We mentioned in an earlier post that we found inspiration for our nursery mobile at a small shop called Lucy & Co. After chatting with the designer behind the yellow butterfly mobiles, we learned the concept was simple: floral wire, fabric butterflies and glue. That got us thinking about alternatives to butterflies for a soft, floating mobile above our baby girl’s changing area. John suggested bees—after all, they were on our wedding invitations—but we decided bees might be a little too scary for a nursery. Instead, we chose small yellow and pink faux blooms that would complement our soft green and aqua palette.
We picked up two large bunches of faux hydrangea—one yellow and one pink—on sale and some silver floral wire. With supplies in hand, we settled in on the couch and started shaping three wire orbs while watching TV. The process was trial and error: we began with loops to set the diameter, then added more wire to build each shape into a three-dimensional sphere. Burger watched our progress with half-closed eyes as we adjusted and reworked the frames.
We ended up with three airy, slightly haphazard orbs—one large (beach-ball size), one medium and one about the size of a cantaloupe. A few wire ends were left feathering out to enhance the light, whimsical look once the flowers were attached. (We later removed the larger wire loop handles and created smaller, less obvious loops for hanging.)
Next came the tedious but satisfying work of removing individual faux blooms from their stems. This part was great for doing practically on autopilot while watching another show. Each bloom had a hollow nub at the back where it had attached to the stem.
John suggested cutting each nub vertically about a centimeter with an X-Acto knife, creating a forked prong that could be dabbed with glue and slipped over the wire. That simple modification allowed each blossom to grip the floral wire long enough for the glue to set. We used Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue since it’s non-toxic and water-based—good qualities for nursery projects. We glued the blooms on in random clusters to achieve a natural, unstructured look.
With the spheres covered in blooms, John drilled small pilot holes in the ceiling and installed three white ceiling hooks. Using the drill made installing the hooks much easier and ensured a secure mount. We suspended each orb with white sewing thread and adjusted the lengths until the arrangement looked balanced from across the room. The nearly invisible thread makes the orbs appear to float, which was the light, airy effect we were aiming for.
We intentionally staggered the heights and kept the sizes slightly different so each sphere would feel unique and keep the display visually interesting. The thin threads are hard to see, giving the installation a whimsical, suspended quality, and the little wire offshoots add a sweet, organic touch that casts pleasant shadows on the wall.
Rather than hanging the trio over the crib, we placed them above the changing pad on our refinished dresser to fill a blank wall. We already have a mirror over the crib that reflects light and serves as an interesting shape for Baby P to gaze at. Our mobiles sit a bit high and slightly off-center for now because we have further plans for that wall—more on that later.
We also wanted to show how we secured the changing pad to the dresser using the included screw-and-snap system. A stout screw with a large snapback attaches to the dresser where you want the pad to sit, and the pad snaps onto those points to remain firmly in place. We used one snap at each end so the pad is secure and practically wiggle-proof.
On the dresser we also have a small blue Deco Breeze fan. Good air circulation in the nursery can increase comfort, and many parents find a fan helps with safe sleep. The fan complements the aqua ceiling, chandelier and printed curtains, and it can be aimed toward the crib when needed.
That’s how we made a simple three-sphered floral mobile and secured the changing pad with minimal hardware. The changing pad cover and our organic aqua crib sheets came from the same source, and both were good values. Have you made a mobile before? Any tips or safety ideas for changing-table setups? We’d love to hear your suggestions and experiences.