Beer Cap Garland (or Windchime)

I love beer, and I can't bear to throw away the colorful caps. While enjoying a breezy Saturday afternoon outside I thought of a way to liven up my porch area using a few of the hundreds of caps I've collected. It's a simple and fun little project!

You will need:

• an awl
• a hammer
• scissors
• tape of some kind
• thick string or yarn (I used cooking twine)
• a piece of scrap wood
• lots of beer caps! for reference: 40 caps for a 3 foot garland.

Optional:

• a good beer to enjoy while "working"
• your favorite pint glass

For the first cap you'll need a hole in the center. For all the rest you'll need them at the "top" and bottom or either side of the image/text. A few gentle taps with the hammer on the awl's base should do. Make the holes large enough to comfortably thread your string. 

Use some tape to wrap the end of your string to make it easier to thread. Then thread it into the cap with a hole in the center and tie a knot a few times over to make sure it doesn't unravel. Slide that knot to the back of the cap. 

For the next cap, thread your string so that it's visible in the back of the cap. Slide it down to the first cap. 

For the following cap, thread your string so that it's visible in the front of the cap. Repeat this process until you reach the desired chain length. 

You can either finish it off by using another cap with a hole in the center, or by threading the string under the last back-threaded cap. I used the last back-threaded cap and looped the string around where I planned to hang it before I tied the knot.  

You're done! Hang it inside or outside, vertically or horizontally. Maybe even on your christmas tree when the time comes.