I am so happy to be posting again on Or so she says…Here I am in case you forgot. My name is Roberta and I claim to be one of many BFF’s of Mariel’s childhood friends. Since she has lived all over the U.S., I am sure there are many of you out there. I am the NY BFF. I LOVE wind chimes, they are so beautiful, and with the warm spring weather arriving it just makes me in the mood to hear their awesome tinkle tinkle. I was at an antique shop and saw silverware wind chimes. I fell instantly in love! Silverware makes a beautiful sound when it’s in the wind brushing against each other. Unlike some other wind chimes that are very loud and annoying and could get you in trouble with the neighbors. Like the traditional ones you are probably thinking of that are silver, hollow, long, and tubular. Those are killer on the ears! Wood chimes are nice on the ears also.  My front porch would be loaded with wind chimes if we lived in the country.

After I bought my antique silverware wind chime, a thought occurred to me! “Hey I can make these myself!” And so I have! They are great as gifts and cost next to nothing! Mine hang beautifully in my kitchen. I gave my sister one and hers hangs on her back patio, which she mentions she loves the sound they make, it is such a unique sound. So today I am going to teach you how to make your very own silverware wind chime.

The best place to purchase silverware is a thrift store! They have loads and loads of it! Remember the more decorative, older and rustier the better.

Materials Needed: Five forks, one spoon, needle nose pliers, regular pliers, and fishing line.

Choose one fork to be the centerpiece fork, the fork from which all the other forks will dangle. Drill a hole into the smooth part of the fork above the prongs.

Take the centerpiece fork and bend one of the outermost prongs back using the regular pliers.

Bend the other outermost prong in the opposite direction.

Then bend the same prongs again so they are pointing out to the sides.

With the pliers bend each of the innermost prongs in opposite directions.

Make sure the prongs are all perpendicular to the fork handle and each other.

With needle nose pliers, curl the end of each prong one rotation only and set aside.

Start curling the prongs of the next fork using the needle nose pliers.

You can curl the prongs completely up, partway up, or in opposite directions. Experiment and see what you like best. Don’t make the curls too tight, though. I have found that looser curls make a better sounding wind chime.

Repeat with the remaining forks.

Cut four 10-inch pieces of fishing line (you can also use thin ribbon)and tie them onto the curled ends of each prong of the centerpiece fork with really good knots. Also tie one last piece of 10 inch fishing line through the hole between the two center prongs.

About four inches down from the tip of the fork prongs, tie on your first fork onto the fishing line. Make sure the curly prongs of the forks are even with each other by dangling your wind chime above the table and letting the fork prongs line up by resting on the table.

Finish off by tying the spoon to the middle of one of the centerpiece fork prongs and checking to make sure it lines up with the forks. Thread a length of fishing line through the hole in the handle of the centerpiece fork and tie it up outside where you’ll be able to enjoy it.

Another cute, easier wind chime I have done is curling the prongs on 1 fork and hanging 4 spoons from it. The spoons are close together but it still sounds and looks pretty. You can get very creative with it by attaching colorful beads. Beware of knives they don’t work very well, they are very hard to pierce the handle, we have ruined quite a few drill bits trying. There are several pretty and creative silverware wind chimes ideas on the internet, here’s a couple favorites…