Nautical Nursery – Cloud/Star Felt & Ribbon Mobile

The first DIY project is officially done and hanging proudly in the nursery!  Here is Baby C’s mobile, which is positioned right above the changing table (I still haven’t decided if I’ll do something above the crib, as well):

And a couple close-ups:

  

While this was pretty easy to put together, it took several days for it to be finally finished.  I suppose if I made myself work on it for more than a couple hours at a time, it would have only taken a couple days.  Basic materials include an embroidery hoop from the knitting section, lots and lots of ribbon (I used 5 different kinds), felt, cardstock, scrapbooking glue, and thin, clear filament string (from the jewelry section). 

I started by printing templates for the clouds and stars right from Microsoft Publisher onto cardstock.  After cutting them out, I used the templates to start cutting the felt.  I cut two pieces of felt for each star and each cloud.  Next I would glue one side of the cardstock to one felt piece.  Then I would glue the second felt piece on top of the cardstock, so it was like the cardstock template was in the middle of a felt sandwich.  I left the cardstock in the middle so that it was more sturdy.  Once those were dry, I used a tack to push a small hole through the top of each star and cloud.  The clear string was poked through and I tied a triple knot to secure it.  Then I would measure how long I wanted each string to be and tie them to the embroidery hoop with leaving an even amount of space  between each one.  I used a drop of clear nail polish to secure each knot.  And last but not least, I started cutting all the ribbon.  I tied each piece of ribbon around the hoop and made it into a knot, which faced the outside of the hoop.  This is definitely what took the longest – there’s a ton of ribbon on that hoop!

I’m really happy with how it came out, and considering I only spent about $10, that’s even better!  I think I would have preferred to use an even thinner string so it’s more “invisible” but this was all I had on hand and I refused to buy more string when I have so much already.

I think this would go so well with any nursery theme – if Baby C were a girl, I would have definitely done this in pink and green tones with butterflies instead of stars and clouds.

Sharing at Someday Crafts, I Heart Naptime, Be Different, Act Normal, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters’ Stuff