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How To Make A Nursery Mobile

Wanna see a pregnant lady in a crib? Boom, there it is.

Mobile1

Yes, this is a story all about how my life got twist turned upside down I made our little man a mobile. It’s kinda rustic (it’s made from a manzanita branch) and kinda modern (there are fun circles in a bunch of colors and sizes that hang down at different lengths) and most of all it makes me smile. Is it weird that hanging this actually made me feel more ready to have the little guy in my arms? Like “OK, the mobile’s up – now the baby party can start.”

Mobile11

Much like the mobile I made for Clara’s room (that one was comprised of little floral orbs made from wire, faux flowers, and glue)…

Nursery Mobile Detail

… this one was pretty simple to put together. Clara even helped!

Mobile10

First I dragged my decorative manzanita branch out of the storage room (what? everyone doesn’t have a decorative manzanita branch standing by? well, that needs to be remedied). It was sold by West Elm a few years ago, so it has been bleached and debarked and it’s nice and solid – so there’s no worry of anything flaking off like old bark and falling into the crib. I thought leaving it this raw color would be a nice counterpart to the colorful round disks I wanted to add. As for the dangly strands, I had two paper banners from Target that I picked up for $2.18 on clearance a few months ago without any earthly idea of what I’d eventually use them for.

Mobile3

Once the mobile idea popped into my head, well, they seemed perfect. Except of course they were colors/patterns that didn’t really fit into the nursery scheme thus far. But it wasn’t anything a little craft paint couldn’t solve. So I laid them out on a few old cereal boxes from our recycling bin and Clara had fun helping me paint them. They needed two coats to cover those patterns underneath, but it was pretty easy to get done – even with a wiggly three year old assistant. Mostly it was one of those we-both-hold-the-brush-so-we-don’t-get-paint-all-over-the-strings projects, but she has a lot of pride over the mobile she made for “her baby” and it was a fun thing to do with her.

Mobile4

While those freshly painted circles were drying, I realized they probably wouldn’t be enough to fill out the entire branch (even if I snipped them into smaller 25″ strands). So I broke out some white embroidery floss and decorative paper. Using a few round items around the house I traced multiple versions of three similarly sized circles to the ones in the pre-made banners onto craft paper in similar colors to the paint I used. For the smallest circles I used the base of the craft paint that was still out on the table, the middle ones were from tracing the bottom of another slightly larger bottle I had, and the biggest circles were from the base of a small cup. Then I just cut them out, making sure I had an even number of each.

Mobile5

The even number was important since I used them to sandwich my white embroidery string with some Aleen’s Tacky Glue. Just pressing them together over the string after dabbing them with some glue dots seemed to do the trick, and I spaced them by eye, using the spacing of the Target banners as my guide (those were around two inches apart).

Mobile6

I made each strand around 25″ long, just like the pre-made banners that I had snipped apart to make sections of that length. When everything was dry, it was time to tie them firmly onto the branch at different increments for a nice dangly effect. I hung the branch over the back of two chairs so there was room for my strands to dangle while I tied them on, and I just randomly spaced them so they were all slightly different widths from each other.

Mobile7

At this point Clara was over the project and happily putting stickers on the window nearby (that’s a really nice look from the curb, by the way), but Burger did mosey on over for a peek as I went.

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On the topic of hanging things over a crib, we’re definitely paranoid with a side of neurotic. For example, in Clara’s nursery we hung a mirror over her crib, but we actually drilled directly through the frame in multiple places to secure that thing to the wall so tightly that even John couldn’t yank it off the wall – even though it was out of Clara’s actual reach.

So although this mobile weighs a fraction of a pound, we relied on three heavy duty brass plated plant hooks (they each support 10+ lbs and have extra long screws so we could be sure they were either hitting a ceiling beam – two of them did – or a heavy duty anchor that we added) along with extra strong fishing wire that’s almost invisible, so it looks like it’s floating. We just knotted the fishing wire to the branch in three spots that needed some support (both ends and the triangular middle branch area) and connected them to the plant hooks that we secured to the ceiling, directly above those points. And that’s how this pregnant lady found herself chilling in a crib.

