With some effort and planning, you can make a Christmas mobile.
Mobiles are hanging, movable sculptures of either figures, objects or designs. Mobiles tend to be a series of tiered wires, strings and sculptures that uses chimes, ornaments, cutouts or anything a person wishes to hang. Mobiles are hung where they can move and turn, often where they catch a breeze or light. While mobiles can be complex, you can use the idea to make a beautiful, yet simple mobile with your family to be enjoyed during the Christmas season.
Instructions
1. Choose a plain wire hanger. Make sure the hanger wire is a heavyweight gauge wire that doesn't twist or bend easily. Choose a hanger that will not twist out of shape once you hang your designs on the wire.
2. Purchase red and green ribbon. Twist the red and green ribbon together. With tape, secure the ribbon at the end of the hanger hook. Start twisting the combined ribbon around the hook and down to where the neck divides. Twist the ribbon around the body of the hanger. You'll end back at the base of the neck of the hanger. Twist it around the neck a couple of times, secure it, and cut off the rest of the ribbon. You now have a hanger covered in Christmas red and green ribbon.
3. Plan what figures or designs will hang from your mobile. Make sure you have supplies on hand to make the designs. This may include paper, card stock, glue and/or tape, crayons, markers or paint, scissors, and a place to work. You will also need thin, flexible wire such as fishing line, thick string or yarn to hang the designs you create.
4. Find Christmas illustrations for whatever theme you choose. You and your family can also draw and color your own Christmas designs. If you create your own, do so on card stock and use both sides. Size them for your mobile. Print out two copies of each design you use from other sources. Cut out your designs. Paste your figures or designs on card stock with one copy on each side. Cut away what you do not wish as part of the design.
5. Create a Nativity mobile. Find graphics or illustrations of the manger, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and shepherds. You may wish to add an illustration of a sheep, a cow and a star as well. Decide how large you wish each figure to be. Attach on each side of the hanger a star on the top of the hanger with the manger sized to cover the body of the hanger. Since you'll be attaching these to the ribbon, use fabric glue or instant glue. Do not attach the manger to the bottom of the hanger, since each Nativity figure hangs from the bottom hanger wire. Decide how many figures you can hang without the mobile looking crowded. You can vary the length of the wire so the main figures hang close to the hanger, while other figures such as shepherds hang farther down on longer cords.
6. Hang your designs. Punch holes toward the top of your designs or figures. Fasten the cord, string, yarn or wire to both the designs and to the place on the hanger where you wish them to hang. As an example, on a Nativity mobile, baby Jesus should hang in the middle, close to the hanger, with Mary and Joseph on each side. Once you've attached all your figures or designs, find a place to hang your Christmas hanger mobile where it will catch a breeze and turn gently. You can even hang the whole hanger from a wire so the whole hanger turns.
