Mrs. Hughes and I have a thing for rust, rusty things that is. And chippy things, and flaking things. Normally we like are furniture and household decor to be vintage and worn. So it was a no-brainer to snatch up this rusty old bird cage at the Nashville Fair Grounds Flea last summer. We paid $8 for it having no clue what we would use it for. Since then we've seen them used in magazines as lampshades. They fit right in with the whole naked lamp shade craze going on right now.
I had to clean the garage recently due to a visit from a home appraiser, we are re-financing not moving, when I noticed the birdcage sitting up on the top of a high pile of stuff. I was sweeping at the time and my dust pile contained several skeleton keys that had made their way to the floor after a failed attempt to turn them into wind chimes a few months prior. I couldn't get it to come together just right.
I got the idea to use the birdcage as the skeleton for the chimes. I used some 16 gauge wire to make a few more cross bars along the top of the cage to bring the keys closer together. The keys are hung in place with fishing line. Just about any size of line will do. I made sure to hang some of the keys horizontal and some vertical, and I placed them as close together as I could without getting them so close they would tangle. I think it turned out pretty well, and it sounds awesome!
Here is a link to a short video with the chimes in action.
If you decide to make one of these and need some help with the steps feel free to email me!
