Monday, February 23, 2015

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?

DIY Modern Woodland Mobile

14 comments:

  1. This is fantastic, thanks for the great idea...exactly what I've been looking for!!! :)

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  2. I like yours better than the inspiration piece!

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  3. What a cute mobile! I am sharing this on Pinterest

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  4. Great idea! THanks for sharing!!!

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  5. This is so good! Maybe it's 7am and I'm not thinking clearly, but if you only tied 5 pieces of string together but have 7 animals... what am I missing?

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  6. How did you remove the metal clasp from the hoop?

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    1. I just used the inner hoop which didn't have any hardware!

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  7. This is so cute! Do you have any tips on balancing the mobile...I am struggling.

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    1. I just slid the knots around slightly until it hung more or less straight. I hope you were able to make it work for you!

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  8. This is brilliant. I know a place that sells these wooden jewels and they have HUNDREDS of choices! Cant wait to make this!

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  9. I love this idea! did you hang this mobile from the ceiling?

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    1. Yes, I used an eye hook screwed into the ceiling.

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