DIY Modern Woodland Mobile

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It feels a little like an overstatement to call this a DIY project. It takes pretty much no artistic talent to create and the only crafty tool I had to use was a pair of scissors to cut string. So if you're easily intimidated by DIY projects and doubt your natural crafting abilities, rest assured this is one project you can totally do!

When I started collecting ideas for Sebastian's nursery, I was really drawn to the modern and simple look of the Petit Collage Mobile (forest friends style no longer available), but it was a little pricey and I wanted to keep our spending down.

It looked like the kind of project I could make myself, but I wasn't sure quite how at first. Should I cut out cardstock to create the animals or maybe Shrinky Dinks would work better (because I know what cool things can be made with those)? But I really wanted the natural color and texture of wood, so I turned to Etsy. You guys, there are a million options for inexpensive cool wood cutouts!

Embroidery hoop + Bead cord + Wood cutouts

I purchased a cute little set of animals from here and picked up a 10" Wood Embroidery Hoop and some Clear Beading Cord at my local craft store.

First, I determined how low I wanted the mobile to hang. Then I cut six pieces of beading cord a few inches longer than the distance from the hoop to the ceiling. I cut a seventh piece a bit longer and tied all seven pieces together at the top. I tied the sixshorter pieces to each side of the hoop, being careful to keep them equal lengths so the hoop would hang fairly evenly. I let the seventh piece of cord hang down in the center.

I tied one cutout to the center cord and then added the other animals (I used seven in total, with two sets of duplicates) at varying lengths around the hoop.

And then I put my child in the crib and spun the mobile gently so he could watch it move. HE LOVED IT. Maybe all babies love mobiles, but my kid is obsessed with his. It is his happy place.

Knowing that woodland creatures are not the perfect fit for everyone's nursery decor, I rounded up some other cutouts on Etsy that work work really well too.

Feathers // Triangles // Dogs // Leaves // Metal Fish // Bikes // Tapered Shapes // Trees // Guitars

Which shapes would make the perfect mobile for your little one's nursery?