Homemade Wind Spinners
Wind spinners add a touch of whimsy to your patio or garden. Make homemade wind spinners from plastic soda bottles or metal foil. This simple craft project can add color and movement to any outdoor space. Hang the wind spinners from a tree branch or stake them on a dowel in the ground. Each time the spinner catches the wind, the twirling begins. Making homemade wind spinners from plastic soda bottles is a good way to teach kids about recycling.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic soda bottle
- Glass cleaner
- Glass paint
- Artist’s brush
- Electrical tape, 3 colors
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Craft knife
- Awl
- 22-gauge craft wire
- Wire cutters
Instructions
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1
Remove the label from the outside of a plastic soda bottle. Glass cleaner helps to remove any paper remnants.
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2
Encircle the bottle with a strip of electrical tape, 4 inches from the top. Encircle the bottle with a different color of electrical tape directly below the first one. The edges of the tape should meet.
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3
Repeat Step 2 to add two more rows of alternating colors of electrical tape. Use the same colors of tape as you used in Step 2.
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4
Encircle the plastic bottle with another row of electrical tape that’s different from the first four rows. The top edge of the tape should meet the bottom edge of the fourth row of tape. This tape strip is the center of the wind spinner.
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5
Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add four more alternating colored rows to the plastic bottle.
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6
Measure and mark 3/4-inch increments along the top strip of electrical tape.
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7
Place the edge of a ruler or straight edge against the first line. Cut through the tape and the plastic bottle in a straight line from the top to the bottom of the taped section. Make straight cuts down the length of the tape every 3/4 inches around the bottle.
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8
Press the bottle down from the top so that the cut strips of tape protrude outward. Pinch the center color of tape together to make a crease.
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9
Pinch the top of each strip to the right at a 45 degree angle. Pinch the bottom of each strip to the left at a 45 degree angle. The angled creases will help the spinner catch the wind.
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10
Puncture two holes in the center of the plastic top that fits the bottle. Cut a 6-inch strip of 22-gauge craft wire. Bend the wire to form a loop. Insert the ends of the wire into the holes in the plastic top. Twist the wires together to hold the hanger in place.
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11
Hang the wind spinner from a hook in the garden.
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