Watering Can Rain Chain - Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop Time!

This month's theme for the Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop is "April Showers Bring May Flowers" - Everyone is sharing some fun flower themed projects.  I decided to focus on the APRIL SHOWERS instead and re-share a project I first created for a Cindi's Simple Solutions project at When Creativity Knocks.   Be sure to visit the Designer Craft Connection Blog here to follow all the links and see what the other participating designers are sharing too!  

Our yard & garden are really coming alive this year!  Inspired by many options spied on Pinterest, I wanted to create a custom rain chain to add near our back porch and we are so happy with the finished result - it’s whimsical, fits in perfectly with our “flea market gardening style” and the sound of the rain cascading down is soothing. 

Materials: 

• 12 Darice metal watering cans in a small size (you may need more or less depending on the length of chain you will need and how far apart you choose to space your cans)

• Chain in desired size to fit through cans 

• Pliers & wire (or, if you really want to add a handy tool to your creative tool stash - purchase hog ring pliers and a box of copper hog rings - yes, they are HOG RINGS - like a farmer would use - and they are ever so handy!  Find them at your local Tractor Supply, Agri-Supply, or online...) 

Instructions: 

• Measure distance from gutter to ground where you want your rain chain to hang. 

• Cut length of chain about 6” longer.

• Make holes in bottoms of can using a drill, or by hand with a hammer and a large nail - moving the nail and repeating to make the hole large enough for the chain.  

• Push chain through hole in first can and push to approximately 8” from top of chain, use wire and pliers (or the hog rings like I did!) to add a piece of wire to stop the can from sliding down the chain beneath the can.   For my chain, I measured down approximately 6” and added the next can, then the next ring, etc., repeating until I reached approximately 1’ from the bottom of the chain.   

• To hang the chain, place a long nail or other piece of metal wide enough to cover the drain opening in the gutter where you will hang it, insert it into the drain opening of the gutter.  

To keep it from blowing in the wind and banging against the house, add a large stone or paver block to hold the chain which extends onto the ground in place (you could also stake it to the ground if desired, but Iike the effect of the large stone in the garden better.)