If you want to brighten up your home, enhance your baby’s environment, give the kids something to do, or just create something a bit different, mobiles are a great choice. This article is not designed to tell you how to make a particular mobile. Rather, it will cover some of the purposes of making a mobile, the importance of balance, and a few ideas to spark your imagination.

So why would anyone want to make a mobile? I think one of the main reasons is that they simply make a change from a picture hanging on the wall. Mobiles also add 3-D appeal and can make a boring space in a room look interesting. Mobiles are also used as positive Feng Shui elements as they move and disperse energy. Fish mobiles are particularly popular as a feng shui helper. Babies and children are fascinated by mobiles. Having something to focus on that moves is vital for young babies.

The most important thing in creating a mobile is getting the balance right. With the simplest kind of mobiles this is not so much of an issue, but for complex arrangements that use a variety of weights, how the mobile moves and hangs will depend on getting that balance right. What you choose as a basis for your mobile will often depend on its purpose and the things you want to focus on. If you are creating a simple mobile using natural objects, or perhaps something ceramic then natural timbers or twigs would fit appropriately with your theme. For kids rooms, or even classrooms things like parasols, umbrellas and even fishing nets can make a great base to hang your creations from. Aluminum tubing can give a clean modern look to a mobile. It really comes down to thinking about your framework, or hanging mechanism enhancing and connecting with what you are hanging.

Here are some quick ideas to whet your appetite.

Dream catchers: In many respects a simple mobile as they only need a simple thread to hang by. Use leather strips, crystals, feathers, stones for an exciting and beautiful creation.

Crystals and prisms are great for catching sunlight too. A simple crystal mobile of colored glass looks beautiful in a sunny kitchen.

The natural look: You, or your kids, can make beautiful mobiles from natural found objects. Why not take those shells, starfish, and driftwood you collected from that special beach holiday and make them into a beautiful mobile that is always there as a reminder?

Whirly gigs: These are a great cheap way to make a mobile for your baby. Use black and white stripes and patterns from simple cardboard. Cut them into spirals that whirl and twirl in a gentle breeze to help your newborn focus.

Take your mobiles outside with an interesting bird feeder. Use ceramics or natural materials, along with wooden beads that the birds can play with.

A mobile can add interest and pleasure in almost any room, or outdoors. Play around a little and bring focus to those boring empty areas of space. Mobiles are easy to make and what you can create is limited only by your imagination.

Jonathan Pitts

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