Mobile1

I really loved this way of hanging it since it’ll always be out of baby’s reach (this method makes it really easy raise if we ever think it’s within grabbing distance – although once the baby is more mobile we’ll drop the mattress so it’ll be even further away).

Mobile9

It’s amazing how much sweeter the crib feels now. Like it’s saying “bring on the baby!”

Mobile2

Once we got it hanging there was a split second where I wished it was a little bigger, just to fill up that wall more, but it’s almost three feet wide and around 16″ deep and 25″ long, so if it was any bigger the function of it might hinder us since it’s a real-life 3-D object that’s hanging there (we feared we’d hit our heads on it every time we leaned into the crib if it were much bigger). So after staring at it for a while I’ve come to peace with its size.

Mobile15

John actually ordered two samples of Spoonflower wallpaper that he thinks could be fun to further fill out that wall between the built-ins (a complete surprise to me!) so maybe we’ll end up layering in some sort of interesting color or backdrop behind the mobile. It takes 12 business days to arrive, so I can’t wait to get it. Might be a total “nope that would look crazy” moment, or something that we’re both enamored with, so we’ll keep you posted. We’ve also talked about some sort of accent color with paint, just between those two built-ins, so we’re definitely open to seeing where this thing goes.

Either way, it’s pretty cool to see a room that used to look like this…

Nursery Before

… looking more like this these days.

Mobile14

As for what’s left on the list in here, there are just a few outstanding items.

  • possibly tweak the wall behind the crib with wallpaper or some sort of accent color
  • add an overhead light on a dimmer (nothing’s there at all right now)
  • redo the closet for little clothes (paint it, add a second hanging bar or some cubby storage, etc)
  • finishing touches (some other small art/accessories, etc)
  • just add baby

It’s nice to be in the home stretch! Both for this pregnancy (I’m still having morning sickness at 33 weeks) and for the room. Most of all we’re just excited to meet the little guy who’s doing the macarena in my tummy right now. I think he’s a very good dancer.

Oh and since a few readers have passed along an awesome tip about making sure to look at a mobile from below to check that it’s interesting from that point of view, here’s what the bun will see when he glances up. Little spinning slices of color and a nice branchy background. Although I don’t think his eyes will focus that high up for a little while…

Mobile 12

I contemplated adding something facing him to the bottom of each strand (ex: a small animal-shaped piece of paper that would look flat from the side, but read easily from his in-the-crib perspective) but since his bedding has elephants marching all over it, I wondered if it might be more soothing to just see some dancing disks. We’re definitely open to evolving this little creation as he grows though. So if he’s really into some sort of creature (remember how much Clara got into worms and dragons?) I can work those in later. Just don’t want to stimulate him too much since it’s a spot for sleep.

And just because it might be more fun to see a grown man lying in a crib than a pregnant lady standing in one, there’s this:

Mobile1

Is anyone else making mobiles? Or putting the last few touches on a different room that you’ve been working on? What about hanging out in cribs? I’m telling you, it’s kind of a good time.

Psst- Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button: 

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Comments

  3. Ashley says

    Any plans to put a fan anywhere in baby’s room? I know you added a vintage-y (right?) table fan to Clara’s room. Ceiling fans aren’t really the most stylish, but that’s what we ended up doing in both the nursery and our room (where baby actually still sleeps). We run them both all year long.

    Reply

  4. Bree says

    This is beautiful!! The built-ins are almost exactly what I want for my master bedroom!
    May I ask what the dimensions of this room are?

    Reply

  6. Lauren says

    A long horizontal mirror on the wall behind the crib would also look good! It would add interest without detracting from that aaaammaaaaaaazing mobile. It would even reflect it, and really the only thing better than one manzanita mobile is TWO manzanita mobiles.

    That photo of John also warranted a coffee-in-the-nose-snort-laugh. Hilarious!

    Reply

  7. karen l says

    you guys crack me up. I would have moved the crib out of the way and perched my creaky old self on a step ladder!
    Thanks for keeping it real – great job.

