DIY: Mollusk Wind Chime

By Fiona Bird July 27, 2016

On your next trip to the beach, collect shells to make this wind chime.

A wind chime made from attractive mollusk shells will remind you of the seashore as it dances noisily in the breeze. When you visit the beach, search for shells that have a natural hole. Empty limpet shells, for example, may already have a neat, circular hole in the middle—made by the limpet’s predator—which means you can just thread the craft cord through the hole. Bivalve twin mollusks, such as mussels, cockles, and razor clams, are useful if the two halves of the shell are still attached to each other, because the cord for hanging each shell can be twisted and secured at the shell’s natural hinge. This means that you don’t have to tie a knot—how shell-crafty is this?

What to Use:

12 empty mollusk shells (such as limpets and bivalve mussels, cockles, or razor clams)
Bowl of warm, soapy water
Spray craft varnish (optional)
12 lengths of colored craft cord, 10-12 inches in length
Colored plastic clothes hanger, driftwood, or stick
Large pieces of dulse (seaweed) (optional)

What to Do:

Wash your selection of mollusk shells in a bowl of warm, soapy water and dry them carefully.
Spray the shells with craft varnish if you want glitzy shells, and leave to dry.
Attach each shell to a length of craft cord by threading the cord through the natural hole and trying a knot at one end. You can also just tie the cord around the shell, but this won’t be as secure. If you’re lucky enough to have joined bivalve shells, simply twist the cord around the hinge.
Arrange the threaded shells attractively and then tie the other end of each cord securely around the lower bar of the clothes hanger. Make sure you space the cords so the shells will bounce into each other in the breeze. Attach a larger piece of dulse for added color if you wish. The color of the seaweed will fade over time.
Hang the finished wind chime in front of an open window or perhaps in the garden.

Excerpted from Let Your Kids Go Wild Outside by Fiona Bird; Ryland Peters & Small, $19.95; rylandpeters.com. Photography by Dylan Drummond and Terry Benson.

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