Mobiles can be a fun, whimsical way of telling someone you love them and are thinking of them. Today I will teach show you all about how to make your very own mobile for yourself or to give to someone you love.

What exactly is a Mobile?

I’m not really sure about the origins of mobiles or what their true purpose is, but basically it is a type of hanging art sculpture. The easiest ones can be made by tying something to a string and then hanging it from somewhere.

The Components of a Mobile

Building a mobile is relatively easy. Each mobile has these 3 basic components:

1. Hanging Wire: You can choose just about anything to use as the wire for your mobile. Yarn, strong thread, rope, jewelry wire, cable, etc will all work fine. Just be sure that the hanging wire/thread you choose is strong enough to hold the weight of the items you will be hanging from it. You will need anywhere from 4-6 feet of it, depending on how many strands you decide to do and how long you decide to make it.

2. Base: The base of the mobile is what the strands hanging from it will attach to. While you could make a single strand mobile without a base, most mobiles have more than 1 strand. Your base can be made out of anything - the lid from a coffee can, an old wire hanger, cardstock, plastic bottle, etc.

3. Hanging Items: This is the meat and potatoes of the mobile and what makes it unique. You can choose anything from cutting things out of paper or magazines, photos, small toys, small trinkets, recycled items and more.

How to Make Your Own Hanging Mobile

Depending on what materials you’ve decided to use, making a mobile can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. I’ll show you how to make an easy one using a hanger, paper, and string.

1.Download/Open my PDF file of cut-out hearts. Print out onto a color of cardstock of your choice.2. Cut out the hearts with scissors. Use a hole punch to put a hole at the top of each heart. If you want, you can write romantic phrases or reasons you love someone on the hearts, though it is not a requirement.

3. Take a piece of string that is anywhere between 6 and 10 inches long. Tie one end of the string through the hole in the heart and knot.

4. Now that the hearts are attached to the string, tie the other end of the string to the bottom of the hanger. If your strings are sliding around, you can use glue. (Just make sure you allow for the glue to dry!)

5. Hang your mobile somewhere and enjoy

While my mobile is absolutely simple, you can copy the same basic technique to make a nice mobile gift for someone you know using other common household items.