DIY hanging decoration

 

When I designed my daughter's nursery, I wanted something to hang above her changing table that would look beautiful in the room and give her something to enjoy for the many diaper changes I knew were in her future. The cherry blossom branch with butterflies ended up being one of her favorite things!
 
I wanted my friend's new baby to have the same enjoyment on the changing table, so with a stick, some tissue paper, string and cardstock, I made a cute cloud dripping with stars.

Find a branch you love at the craft store - or in your back yard - and get creative. These are for decorative use only though, so please don't place this above a crib or anywhere a baby is unattended. But since you will always have a hand on baby while changing her, above a changing table is the perfect spot!

Hanging decorations are so fun to make! And don't just think of them for in a nursery or bedroom. They make perfect party decor! How cute would a group of these be with raindrops dripping from the clouds at a baby or bridal shower?! Use your imagination. The sky - or ceiling's - the limit!




Here's how I crafted the cloud mobile:

  

After painting a fallen branch with light gray craft paint, I attached some white ribbon so that I could hang the finished product on a hook from the ceiling. If you don't want to use a stick, you could also use a dowel from the craft store.
 

Now to turn tissue paper into a cloud. Remember folding paper into a fan when you were a kid? Time to brush up on those skills! Simply stack 8 to 10 pieces of tissue paper together, fold the paper like an accordion and then tie some wire around the middle to secure it. (White bread bag twisty ties work perfectly for this!)

 

You can vary the look of the finished pom pom 

by how you cut the ends, but since I was going for a cloud look, 

I rounded them. Then just start pulling the layers apart 

and fluffing them. Pretty, right?!

Now, for a little stardust! Since the uniformity was important for this, I invested in a star punch, but I have used it so many times since then, so I have more than gotten my money's worth! Remember that New Year's Eve party my daughter and I threw? Check it out HERE if you missed it! I used it a LOT for that!

When the stars are ready, arrange them in the order
you want them and tape one piece
of string down through a row of stars, securing each star to it.
To make things easier, tape the top of each piece of string
to the table you are working at so you can pull
on the other end for some resistance when taping the stars.

 Next, dot each star with white glue
and place a second star on top to sandwich in the string.

 After the rows have dried completely, 

knot the string to the branch before securing 

the pom poms.

 That's it! Screw a hook into the ceiling, hang and enjoy!! 

Check back in a few months to see the decoration 

I am making for above my son's changing table!

 I am so excited and can't wait to see how it turns out!