Make a Rainstick with Paperclay

Make your own rainstick following this tutorial from Creative Paperclay.

What is a rainstick, you ask?

Wikipedia defines a rainstick as:
"A percussion instrument made from a
dried cactus branch that is hollowed out, filled with small pebbles, and capped at both ends. When slightly tilted, it makes the sound of falling rain. It originated in Chile, where the indigenous people had long used the sticks to serenade the gods in hopes of bringing rain."  It is also associated with Native American origins.

You can make your own rainstick using a length of hollow tubing about 2" in diameter and 2 to 4 feet long, containing a small amount of fine gravel or other dried material.  This Paperclay tutorial suggests using a cardboard tube (from gift wrap) and dried rice or plastic pellets.

 The artist, Debbie Luttrell, has embellished her rainstick with flowers and leaves.   When your rainstick is done (Debbie says), you can "listen to the sound of rain in the middle of August while your real flowers are withering in the heat".  ;-)