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December 31, 2014

Moon Phase Chime DIY








Do you ever see something cool or unique and think to yourself, "that would be so easy to make"? I do this ALL the time, but it is a rare occasion when I actually attempt to replicate it. Luckily for you all, today is one of those unlikely times :)

I found this chime on Free People the other day and decided that I could make my own version.

































It looks like they put a lot of metal materials into it, such as silver chain and some soldering around the edges. I don't have these things lying around, so my version is a bit simpler, but quite cheaper as well.

Here is what you will need for this project:



















For this DIY you will be cutting out 7 clay circles.  Pull off small pieces of clay from the large block and start softening it in your hands.  Use a rolling pin to flatten it out till it is about 1/4" thick.

Then you will take whatever object you've chosen to cut out the circles (a glass or a small bowl should do the trick) and cut out the shapes from your clay.

































Keep pulling off pieces of clay and rolling them out until you have 7 circles. After you have cut them all out, use a straw or another small pointed object to make holes in the top and bottom of each circle.




Next is to bake them in the oven. Follow the instructions on your clay (mine said 30 minutes at 275 degrees).

The next step is to paint the circles.  I found a photo of moon phases as a reference. The one I decided to pattern mine after starts with a crescent shape, then goes to a half moon, then 3/4, then a full moon and back down.  I used a pencil to do a light sketch of how I wanted my moons painted.  The white represent the shape of the moon and the black is representing the sky or negative space.



I painted the backs of them too because the moons may rotate so you will be seeing both sides (depending on how you hang your chimes).

After they are all painted you can start to string them together.  I chose black embroidery floss, but you could use anything you like.  Fishing string or twine could work as well.







I decided to cut out 6 equal lengths of string and tie them in between each moon. I think the length of my strings were around 4 inches, but the length is up to you. Make sure you leave some extra string for tying.

Once you have done this, attach a string to the top of the first moon, create a loop at the end, and you are done! Obviously its not as detailed as the original, but I think it is still pretty unique and it's cheap too :)






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