onto Each Strand

String the sea glass beads directly onto the long end of the monofilament line attached to each cow bell. Monofilament line, or fishing string, is sturdy enough to be able to string beads with, without the need for a sewing needle. You can also use it to make suncatchers, and beaded necklaces and bracelets!

Use blue sea glass beads, green sea glass beads, or red sea glass beads in single or multiple color combinations. Use one color, create a varied color pattern, or randomly string the sea glass beads onto each strand in any way you like just as our daughter did for this simple DIY garden project!

Related: How to Color Wooden Beads

Step 5 – Attach Beaded Wind Chime Sections to Driftwood

1. Thread the top of each bead strand through the piece of driftwood to attach each strand to the wind chime. In other words, pull the beaded section of the monofilament line up and through the piece of driftwood until the sea glass beads are flush with the driftwood.
2. Place a crimp bead onto the monofilament line (above the driftwood) followed by one last sea glass bead.
3. Tuck the monofilament line into the crimp bead and through the driftwood.
4. Hold the crimp bead and sea glass bead as you pull on the end of the monofilament line. Continue to push the crimp bead and sea glass bead until both are closer to the driftwood.
5. Use a pair of crimping pliers to close the crimp bead shut and lock the sea glass beads and wind chime strands into place. Cut off any excess monofilament line if needed. The sea glass bead on top of the driftwood will ensure that each beaded wind chime strand stays firmly in place.

Step 6 – Use Garden Twine to Make a Hanger for Sea Glass DIY Wind Chimes

1. Use garden twine to tie a square knot at one end of a piece of driftwood.
2. Wrap the garden twine around one end of the driftwood 6 – 12 times to cover the knot.
3. Tie another square knot on top to secure the wrapped garden twine in place.
4. Leave 2 – 5 feet of slack (depending on how long you would like your wind chime hanger to be) and tie a square knot on the other side of the driftwood.
5. Wrap the garden twine 6 to 12 times to cover the knot on the other side and tie it off.
6. Cut the twine and tuck the loose end into the wrapped garden twine.

Sea Glass Wind Chime DIY

Beaded wind chimes look lovely hanging outdoors in the garden, yard or patio. The sea glass beads used to make it become a gorgeous suncatcher that will add a splash of color to any view.

You may also like learning how to start a fairy garden. Click on the link for the step by step tutorial. Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!

More DIY Garden Projects and Activities:

• How to Make a Fairy Garden
• Real Flower Suncatcher Crafts
• Composting At Home
• How to Grow a Sunflower House
• DIY Outdoor Chalkboard
• Painted Rock Fairy Houses