    Reply

    • KathyG says

      I had the same thought – why are they in the crib instead of on a ladder?! LOL Probably because the ladder was alllll the way downstairs, right? Word of advice from someone who has a two story…get a nice step ladder and a few of the same tools you use all the time – and keep a stash upstairs somewhere.

  10. Tardevil says

    Love the colors you chose for the mobile. The photo from the baby’s perspective reminded me of a trip to the OB’s or dentist office where they put pictures on the ceiling. You could always add a mirror on the ceiling. ;o) And pink champagne on ice for after the arrival. ;o)

    Reply

  11. julia says

    Ever since you started the built ins, I’ve been thinking that you should do stikwood panels behind the crib. They sell them at west elm and they are basically a reclaimed wood look. They come either painted or in natural wood tone. I think either a wood tone or washed in the same color as your wall paint would look awesome. I think it would add nice rustic texture and interest to that space behind the crib without competing with the colorful mobile. I had to share my idea since I couldn’t get it out of my head. I also agree with the previous poster that I didn’t “get” the curtains at first, but they look great now with the mobile and other shades of green sprinkled around the room.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That sounds really charming! The funny thing is that in the first nursery list we said “slatted wood wall between the built-ins) but once they went up we worried that all those horizontal drawers & shelves + horizontal slatted wood = too much. Will have to check out the stuff at West Elm though! Sounds cool!

      xo
      s

  12. Sara says

    SO stinkin’ cute! I love that you two were both in the crib. So funny. I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of those pictures when he is Clara’s age.

    Still dealing with morning sickness?! So sorry! Hang in there, mama. You will be holding him soon! :)

    Reply

  13. Larissa says

    I haven’t read the post yet because I just had to comment that I have always thought it was “how my life got flipped turned upside down”. I love seeing and hearing what other people make of lyrics!

    Reply

    • Larissa says

      Now that I’ve actually read and looked at pictures, I love it!! Definitely inspiring the room my kids will be sharing soon.

      For what it’s worth, I had severe all day sickness pretty much my entire pregnancy and my girl turned out to be an amazing eater. I have no clue if those things are related, but it’s better than gall-bladder surgery.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So interesting about the good eater thing. Clara was a pretty good one and I was sick with her for longer than normal, but it went away by 18 weeks. No idea why this is still going, but it might end up being the whole time at this point.

      xo
      s

    • Kristen says

      I’m also on the ‘flipped turned’ train! When I saw twist turned, I went “wait what? was I wrong all these years?!”

  14. gemma@thesweetestdigs says

    I love it Sherry! It adds a nice pop of fun and colour to that space. The room is coming together beautifully – a nice mix of sophisticated and quirky.

    The mobile you made is a bit of a mash up between the two that I have made before:

    This dot one out of paint chips:http://thesweetestdigs.com/2012/07/09/the-diy-files-a-paint-chip-mobile/

    And this cloud/raindrop one from a branch: http://thesweetestdigs.com/2013/07/08/project-nursery-a-diy-raindrop-mobile/

    Reply

  15. Linda Williamson says

    The whole nursery is really coming along! We’re due with our second in April, and you’re making me realize that I need to kick our preparations into high gear!

    Question: where did you get that changing pad cover? I prefer less “traditional” colors like you get at most stores, but I have a hard time finding unique covers.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      A changing pad cover is actually still on our list (that’s just a green piece of fabric I slipped over it, mentioned in this post). Will keep you posted when I hopefully find/make something that works though! And good luck with your nursery and little one on the way :)

      xo,
      s

    • Lindsay says

      Land of Nod has some nice interesting/graphic/bright ones that I recently fell for HARD. Though be warned – they’re made to fit their own line of changing pads, which are NOT the standard size. So they’d be no good if you don’t also need the pad.

    • Paula says

      Thanks for posting the tutorial Richelle — I am a very beginner seamstress (I sew straight lines, sort of) but just made 2 of these in about 2 hours — much cuter and MUCH cheaper than anything I found in stores! I used flannel from Joann on sale for $2.99/yd so each one came out under $5!

