When I was prepping and decorating Bryce’s baby nursery, I knew I wanted to make my own mobile not only to save money versus buying one, but also so that I would have a custom mobile in the exact colors of his nursery. I originally pinned this tutorial, but I didn’t have a Cri-cut or a sewing machine, so my mother-in-law helped me out and we improvised on making our own version that doesn’t require any machines or special tools! Trust me- this is very do-able and affordable if you have the time…otherwise, plenty of folks on Etsy sell these for about $40 a pop. Would also make for a fantastic baby shower gift if you can stealthily figure out the nursery colors ahead of time!
It’s been a while since this was made (plus I’m a little sleep-deprived at the moment), but I think I captured the supply list accurately and included step-by-step instructions below. If they don’t make sense or if you have questions, post a comment on this post and I’ll do my best to answer it!
DIY Ombre Nursery Mobile for Baby
What you’ll need:
-8 sheets of chosen scrapbook paper, (I used 4 different colors, so two sheets of each color…you can also use paint swatches from the hardware store if you want to match it exactly to your nursery color scheme!)
-Fish line or clear jewelry string (I used unscented dental floss!)
-8″ embroidery hoop (or larger/smaller depending on your preference)
-Paint & brush (to paint the hoop)
-Glue
-Hook to secure mobile to your ceiling
–Optional: 1 inch circle punch (or just use a circular object to trace your circles i.e.- shot glass, baby bottle cap, etc.)
Directions:
1) Paint the embroidery hoop and let it dry completely.
2) Make your circles. If you don’t have a circle punch (which will save you lots of time), you can trace the circles using anything from a shot glass to a baby bottle cap to a half dollar or quarter. Using various sizes will give it a nice look, or you can make the circles uniform in size. Cut out the circles and sort by color. I made about 60-80 per color in various sizes (each strand had anywhere from 3-6 circles on it in each color.)
3) Cut your string to desired length. Since I hung my mobile from the ceiling, I made mine about 2.5 feet long for the strand section and used unscented dental floss since I was using white in my color scheme (you can always use fish line or clear jewelry string.) Make sure you allow for an extra couple of feet for securing to the embroidery hoop later as well.
4) Take each circle and match it to one in the similar size and color. Starting a couple feet down the string, sandwich the string between the circles down the middle and secure with a good super glue. Continue doing so until you finish the strand. I made 12 strands, with 3-6 circles in each color. Allow to dry.
5) At the top of each completed strand, take the excess string and weave it through the embroidery hoops to secure it. Space out each strand evenly around the hoop.
6) Pull the strings together above the embroidery hoop and knot them all together a few times at your desired length.
6) Cut off any excess string at the bottom of each strand.
7) Hang the mobile (I used a hook in the ceiling) and placed the knotted string in the hook.
And there you have it! A custom, DIY ombre mobile for your baby’s nursery!
Check out the full nursery tour here.
This turned out SO well! Thanks for sharing how you made it!