Nature Treasures Mobile
Play , Winter 2012
Rhythm of the Home4 Comments
I remember the sound of the eggs plucked from under the hen that morning sizzling in the skillet as I stared with wonder at all of the treasures in the Tennessee farmhouse kitchen. My great uncle would invite us to stay for the weekend several times a year, and my entire family would depart from our own little Pennsylvania homestead to wind through the steep mountains and thick fog to Hogskin Hollow Road. That house was full of treasures — the fiddles hanging on the wall, the many shelves of dusty books, and the amazing mobile of treasures glimmering in the morning sun in that kitchen window.
My uncle has been gone for over ten years now, and the beautiful mobile now hangs in my music studio for all who pass through each week to enjoy. It also serves as a source of inspiration for displaying my family’s nature finds. Whether your family’s treasures come from hikes, that summer trip to the beach, or great finds from the junk drawer, I hope that you will find inspiration to display your treasures as well.
Finding Your Treasures
Treasures for this project could come from anywhere. Start digging through the junk drawer, craft closet, and that jar of seashells you brought back from the beach this summer. Or bundle up, grab a tote bag, and venture outside for a nature collection walk. Every mobile will be different, and including interesting and unique items will make it your treasure mobile. Some suggestions for treasures to collect include:
Glass, wooden, or clay beads
Sun catchers or crystals
Pendants
Pinecones
Pieces of Fallen Bark
Small branches and twigs (You will need a branch about one foot long for the top of the mobile).
Keys that don’t open anything
Bells
Seashells
Acorns
Jewelry
Preparing Your Treasures
There are two ways to prepare your treasures for the mobile: drill or no-drill. If you choose not to drill, you will need some floral wire. Simply wrap the wire around each treasure and twist it in place. I chose to drill, and the tutorial will assume that you will be drilling your materials as well.
Materials
Rotary tool (such as a Dremel)
Ball-point or tile bit for the rotary tool (for seashells)
Felt-Tip Marker
Drill (for wood objects)
5/8’’ drill bit
1/8“ drill bit
Scrap board to drill on
Safety Glasses
For seashells:
Lay your seashell on a piece of scrap board, and use a marker to mark where you would like the hole.
Wear your safety goggles and remove any loose clothing or accessories that could get caught in the power tool. Be sure that your children are also wearing safety glasses if they are watching.
Using the ball point bit on the rotary tool, touch the rotating drill to the spot where you would like to drill. Use very little if any pressure. Patiently drill through the seashell a little at a time until you have made a small hole.
For Wooden Nature Objects
Place your treasures on a piece of scrap board, and use a marker to mark where you would like your hole.
Wear your safety goggles and remove any loose clothing or accessories that could get caught in the power tool. Be sure that your children are also wearing safety glasses if they are watching.
Use the 1/8” drill bit to drill a small hole through any wooden treasure objects you have such as sticks, bark, or wood knots.
Prepare the Mobile Hanger
Lay the one-foot branch on a piece of scrap board, and use a marker to mark seven holes on the side that you would like to be the front of your mobile.
Wear your safety goggles and remove any loose clothing or accessories that could get caught in the power tool. Be sure that your children are also wearing safety glasses if they are watching.
Use the 5/8” drill bit to drill the holes.
Assembling the Mobile
Materials
Fishing line
Hemp string
Scissors
Make a layout on a table for how you would like your mobile to look. There will be five strings to bead, so arrange your objects in five lines of varying lengths. It looks nice to put the longest string in the middle and make the strings shorter from there, but you can experiment and arrange your mobile however you would like.
Cut a generous string of fishing line, and tie the bottom object on by threading the line through the hole and bringing the line back over the object and tying a knot with your object inside the knot. You will need to knot the line very tightly at least three or four times. With the help of your kids, thread all of the objects in order onto the fishing line.
Thread the top of your beaded line through the one-food branch at the appropriate hole (remember to leave the two end holes open for tying your hemp hanger on at the end.) Leave a few inches between the top of your beads and the branch. Wrap the line around the branch until it meets the fishing line on the other side and tie three or four very tight knots. You can trim the excess fishing line or use it to tie bangles, pendants, bells, or nature objects for a layered effect.
Repeat steps 1-4 for all of your four strings of treasures.
Cut about two arm’s lengths of hemp. Double the hemp and string both ends through one of the end holes. Next, wrap the hemp around the branch until it meets itself, and tie several tight knots.
Thread the folded end of the hemp through the last hole. Adjust the hanger to the desired length by pulling more or less of the hemp through the hole. Wrap and tie your hemp. The ends may be trimmed or used to tie other items to your mobile. (My uncle’s mobile had a toy frog perched on the branch that was wrapped and tied with the extra hemp).
Hang your mobile and enjoy your little pieces of nature all winter long.
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Becki Lewis is a wife, mom, musician, and educator. She lives in a quiet rural/suburban neighborhood near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she gardens, hikes, geocaches, bakes, and gets messy with her two sweet girls. You can read about her family’s adventures in going green at Organic Aspirations and about all things music at Lewis Music Studio.
Rhythm of the Home is an online magazine for families that focuses on creating with children, nature explorations, seasonal celebrations, conscious parenting, and mindfulness in all that we do.
