I love all of those modern mobiles available to purchase for nurseries. But they're more often than not so expensive! So we took matters into our own hands:

My husband laid out five modern shapes (four of them are icons - do you recognize them?) on a piece of 1/4" basswood and cut them out using a scroll saw. We tinted them in bright colors and finished them with wax so you could still see through to the wood grain. Each shape was paired with a red-tinted wooden ball. By wetting and clamping the wooden dowels on a curved form, we created slightly arced cross pieces and strung them together for a modern mobile of our own making.

And it was on the cheap! The wood was left over from architecture school from over a decade ago, the pastels and wax were only about $6 and the string was about $10.

Some tips for anyone wanting to make their own mobile:

• For the string, look for a fishing supply called spider wire. It's a very strong fishing line and it ties much better than your typical transparent fishing line. It's a bit pricey, but then again - it's what suspends the thing above your baby's head!

• To get everything balanced properly, start from the bottom of the mobile and work your way up.

Have you made your own mobile or have your eye on a cool modern one? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Images: Regina Yunghans