Wonderful Wind Chimes
Just Blow'n In The Wind
I love the look and sounds of wind chimes. Whether they are made out of metal, wood, glass, or shells, they make very soothing and wonderful noises. Have you ever purposefully made a wind chime make noise? I have, especially the big metal ones that make a long deep ring. My mom has one and it is very soothing even during a wind storm!
I love oriental wind chimes and included some here. Just for fun I have shared some interesting facts about them on this lens as well.
If you're interested in learning how to make your own, I've included a section about that too. So continue to read if you want to make wind chimes, and learn about their history.
Photo Credit: Flicker
The History Of Wind Chimes
Wind chimes have been around since ancient times. The Romans and Asians used them in similar ways as we do now. The Romans called them Tintinnabulums and placed them in their gardens where the wind could get to them better. Originally they were made to ward of any approaching danger such as evil spirits. Romans believed the sounds they made scared spirits away. Sometimes they were even used to scare away birds.
It was also thought if you had chimes hanging around your home, you would be free of any emotional, physical, and mental harm. In China they would hang little bell chimes in the roof corners of pagodas, palaces, temples, and private homes, and to my knowledge they still do.
Chinese consider them good luck, and are used today in religious ceremonies.
All over Asia wind chimes are used to maximize the flow of chi, (life's energy).
If you like oriental things and their way of life, and want to maximize the flow of chi, there's plenty of wind chimes below to choose from.
Oriental Style Windchimes - Feel the flow of chi with these oriental wind chimes.
An Easy Way To Make Shell Wind Chimes
1. If you happen to have sea shells or even snail shells, a nice looking piece of wood, and some fishing line you can make your own wind chimes like the ones above. All you have to do is drill holes in the shells if there isn't any already. If you need to drill holes, a dremel bit will be good to use and it won't break up the shells. For you safety you should wear goggles while drilling.
2. After drilling the holes, run the fishing line through the holes and tie around the shell to keep it in place. Then take the other end of the fishing line and tie it to the piece of wood you have.You can make several strings of shells and in different lengths, but make sure that most of the shells are able to blow against each other in order to make some sounds.
3. When you're finished stringing all the shells you want, cut a separate fishing line that is at least 6 inches longer than the piece of wood you've chosen. Tie an end of this line at one end of the piece of wood and at the other end so that it looks like a triangle when picked up in the middle. Attach a loop to the middle and hang on a hook on your roof's overhang.
