I LOVE wind chimes. But they have to sound good! I'll be watching this thread to see what you all come up with.

Now Hetty - you need to make some wind chimes too

Hetty, you could make them with shells.

I am at the moment not terribly artistically inclined.... doing grunt work in the yard.. before it gets hot again. We're hitting 80 today as it is.

Ummmmmmmmm, Hetty.
That's an ugly number to those of us who are hoping for 35 today.
No snow, no rain, no ice, just cold.

This is why I live in Florida..... there is not better time of year to be here. Unbroken sunshine, and generally 55-60 for the low and 70-80 for the high. No wonder people flock here in the winter months.
Come on down!

Hetty, I'm the least artistically inclined person on earth. Shells would be lovely as are your temps

I have a supply of spoons and forks I got from a friend and from the thrift store, but now someone said silver plated ones would be best. Very hard to find some silver plated ones now a days. Maybe I can get DH to help, at least something will keep him busy for a while instead of sitting in the recliner and watching TV. He has plenty of fishing line and I'm sure I have lots of beads to use. See what I can come up with. Our rain has stopped and it was supposed to be a big storm. Sun is shinning (I'll send some to Sharon) and it is 67. We may be in for a big drought again, so what else is new.

I'll take the sunshine, Pegi!!!
It is absolutely the dreariest coldest day!
S-s-s-s-s-shiver!

Stay warm there, Sharon! It's snowing here today, and we're supposed to get quite a bit overnight. But, my house is clean (now... been cleaning most of the day), a warm fire in the fireplace, and six sleeping dogs and a cat. My plans for the rest of the day and evening: chillax!

Me too, B. Chillax!

I'm freezing here too. This weather is crazy here. Yesterday it was in the 40's, drizzle started around 3, by 5 it was down to 29 by morning it was 12. Today we actually got up to 32. The wind has been horrible making it even colder, can't wait for tomorrow, high of 65. For the past month this has been the way our weather has been. 65 to 70 one day and the next down to the teens. Trying not to catch a cold with this seesaw weather. Stay warm you two. I only have to walk the dogs one more time tonight and then it's jammie time.

Sounds like our weather, without the rain.
I'm so glad I don't have to walk the cats!

Do a google image search for homemade wind chimes, there are lots of images to view.
Like these...

Glad you posted that cause I'm still brain dead. I probably have most of the 'art' to make some of these, but don't remember where I've got them hid.

OH.. as a contest you almost need audio submissins... as Hetty said they are about the sound and tone of the chiming ... that make them good...
I have two chimes I've got over the years... one was a gift.. and the other was a rescue chime.. I refinished the pitted aluminum on.. the larger one chimes in 'G' major.. and the smaller one chimes in "G" minor.. so they happen to sound complementary together.. I did enjoy the sound of them together.. but untill a friend who is a piano teacher was by and explaned what their tones were.. I had no idea why...
right now the clappers of the chimes are tied up and out of the way.. but the sound of the tubes themselves banging together.. is about more than loud with the 40-50 MPH cold winds we've had lately..
a windchime contest/ challenge sounds fun.. mostly a visual interest ..humor thing I'm guessing... at least it won't be as fattening as my project for yesterday.. which was a dark chocolate ice cream with fresh raspberry swirl with home made marshmellow bits..MMMMMM .. interesting.... marshmellows haven't had marsh mallow in them since the middle of the 1800's.. the marsh mallow has been used for a few 1000 years.. and was used as a throat medicine.. back then..

Gordon, it sounds like you need to write an article about marsh mallows. Does anyone even know what they are other than a concoction of sugar and more sugar in various guises?
I agree on the windchime. I would not consider one unless I have heard it. Mine is in A major... bought for me by my musician husband.

If I make one it will be for the sound. I haven't quite come up with anything except that I want it to be a slight tinkle in a breeze. Kind of a light 'fairy type' sound.

Gordon - pictures of your wind chimes please and your sweet concoction sounds YUMMY!

The marshmallow Althaea officinalis looks like this in bloom:



It's roots used to be used to treat sore throats, just as Gordon says. And the French made it into a meringue using egg whites and flavor from roses, maybe rose hips. But Gordon's right, the plant isn't used for flavor anymore. It also isn't native to the US; it's probably from a more tropical climate.

That photo is from Wikimedia. I didn't check to see if it's in our plant database.

I'd like to see your chimes, too, Gordon. And Hetty.
I'm so tone deaf all of them sound pretty to me.