Magnificent Mobiles

My husband and I have made several baby mobiles through the years. It all began with the kit I bought from Martha Stewart, when I was expecting my daughter. It used embroidery hoops and floss and we cut paper wings to glue on to wooden bug bodies (butterflies, dragonflies, & bees). My husband hung it with a swivel from his tackle box so that it would spin easily, and the bugs did look as if they were flying!

We have applied the basic concepts to several mobiles, since...everything from airplanes, to jungle animals, and most recently, sea creatures. I normally find the basic wood shapes at a store like Michaels. My husband then drills a hole in the center depending on how we want the shape to balance (I'm sure I could drill the holes, but he likes to have an excuse to use his tools). I paint the pieces on both sides with acrylic paint. Then we take advantage of his boyscout knot-tying abilites to assemble the mobile. On this mobile, I used ribbon instead of embroidery floss--it doesn't seem to tangle quite as easily. We use two O-rings at the top with the swivel in between. Sometimes we use multiple embroidery hoops for a more grand mobile. NOTE: Mobiles should be hung from the ceiling and be high enough that the babies cannot reach them. They are designed for baby to look at...not play with.