This was so easy to make that I had to share. It costs nothing because you can make it with things you have at home and a stick from outside! Tobe got the stick from the edge of a beaver dam during our walk a few weeks prior. We decided to make it into a crib mobile - a fun project while we waited impatiently for his sister to arrive. Turns out it is one of my favorite baby items.
You will need:
1 medium size stick
1 dozen egg shells (Save egg shells from breakfast. When you crack the eggs, gently uncap only a small apical piece. Have a few extras incase you break some while handling.)
1 dozen cardboard cutouts in any color and shape of your choosing
Jute twine
Extra large (heavy coat size) sewing needle
Black paint (Kids washable craft paint will work.)
Old metal hanger
Small hand saw
Small hand drill
Wood glue
4 small nails
Hammer
Pliers
Method:
Rinse out the egg shells and let dry.
Paint any design you like on the eggs and let dry.
Cut the stick into 2 equal parts.
Cut a notch in the middle of both sticks so that they both fit and nestle into each other. Apply wood glue and let dry.
Drill a hole in the middle. The hole needs to be big enough for 2 loops of the metal hanger to pass through it.
Using a plier, straighten the metal hanger and cut a 12-16 cm portion off. Bend it into a hoop, pass the bottom portion through the drilled hole in the stick. Bend the wire to lock it around the stick. This holds and suspends the mobile.
Apply a nail to each corner of the stick. Leave a generous amount of the nail sticking out. This will serve as a stopper and prevent your strings from sliding off the stick.
Poke a hole at the bottom of each eggshell using the big needle. Tap the uncracked end of each eggshell gently with the hammer. Be delicate here.
9. Thread the twine through the needle.
10. Tie a big knot and thread the egg shells and cardboard cutout through the twine using the needle. You will need a knot for each eggshell or cardboard cutout you thread. This keeps them in place.
11. You will need at least 4 strings to hang off of each end of the mobile. You can use more. You just have to make each end of the stick balanced. I used seven strings; the shortest one in the middle, two on one opposite end, and one on the other opposite end. The important thing is to keep the elements balanced in weight.
12. After threading each string make a big loop at the end. Slide this loop over the end of the stick and past the stopper nail to hang the string. Do this for all the strings.
13. You are now done! Enjoy your mobile. Here's a video of the finished product and how whimsical it looks while moving.