  18. Tiffany says

    Loved your line of it might be more fun to see a grown man lying in a crib than a pregnant lady standing in one! Made me laugh out loud! You both have so many gifts- thanks for sharing them with us all! The room, the mobile, they are just adorable. My children are getting older, so it is a lot of fun to watch you grow your family! It is a precious time and goes by too quickly!

    Reply

  20. Liesel says

    LOVE this room! Especially the curtains, and now the mobile is so cool. I know I’m somebody random from the internet, so you don’t have to listen to mt, but in my opinion (and for my taste) it’s all too matchy-matchy. If you added a thing or two that was totally outside the green/blue/neutral color scheme, it would make it more interesting and visually pleasing. Just a patterned pillow, or art. I know you’re not finished, and when he moves in (ha!) he will have clothes, etc…that will add other colors, but that’s all my 2 cents :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, I have some pops of orange/red on the changing table wall (and the built ins) and love those little splashes – just to break out of the green + wood + blue thing. When we completely finish up we’ll share tons of pics from all angles for ya ;)

      xo
      s

  22. schmei says

    A) I will admit I felt a tiny bit jealous of John in the crib, because the whole room is so relaxing I would be tempted to take a little nap right there if it was me.

    B) So sorry you’re still hurling, Sherry! The barnacle had better be really easygoing, for everything he’s putting you through.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Here’s hoping! I would even take a hard baby but a more chill birth experience than Clara’s – so I’m just wishing for a nice non-eventful meet-the-bun experience.

      xo
      s

  23. Diana says

    I really love how the entire nursery has turned out! The built-ins, the hacked expedit, the colors, and now the mobile….it’s hard to pick a favorite! Love it all!

    Reply

  25. Kristen says

    I love the mobile, I think it really ties in all the greens and now the curtains make sense (I really didn’t like them until now) BUT please move the mobile over the changing table, all those strings over the crib are a terrible idea, the first thought that came to mind was strangulation hazard. In fact the CPSC says to never hang anything using string over a crib and other safety sites say no strings over 7 inches should be used near the crib. I don’t think it’s worth the slight risk and having a mobile over a changing table actually works great to keep squirming down while changing. I know the bike prints are there now but safety should come before design. I also know unsolicited advice from strangers is tiresome but I just had to mention the obvious concern.

    Reply

  26. Shelley says

    Seeing John laying in that crib made me laugh out loud! Hu-lare-ee-us!! Love the mobile. Very cute!

    Off topic~I received the Shades of Light catalog yesterday and noticed your fixture on the front page. Very cool! Do you have any of your light fixtures in your current house?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We sold all of our fixtures with our last house, so we didn’t bring any with us, but we’d love to work a few in. Feels weird to put them everywhere, but in a few spots we’d love to include them. We also have a few that we’re working into the showhouse, so we’re really excited to see how they look in there!

      xo
      s

  27. Diana says

    I can’t be the only one who immediately flashed back to sue the napkin when I saw that pic of the circles? Lol. It looks fabulous. And u do too btw. Pregnancy looks good on u :)

    Reply

  29. Katrina says

    I’m happy to see the light with dimmer got added to your list. It was the best decision we made in improving the function of our little boy’s room. It’s still being used almost 2 years later!

    Reply

  30. Jackie says

    This looks great! I do agree that it doesn’t fill up the space enough. Have you guys considered adding a subtle stencil pattern to the accent wall? I think something graphic but in a similar color to the paint already there would look good. Can’t wait to see what you guys come up with!

    Reply

  34. Hannah Kennedy says

    I love the room! My sons is a similar color scheme. Greens and blues are my favorite. My little one will be 1 in a week but I am planning to make him a new mobile based on this idea. Is that crazy?

    We also did the changing table on top of a dresser but we built a topper that the pad fits into with two smaller areas for wipes and diapers.

    Beautiful job as usual!

    Reply

  35. Annette says

    Love it! So very pretty.

    If at some point, you want to make the colors a little more visible for him, you could add some 3D-Shapes.

    Like origami-balloons. These can be seen from either the side or the bottom. They are not that hard, I learned how to do them when I was ten or so and still know it by heart.
    Here’s a pretty good tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSMLk_zGzf4
    You can maker big and small ones, depending on paper size.

