Okay, I’m not really keeping track of how many craft projects I’ve done in my lifetime. This is my latest one for the garden—a “bell” tower wind chime, of sorts. You can get all of the supplies from your local craft store.
Step 1: Using cheap craft paint, I painted each miniature pot a different color. I recommend sealing the pots after painting with a spray on or brush on outdoor sealant to keep the paint from peeling or fading too soon. I haven’t sealed these yet.
Step 2: I measured out how long I wanted my tower/chime and cut a piece of rusty wire to fit. I threaded the wire through a rusty implement that had broken off an old wind chime (it’s a garden tool), thus forming the foundation or bottom of my bell tower.
Step 3: I threaded cheap multi-colored beads (from my brief jewelry-making phase) onto thick, flexible craft wire, followed by the first pot. I arranged them by color, grouping dark to light and warm to cool. I added more beads, then the next pot, and so on. I used the less colorful beads in the area inside each pot because those beads wouldn’t be visible. The prettiest beads were saved for the display area peeking out below each pot. Remember, if you’re using the thicker wire, you’ll need beads with larger openings for threading.
Step 4: When all the pots (I used eight in total) were threaded onto the wire, I finished off the top with a large loop. You can hang this on virtually anything: a trellis, from a tree branch, dangle from a shepherd’s hook, etc.
I also made simple “garden jewelry” (sans the little pots) with the same rusty craft wire, multi-colored beads, and another garden tool at the bottom. Both projects were cheap, easy, and fast to make—a great project for a garden club or summer project for kids.
© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved. www.cindydyer.wordpress.com
Garden Muse 
Love this. Going to make this next weekend.. Thanks
you used a small tripod trellis for yours; did you it or buy it?
Hi there! The thing it is hanging from this a wrought iron “tripod-like” frame. It is meant to go into pots and allow vines to climb up it, like an obelisk or a tomato cage/frame. It was simply three legs with a fleur-de-lis topper holding them together. I bought it at a local garden center. Hope this helps!
You gave me a use for all my tiny flower pots! Thanks!
I envision making this with heavy twine and knotting a bead or button at the opening of each pot instead of stringing a whole length of beads. Faster for someone (or a child) who doesn’t have boxes full of beads. You could also use an old piece of silverware–a serving spoon or fork–as the dangler. Lots of directions to go with this one. Thanks! (PS: Those little jars of Latex wall paint samples from the hardware store are fairly weather resistant outdoors–I use them all the time on terracotta pots and the oldest have not faded in three seasons.)
It would be helpful to take a picture farther back, showing top to bottom in the garden. Love this idea!
Reblogged this on Loving, Caring and Sharing and commented:
This looks easy and very eye catching.
Can you please tell me the wire for the trellis of the clay pot wind chime ,what type of wire is it and where can I find it? I have been to craft and hardware stories and nobody can tell me!
Hi Sophie! I found my already-rusty wire at a craft store. You can also order it from lots of online vendors. Here are a few:
http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1302_2533_1204-15585-rusty_tin_wire.html?utm_source=googlep&utm_medium=gpfeed&utm_campaign=gpfeed&gclid=CMe0lunKxr4CFZBxOgodOTkAOg
http://www.artistsclub.com/cfTools/tools_display.cfm?id=70067
What do you have yours hanging from in the picture and where can it be found or how can it be made?
Hi there! The thing it is hanging from this a wrought iron “tripod-like” frame. It is meant to go into pots and allow vines to climb up it, like an obelisk or a tomato cage/frame. It was simply three legs with a fleur-de-lis topper holding them together. I bought it at a local garden center. Hope this helps!
How did you make the thing you hung it from? I could see hanging a rain drain chime thingy from one
Hi there! The thing it is hanging from this a wrought iron “tripod-like” frame. It is meant to go into pots and allow vines to climb up it, like an obelisk or a tomato cage/frame. It was simply three legs with a fleur-de-lis topper holding them together. I bought it at a local garden center. Hope this helps!
I am so excited to try this! Can you tell me the size of the pots?
Hi Sara, not sure if I responded via email to you or not. In case I didn’t, I wanted to tell you that I use the terra-cotta pots that are about 2-2.5″ in diameter. You could use slightly smaller or larger, depending on the size of your beads you’re going to string through them.
Thank you responding to me today. So far, I have made fifteen of these and they are gorgeous! (Yes, fifteen!) I figured out the size pretty quickly and I was off and running!
I would love to see some of your projects! Can you send me a photo or two? 🙂
Where do you get the beads?
Hi Tru, they are cheap beads I’ve gathered over the years from costume jewelry and also from WalMart and Michaels. You just need beads that have a large enough hole to thread the wire through. Would love to see what you create. Sorry for the delay in responding!
I used the terra cotta saucer and garden tool’s to make my windchimes I added different items to top and handles to decorate them my sister collects frogs so I put frogs on hers other sea shells,birds,butterflies,flowers,and lady bugs they came out beautiful look great and sound wonderful out side