Make a Mobile from Your Photographs

Each night as I tuck my daughter into bed, I tell her to count the good things in her life.  I then start the list for her as I back slowly out of the room and always include different things, but the following is a sample:

1. Daddy
2. cupcakes
3. dresses
4. friends
5. markers

So as we began the “28 Days of Design” featuring kids’ rooms on The Shopping Mama, I knew I wanted our monthly circle cutter craft to result in a project for my kids’ rooms.  I also knew that I wanted it to help them with counting the best things in life – family and friends.

Enter inspiration from, of all places, Sex and the City.  I remembered the mobile Miranda made for Brady so that he could see her when she had to be away at work.  Voila!  I found a ten-photo mobile at Target.com (also available on Amazon for under $10) and got to work.

The hanging photo clip mobiles.  I ordered two to do one for each child’s room.

For this Project you Need

1. photo/clip mobile
2. photos
3. colored/patterned paper
4. paper cutter
5. circle cutter
6. double-sided tape

How To Make a Photo Mobile

I started by selecting and printing photos. This was probably the longest and hardest part of the project.  Going through photos always makes me emotional and I stop to ponder, long for days gone by and smile.  Because I was going to cut the photos into circles, I had to be careful to make sure there was plenty of background to cut away.  I printed 4X6 photos and cut 3.5 inch circles from each one.  For a border, I cut paper that coordinates with their rooms in 4 inch circles.

Cutting the photos into circles using a small circle cutter.  Notice how the photo had plenty of background to trim away?

After cutting photos into 3.5-inch circles and room-coordinating paper into 4 inch circles, I adhered them together with double-sided tape.

Because I wanted preschool girl and toddler boy to be able to view the photos while lying down, I needed to adhere a tab to the back.  The tab can then be inserted into the clip and will allow the photo to hang horizontally.

To make the tab, I simply cut 3-inch strips of paper and folded them in half.  Then I fanned out the two ends and attached them to the back of the photo circle using double-sided tape.

To make the tabs, cut strips of paper with a paper cutter or scissors.

Fold the paper in half.

Fold out the ends of the paper so they will lie flat when attached.

Attach to the back of the photo with double-sided tape.

Preschool girl’s completed mobile.

I had so much fun making this project and love the mobiles hanging in toddler boy and preschool girl’s rooms.  His hangs above his changing table (did you read Malia’s post about crib safety?) and hers is above her bed, now in a sea of hanging butterflies and flowers (but more about that in another post).