DIY Mobile

When I was decorating E's room, I kept seeing, and lusting after, those gorgeous (and expensive!) mobiles that are all over Etsy. I decided that I could make a reasonably cute one myself without spending a fortune. I thought it would be relatively temporary but little did I know that it would still be hanging more than a year later. He can reach it, but doesn't bother it at all.

So, here's what I did...

Supplies

Yarn

Embroidery hoop
Styrofoam balls

Acrylic paint

Big plastic needle (I'm not sure what they're actually used for, but you need something that will stab through the styrofoam balls)

Sponge paint brushes

It's a little time consuming, but it's easy:

1. Wrap the hoop with yarn. Wrap and wrap and wrap until there's no more hoop showing. 

2. Using the needle, string styrofoam balls, tying a knot under each ball to keep it in place on the string. If the needle is thin enough and the yarn is thick enough, the balls will pretty much hold themselves but I'd still add the knots for good measure. Leave a bunch of yarn at the top of each string of balls.  

3. Attach strings of balls to the hoop, tying all strings together to create the hanging part. This is a little complicated. I wrapped each string around the hoop and then brought all six of them together in a knot. Ultimately, there are six strings of yarn that go to the ceiling.

4. Paint the balls. The possibilities are endless! This took just one coat on each ball with a couple touch-ups at the end. The styrofoam paints surprisingly well. 

5. Hang and enjoy! 

Adjust the yarn so everything hangs evenly and use a Command hook to attach it to the ceiling. I have it hanging under a vent so it spins on its own when the heat or AC is blowing. Otherwise, a bit of a spin in one direction will make it unspin for a while. 

It was SO easy and the possibilities with different colors of paint and yarn are endless!