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Monday, March 11, 2013

Behold the Redneck Wind Chimes

For most of my life, I have lived in a rural area of the south, and I come from a long line of rednecks (and there's nothing wrong with that!). As a gag gift for a family white elephant gift exchange, I made the Redneck Wind Chimes.


They're a fun and easy gift, and you probably don't need to buy anything to make them.

What You'll Need
- 4 - 6 empty aluminum cans (PBR and RC Cola are always good choices, but anything will work)
- Rope or twine
- Screws with circle on top (I'm not sure what the real name for these might be?)
- Paint
- Drill or staple gun
- A piece of wood (any size or shape will work, really)

First, I attached a string to the cans so they could be hung. I actually used twisted pair copper from an RJ-45 cable for my cans, just because I had a spare piece. You can use twine or string, or anything that you happen to have around. Make the strings long enough to hang down a bit. I punched a small hole through the top side of the can and threaded the wire through that and the opening in the top of the can. I wouldn't use the pop top to hang it, they probably aren't strong enough.

Next, I drilled holes at the bottom of my board for each wire, threaded the wire through the hold, and tied it in a knot. If you don't want to use a drill, you can staple the wires to the back of the board.

Then, I fastened my screws to the top edges of the board. If you don't have any of these little screws with a circle at the top lying around your house, you could always use something like these picture hangers and just attach them to the back top edge of your board.

Attach the rope from which the board will hang by threading it through the two screws (or picture hangers).

All that's left is your painting! I just used some leftover outdoor trim paint that we had, and painted, "Redneck Wind Chimes" and on the front, along with a few XXXs. You can be as creative as you'd like, though!

These were a huge hit with our family at the party! Have fun!

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