    Reply

  36. B says

    Great mobile! The colors definitely tie the scheme together more. I’ve been on the “accent color in between the built-ins” bandwagon since the beginning, so I’m eager to see where you land. Spoonflower has some awesome patterns too – that might be an even better option than a solid paint accent. Looking forward to your decision!

    Reply

  37. Dani says

    It was probably inadvertent, but I like that it has sort of a “rain” look, which ties in well with Clara’s room. Love how it is all coming together!

    Sorry that you are still feeling sick, that’s a bummer!

    Reply

  39. Traci says

    I’ve been checking back here to see the mobile you had planned come into realization. I love the mix of rustic and modern, and the colors and circles, especially! So original and quirky fun. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

    Reply

  40. Brittney Everett says

    I’m not pregnant or planning to be for about a year, but I started making a mobile almost a year ago that is very similar to this! I used paint chips in the specific colours I want and used my scrapbook tools to cut them into 3 different sized circles. I figure why not have it done before I get pregnant and it doesn’t take up much room as just paper and string for now!

    Reply

  43. Carrie S G says

    This is absolutely, hands-down, the cutest boy nursery I’ve ever seen! Great job guys, and it gives me some ideas for my girl’s rooms too.

    One thing that I get concerneda about every time I see the crib and built-ins… I only have girls who were and are happily contained in their cribs — but I have several nephews who wanted to climb & jump from the minute they could pull themselves up. Will you be moving the crib to a perpendicular position (to the wall) if baby P decides he might want to attempt a jump to the built-ins?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, that’s the plan! In a lot of angled pics it looks a lot closer to the built-ins than it really is (there’s room for a twin bed long-ways between the bookcases, so there’s around 15″ between the crib and the built-ins on each side). But if we worry our little man is becoming a trapeze artist we’ll definitely spin it the other way!

      xo
      s

  44. Amanda M. says

    Cute! BTW, What crib is this? There is no way ours would hold either of us; it’s quite old and rickety. We are about ready to transition to a big girl bed, but if we have another baby I’d like to have a new option in mind.

    Reply

  45. Constance says

    I know you’ve heard this before, but you guys are freaking talented. Looking at that before & after and knowing that you both did everything yourselves — I have fantasies about buying a house and doing what two have done, but I also am very self-aware that I just don’t have the craftiness in me. I have the “let me buy these fancy showroom pieces and put them togther into something beautiful” interior design tendency, but not the DIY magic. It’s awesome. Well done.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      You’re so sweet Constance. And you’d be surprised what you have in you if you just play around and use trial and error and see where things go. Our first house took us 4.5 years to do (and our first few years of stuff were… uh… not great) but slowly and surely, we got there!

      xo
      s

  46. Maureen says

    I love it! I think once those light fixtures are up on either side, it will fill the space up even more, and the mobile will look perfect proportionate. :)

    Reply

  47. Sarah says

    The room looks colorful, fun, and beautiful for your new baby boy-on-the-way! You will all love spending time in there with him!

    Reply

  48. Jess says

    I love it! I love it so much that now I’m browsing the internet for paper garland to make my own mobile for a baby I don’t have yet! Ha! Maybe my 19 month old would appreciate it?

    You mentioned a while back that John was going to build shelves for barnacle similar to what he built for Clara. Is that still in the works, or did creating the built-ins fulfill that goal?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think since he made the built-ins and wrapped the expedit with wood he has felt like there are a lot of daddy-constructed touches in the room, but if we had room for more shelves I bet he’d make them. Maybe in the closet? Not sure if we have a spot for any…

      xo
      s

  49. Katie says

    Are you guys still planning on paiting the closet door green or was that project already completed and blogged about? I will have to scroll back a few pages and check it out! :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Now that the room came together a little more we realized that the bold curtains + all the colors on the Expedit make the white door between those two things sort of soothing. In Clara’s room we had a white wall, white bed, and white canopy going on, so the door color was a fun way to break things up – but now we think we prefer a white closet door in here after all! Might add some color to the closet itself though, so when the door’s open there’s some playfulness going on in there :)

      xo
      s

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