makin' it monday // paper bird mobile

i keep making room decor projects because i'm trying to decide exactly what i want and don't want in norah's room. remember the canvas quotes from a couple weeks ago? already took them down. it's not that i didn't like them, i just like this weeks project much better and that corner is the best spot for it. i made her a paper bird mobile out of some leftover invitations i had been holding on to from her first birthday party. i loved them so much and i didn't have the heart to just toss them, especially since i handmade each one! i've been keeping them for months, trying to decide what i could use them for. well i finally thought of the perfect project. here's what to do:

you will need: a large embroidery hoop (inner piece), felt, hot glue gun and extra glue, embroidery thread, scissors, and paper. 

i cut out the birds through both layers of the invitation, so i have a colorful bird and a matching kraft paper bird. if you aren't a paper hoarder like i am and you're starting this project from scratch just take these extra steps: draw or trace your bird onto the paper of your choice. align a second piece of paper behind the first sheet, and simply cut through both layers so you have two of each bird. it doesn't have to be birds either - use any shape, pattern, colors, etc. that you want. get creative! 

now you want to cut a piece of embroidery thread for each bird. for the nicest look, vary the lengths of each piece of thread so the birds are staggered when hanging.

add a small amount of glue to the bottom layer of your bird and press down the end of a piece of string. add more glue around the edges and place the second bird layer on top. 

repeat the gluing for each bird. using my example, your layers from bottom up would be kraft paper bird, glue and string, then colorful paper bird.

i chose to add one bird in the middle of the mobile. to do this, simply tie a separate string from one end of your hoop to the other, centering to your best ability. tie the end of the string attached to the bird to the middle of the new string you just tied to the hoop. again, use your best judgement when centering. you could use a ruler if you want, but i find it to be easier to just eyeball it.

now tie the rest of the birds to the hoop. i spaced mine out fairly evenly and also made sure to alternate short and long pieces. 

to cover the hoop, start by cutting your felt into 1/2 inch strips.

add a small amount of glue to the hoop, and press down the end of a piece of felt. then just wrap the rest of the strip around the hoop. i added an extra drop of glue near the middle of the strip and again at the end just to secure it. repeat this step until your hoop is covered. for me, it took about 5 1/2 felt strips.

your hoop is now finished! to hang it, i tied four equal length pieces of embroidery thread to four "corners" of the hoop (again, i didn't measure. i just eyeballed four evenly spaced places around the hoop and tied the string to it.) bring the four loose ends together and tie in a knot. before knotting, hold up the hoop and make sure it is balanced. if not, pull or loosen each string as needed so that the hoop is balanced and then tie. after that, i used a thumbtack to stick the mobile directly into the ceiling over our rocking chair. and you're done! enjoy!

close up of the birds

the finished product