How To: Paper Dot Mobile

Mobiles are traditionally popular over cribs & in childrens rooms, but I have always thought they are so colorful and fun that they can (and should) be used anywhere in the house.  I love that they gently and quietly move in the breeze of the room.  I stumbled across a super cute paper mobile tutorial, and it inspired me to round up a few fun ideas & share them all with you. Whether over a crib or over a desk, these easy DIY mobiles bring a little fun wherever you need it:

Photo Credit: SmallShopStudio

 Above is what started it all. Isn't that great? Small, colorful, and easy to make yourself with relatively few supplies.  She joined the circles using split metal rings, which I had no idea you could buy! I'd always see them in the old capiz shell lanterns & imitiations, and wondered where I could get my hands on some. For the full tutorial, head over to Small Shop Studio. You'll also find a ton of other nursery ideas on that page, if that's what you're looking for.

The tutorial got me thinking of a variation in the technique.  If you don't feel like connecting the circles one by one with a ring, I imagine you could pull the sewing technique from many paper garland tutorials.  Like sew (ha!):

Photo Credit: Mattandshari.com

You achieve that by simply running your circles through the running sewing machine.  Seems a lot faster, but you do get the line down the middle. Which I don't mind! 

During my search, I found a few other ideas that I thought I'd share, while we're on the subject.  Take this tutorial:

So cute against that red wall! They put a bit more space between each dot, and looks also to be a tie-on situation.  The above full tutorial is available on the appropriately named blog: Polka Dots on Parade!

Here's an entirely different take, a look I haven't seen in a long time, waxed tissue paper:

The colors are so vivid! I remember experimenting with wax and tissue once when I was younger, and before this post I completely forgot about it.  Thankfully, the creator of this purple & orange beauty wrote up a fantastic tutorial, seen here on Green Wedding Shoes.  You can see the technique for stacking the dots horizontally, which is a lot easier than you'd think.   Another horizontal stacked mobile is this one, from Dwell Studios (and is for sale if you don't feel up to the project!):

That's everything for today, I am putting this project on my to-do list for the next house. I love the look, I love how easy it is to make, and especially how you can customize your own to make it match any decor.  The possibilities are endless too.  Card stock comes in almost all colors in existence, as does tissue paper - and don't get me started on all the possible shapes you can change this up with, we'd be here all day! So,  what do you think? Will you bring these fun mobiles into your home?  Have a relaxing weekend everyone!

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