Thank you to everyone who has been following along with my Nesting a Nursery project - it's been great to hear from you all! The project is almost complete, but one DIY still remains...a mobile to hang above our baby's crib. I've been collecting inspiration for months, and now it's time to choose from my four favorites. Head below for details on each of the projects and then vote for which one you think I should DIY.
Paint Stick Mobile: I adore every project Dana over at House*Tweaking undertakes. She has great style and is incredibly resourceful, so ever since she mentioned her DIY mobile project a week ago, I've been anticipating the neat piece she'd design. So, it's not surprising that her easy-to-assemble DIY Paint Stick Mobile has shot to the top of my favorites list.
Pinwheel Mobile: This is absolutely adorable, don't you think? What I love most about this piece is its versatility. Incorporate black and whites for your newborn then update it later with fun color. Britt from Gus and Lula was gifted a Ten Photo Mobile, the structure the pinwheels are suspended from (available here), then used this pinwheel tutorial from Martha Stewart. Here are a few more images of this adorable mobile.
Stick & Origami Bird Mobile: I would have to refresh my origami skills but that shouldn't be difficult considering the vast number of websites devoted to such tutorials (see here). The natural feel of this DIY mobile gets me every time. What do you think, should I go with this option spotted over at Buy Modern Baby?
Fabric Circles Mobile: A little more traditional than the sleek, clean-lined paint stick mobile, this DIY from Sew She Sews (spotted on Design Dazzle) incorporates beading, fabric and ribbon. Of course I'd amend the colors and fabrics to suit our space, but this option definitely incorporates the most color and texture of all my favorites.
Join me as I transform a 100 sq. ft. room into a cozy nursery.
Nesting a Nursery series:
• Designing Our Baby's Room from Scratch
• My Nursery Planning Tools
• What Are Your Nursery Must-Haves?
• Using Online Inspiration To Help Define Your Nursery Style
• What Are Your Best Tips for Nursery Organization?
• Inspirations & Samples: A Modern Nursery
• Is a Rocker or Glider a Nursery Necessity?
• Horse Before the Cart: Start Your Nursery Design with Space Planning
• 10 Inspiring Patterned & Papered Nurseries
• Mixing High-Quality & Budget-Friendly Furnishings in Our Nursery
• Book Showers & Other Creative Ideas for Baby Showers
• Nursery Nevers: Products You'd Never Purchase Again
• Our Nursery's Artwork: Mixing New & Old
(Images: 1. Dana/House Tweaking 2. Britt/Gus & Lulu 3. Flickr user emmaliz via Buy Modern Baby 4. Sew She Sews)
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the Stick & Origami Bird Mobile. its calming and relaxing to look at and i think it would look great in a nursery.
I love all of them, but the stick one is the prettiest.
Also like the last one, those chunky beads would stand up for little grabby hands, too.
I love all of them, but the stick one is the prettiest.
Also like the last one, those chunky beads would stand up for little grabby hands, too.
Origami Birds is tranquil and soothing. The others are almost scary (I wouldn't want to sleep under one of them myself!) Go easy on the color there or you'll have an infant with nightmares.
Yellow is THE first color that interests newborns (I verified this with a picture book--she always wanted to linger over the big yellow bear lol). Pale creams and yellows might be really nice and appropriate.
Colorful fabric circles! It seems more interesting to stare up at.
Anything but the paint sticks!
This is a super cute mobile as well if you sew:
http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/
I had big plans to make it for my son's room but unwisely did not do it BEFORE he was born. I don't know who has time to sew after they have a baby.
I vote the origami/stick one as well (in brighter colors), though the fabric circles is super cute too.
@DEARMISHA, I made a treeful of those Spool birds for a mobile before my son was born, but despite repeated attempts, just could not get the mobile to balance. I'm sure there's a trick to it that I was (am) missing, but now they nest in a vase of branches in our living room. :)
@Ladynocturne: Thanks, good to know if I ever try it. I wonder if putting a weight in the tail would help?
Pinwheel.
I'm no help, but I'd recommend two: one for the crib and one for over the changing area to keep baby busy during changes.
My best friend made me a mobile like the stick and origami one, but she made the birds out of felt and stuffed them. It is unbelievably gorgeous.
I would say that with your main piece of art, the fabric circles would tie in better. Plus, this one would offer plenty of stimulation for both a newborn and an older baby.
stick and origami caught my eyes right away, I voted!
Paper Cranes! I've always wanted to DIY one of these!
