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Handmade Mobiles: 4 Ways
You can find most of the materials you need for each of these mobile projects at your local craft store or in your own home. Use these suggestions as starting points and get inspired to try out your own design ideas to decorate for different seasons, holidays or special occasions.
- Origami Mobile—By Wanda N. Colón
Décor Maven Wanda from the Home Made Simple TV Show on TLC® used her natural eye for design to come up with this stylish and simple mobile project that can also be hung over a ceiling light. Just learn a few sweet, simple origami folds, and then show off your creations by stringing them from a wire wreath form.
Start with paper from an origami kit or purchase paper separately, and cut into squares. You can also use construction paper if you prefer. Choose colors and patterns that match your décor or color scheme. Fold paper according to these printable instructions: Samurai Helmet, Advanced Plane, and Air Plane. Try doing several pieces of each of these styles.
 Once your folding is complete, string each origami piece using a needle and fishing line. Poke a hole in the center, thread the line through and knot, leaving plenty of excess on top to hang origami from the wreath form. Tie origami to the form using the excess line, evenly spacing pieces, but varying height levels around the form.
Tip: If using over a ceiling light, use a low-watt incandescent bulb or a compact fluorescent bulb to prevent fire risk.
Tip: Make another folded creation suitable for hanging. Use old greeting, holiday or birthday cards to create Recycled Greeting Card Balls that will create a dimensional display when hung from a wreath form.
- Ribbon Mobile
A colorful way to decorate over a dining table or for a birthday party—this exceptionally simple mobile only requires you to do some wrapping and tie a few knots. Use ribbon colors to match your décor, party theme or season and tie on pom-poms, flowers, images or other elements to dress it up for different purposes.
Start with a plain wire wreath form and lots of ribbon in a variety of complementary colors. Wrap the wreath form with one color of ribbon all the way around—adding a few dots of hot glue along the way to make sure it stays in place. Next, start tying on strands of ribbon alternating color as you go. Hang the ribbon evenly spaced at a uniform level or overlap and change it up as you go for a more free form look.
- Photo Mobile
Display your summer photos in a unique way and enjoy smiling faces every time you pass by your mobile. Add encouraging quotes and statements to make it extra special. This also makes a great grandparent gift!
Take the photos you want to use and mount them on colorful pieces of construction paper or scrapbook paper. Leave them at full size or cut them down into fun shapes to feature your favorite parts of the photo. Use a hole punch to add a hole for hanging purposes to each mounted photo.
On the backside of your mounted photos, write a meaningful note, message or special quote with a marker. Finally, use string, ribbon or fishing line to hang your photos at alternating heights around the wreath form. If you like, you can also cover the wreath form before hanging your photos using the same method as the Ribbon Mobile.
Tip: If you’d rather not hole punch your photos, tie small clips to the ribbon, string or fishing line and clip your photos on after hanging from the wreath form.
- Dried Herbs Mobile
Use a wreath form as your base to save and show off abundant herbs in the kitchen just in time for fall! With a little florist wire and fragrant dried herbs like lavender, rosemary, thyme and more, you can make an inspired culinary creation for yourself or a friend.
Harvest herbs by cutting healthy branches and removing leaves from the bottom inch of the branch. Rinse with cool water and pat completely dry. Next, tie several branches together in a bundle with string. Hang herb bundles upside down around your wreath form using florist wire or string. Hang your herb mobile in a warm, airy room. Once herbs are dried feel free to continue to display or use them up in your cooking!
Tip: You can use the same process to create a dried flower mobile. Make the flowers last longer by spraying with a dried flower coating or spray-on glaze.
Hanging Tips
To hang any of these completed mobiles from the ceiling, use 4 pieces of ribbon, fishing line or string and tie to opposite sides of the wreath form. If using ribbon, add a little dab of hot glue to keep it from sliding around. Bring the separate pieces together in the center and then tie a small loop at the top.
Use a simple ceiling hook, like this one available at Lowe’s, to hang your finished mobile wherever you please. Try hanging above a dining table, in a child’s bedroom or in an area where it will catch a nice breeze now and then, such as an entryway or sunroom. If giving the mobile as a gift, include a ceiling hook with it to make hanging easy for the recipient.
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