Baby-Related Crafts

High-Contrast black and white mobile -- Updated with 8 new shapes!

Black and white (greyscale) shapes:
Color shapes:
Outline only shapes:
Star (for hanging)

You've probably read about the benefits of having high-contrast decor for your newborn, but might have been put off by the purchase price of some commercial products... Or maybe you just felt like making your own! You can make a mobile with these shapes, or just cut them out and tack them to the wall or ceiling, or use them to make a collage for your baby to look at in the car (glue shapes to cardboard or fabric, pin to seat in front of baby). [Actually, since you end up printing 4 of each individual shape and only use 3 for the simple mobile, you can do both the mobile and the car collage!] there are black & white and color versions. Be warned: these take a lot of ink, so I also put up some that are just outlines of each shape. You can print these out and color them yourself in whatever colors you like!

Materials needed:

• Two copies each of desired shapes (click at right for large, printable versions)
  • PDF versions: Black and white (311 K), Color (348 K), Outline (337 K)
• Cardboard, either corrugated from a box, or brown from a cereal box; or, if you want to get really fancy, foam board (I used the sticky-sided kind for the mobile in the picture below)
  • For the simple version, you'll need about two 8.5 x 11" sheets' worth of cardboard.
  • If you make the "involved" version, you will need about four sheets' worth.
  • Or, you can print the shapes on cardstock -- this is sufficient in non-humid areas.
• Glue: I like "Mod Podge" type products, as you can spread them really quickly with a foam brush. Any white glue is fine, though; double-sided tape would work well, too. If you're in a hurry, staples are fine!
• Scissors, or craft knife and straightedge ( the latter is faster but more dangerous!); if you have some kind of paper cutter, that's even faster for the square shapes. Circular shapes are a little easier to cut with scissors.
• Between 30 minutes and 3 hours' time -- if you have a brush for glue and a paper cutter, it will go faster than if you are doing everything with scissors and simple white glue. Staples are even faster!

Instructions:

Print out the shapes, two copies of each sheet, and one of the large star.

Lazy version:

1. Cut out one of each small shape and paste or staple it to cardboard, then cut the cardboard into the proper shape.
2. Using the other copy, fold the touching shapes together, then in half upwards, so that you have a t-shape.
3. Glue or staple the t-shape to the other side of the appropriate cardboard shape. (Skip this step if using cardstock)
4. Tape a piece of thread to the top of each of the four shapes, or sew through the shape with needle and thread.
5. Glue or staple the large star shape to a piece of cardboad, and tape or sew thread to each corner, making a thread pyramid to hold this piece horizontal.
6. Tape or sew the smaller shapes' threads to the corners of the big square ( the one with the star printed on it).
   1. You could use all 12 if you wanted a really crowded mobile...
   2. just use the simple shapes (for a younger infant)...
   3. or the complex shapes or the character shapes (for older infants).
7. Hang and enjoy!

More involved (but prettier) version, shown at right:

1. Cut out two of each small shape, and glue them to both sides of a piece of cardboard (you may have to glue one on, cut the shape out, then glue on the other).
2. Cut out the other two of each small shape and repeat the above, but leave a pair of tabs at one edge.
3. Glue the tabs to one side of the other corresponding shape, making a t-shape that has full versions of each shape on each face.
4. Thread through the top of each one, and follow from step 5 above.

Hang above baby's changing table or crib (if s/he has one). This has amused Stephen since he was about 4 weeks old, and he's now 13 weeks and still enjoys it.

other versions on the web:

Here's a very clever one by a dad that includes step-by-step assembly photos.

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