I vote for the origami bids. They are charming and will also look appealing from the baby's perspective.
For an easier version of the fabric circles one, you could get a 2" hole punch and make the circles out of paper and glue them onto ribbons. I love that this one has so many interesting patterns and colors.
However, I have the 10 photo wire mobile and I love it. I've switched it up a bunch of times in the past year. Starting with black and white images, then some pastel birds, and now hot air balloons. I even dangled a bunch of lightweight toys and ornaments from it over the holidays. It's incredibly versatile. You could even do the fabric or paper pattern circles from it too.
As your baby grows up you could make the mobile match whatever they're little hearts are into at that moment... penguins, cars, spatulas, unicorns, glitter, kittens, school busses, baseball, whatever!
Fabric circles are beautiful, but a little cluttery when they are so close together, and the ribbon stripes show through. On the branch, with fishing line instead of ribbons, they would be more delightful to look at.
they all look like decorations, rather than interesting displays that the child can watch.
it should be uncluttered as the child stares up at it. there should be contrasting patterrns for earlier stages incorporated with color for later stages.
I made a version of fabric circles one (last picture), using pictures from a childrens book (I like the colours!), but I made it for myself...it's hanging in my bedroom. I used an embroidery holder and double sided tape. Oh yes, and I got the idea from AT. Time? It took less than 30 minutes.
Like most people, I voted for the stick & bird mobile. Purty.
That said, anything *but* number 1 would be lovely.
They are all very pretty, but I love the natural feel of the stick and origami birds. Also, you have to remember that your baby will be looking up at the mobile from below. The fabric circles and paint sticks both look great from an adult's perspective in the room, but your baby would end up looking mostly at the flat, narrow ends of either one. I think the birds' outstretched wings and the stick would make the most interesting view for a baby lying underneath.
I also think that the calming colours would set the right tone if it is going to be over a crib. Colourful, high-contrast mobiles are great for stimulation, but I'm not sure if they make the most sense if you are going to hang the mobile over the crib...
I love the origami birds!! I think they would also look really great hanging from the frame the pinwheels are on.
The Stick & Origami mobile.
THe origami mobile is super cute, but maybe with more colors ? It's not very interesting to look at for a baby, lacking both color and pattern. I'm thinking about making the same mobile for my daughter, but with more colors and patterns. That way, it'll be beautiful for both of us !
Origami mobile would be my choice since they remind me of the kind Japanese people and lucky cranes.
The Stick & Origami mobile.
I love seeing that someone else is doing the stick & origami bird mobile. Almost 4 years ago when I was expecting my first child I decided to create a mobile for my son's room using a piece of mesquite branch from a tree in our backyard and assorted magazine & craft paper to create the origami birds. I loved the result so much that when we discovered we were expecting a little girl I began collecting pretty pages from fashion magazines and the like. Now we are expecting our third child and the piece of backyard mesquite is already drying waiting for me to create a third. The best part about this DIY is that it is relaxing to create and wonderful to lay down under and watch the birds flutter around. 100% I vote go with this one!!!
why not choose a mobile that your child will thrive on, as opposed to one that is pleasing to your eye? I know we've talked alot on this blog about who a nursery is for...can we agree that the mobile is really for your child?
The Wimmer-Ferguson Infant Stim Mobile by Manhattan Toy is amazing! It's won numerous awards and you can change out the pics many times over. My daughter loved this so much I took to attaching it to her bouncy seat so it could come with us around our home.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009ZIKH/ref=asc_df_B00009ZIKH1956770?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B00009ZIKH&hvpos=none&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17591940441182645347&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
How funny! I just wrote about a mobile that I made: http://cubilewa.blogspot.com/2012/03/mobile-tn.html
But I must say origami birds on the stick are by far my favourite! And I do like them in neutral colors just like it's shown.
I made the last one for my daughter's nursery and it turned out awesome! Super easy to make, just time consuming to cut out a bunch of circles :)
I like the crane mobile! But maybe you could make the cranes out of some brighter colors. I think that that would be cute
Definitely the stick and origami... it's the only mobile that is interesting to look at from below... flat circles (and even pinwheels) don't look like much unless viewed from the side.
I like everything but the paint stick mobile, but I think the pinwheel mobile would function best as a mobile--swinging, moving, swaying, twirling, trembling, having the motion that mobiles ought to have.
I vote for the origami mobile... but I'm a little biased, since I'm the one who made it! :D
Here's the rest of the nursery, if anyone's interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emmaliz/sets/72157626915223486/