DIY Baby Mobile

So a while back, I posted my grand nursery reveal.

And what got the most attention?  The mobile.

Okay, I'll admit it.  I'm super excited that so many people asked me about it.  Paper crafting is not my strong point so I'm pleased that an attempt I made went well.  And because there has been so much interest, I've decided to post a tutorial.  Because if it's easy enough for me to do it, anyone can do it.  Seriously.

So you're going to need a few things...

• Colored card stock.  I chose rainbow colors but feel free to choose any you want.  
• A large circle punch.  I used the one I had, which was 2".
• 2 pieces of dowel, not pictured.  Because I forgot.  Mine are are 13" wide.
• Acrylic paint, also not pictured.  
• Fishing line
• a needle
• Hot glue.

Step One.  The Step Not photographed.

           If you want to, grab your dowels and paint them with the acrylic paint.  If you don't want to paint them, just glue them together to make an "X."  

Step Two.  Punch Out 8 Million Circles.

This step requires a little planning, depending on the look you'd like to achieve.  I wanted a cascading rainbow so I planned for that.  There are three strands of circles per arm of the "X" and one in the very center.  To give a cascading look, you'll want the strands on the arms to be different lengths.  I added about 2 inches to each strand as I worked inward.  To really make this easy for myself, I made a chart to show what each arm needed, as well as the center.  This is how it looked.  You can already see the cascade!

                                                                                           

Just punch out the circles needed for the chart.  And remember, the chart is for ONE ARM.  So yeah. Punch out a million. 

Step Three. Assemble the Strands.

This part's pretty easy, especially if you're following the chart.  Cut a length of fishing line.  I used longer pieces, about 18" to give myself some wiggle room.  Tie a knot at the bottom of the line and then thread it on your needle.  Take the bottom color, push the needle through the center of the circle and let it drop to the top of the knot.  Then tie a knot above it.  I didn't measure this really.  I just used my thumb and index finger as a sort of measuring guide.  

Once you've tied the second knot, add the next color to the line.  

Repeat this until you've made all the strands for the mobile.  This is the most time consuming part.

After you've finished with that, walk away. Have some coffee.  Get a hand massage.  Those tiny knots are awful to make after a while!

The rest is simple.  Tie your strands to the "X," the longest in the center of it.  Shortest on the outside.  You can probably get away with just tying them on but I put a dot of hot glue on top of each knot for security.  The hardest part of this step is making sure that the top colors are relatively even.  And even that doesn't have to be perfect.  I just eyeballed mine.

That's. It.  You're done.

Easy peasy.  

And now you know my secret.

I know a few of you were planning on making one and if you do, I want to see it!  I'm thinking about making another for my room... Maybe this time without the chart!

Until next time, Happy Tuesday!