Making a Nursery Mobile

Nursery interior décor is meant to be welcoming to the child and at the same time stimulating so that it boosts their intellectual development. Different items do this in different ways and some do both enhancing and stimulating at the same time. Decorating a nursery can be very expensive and some ways to save money without compromising on the baby’s comfort have to be formulated. An interesting and economical way of doing this is creating some of the décor items at home as crafts. This may involve every member of the family as a way of bonding and increasing creative skill in the young ones. An item that can be easily made at home is the nursery mobile which is important for the child’s stimulation, development and relaxation.

Lightweight Cardboard and Paper Ornaments

The materials used to make a mobile are easily available in a home and a variety of the items used will determine the final outlook of the mobile. For starters the mobile needs to be hang from the ceiling and so a hook has to be firmly attached to the ceiling. The threads from which the mobile will dangle have to be strong enough to hold the weight of the mobile structure together with its ornaments. Nylon thread and fishing wire are very strong and the good part is that they are not very visible making them ideal choices.

The main structure of the mobile or the frame should be light weight and could be harnessed from wood, plastic or metal. This can then be formed into the desired shape such as a star, circle, rectangle or any other suitable shape. The ornaments are an opportunity for the family’s creativity to shine through. They could be done as presents for the baby and should be in lightweight material like paper or cardboard.

Making New Year’s Party Hats

 Nothing is more fun during the holidays than a New Year’s  party and the fun and joy can be heightened by wearing beautiful party hats that are easy to make at home. The materials used to make party hats range from plastic, paper and even felt. This fun activity takes a short time and a bit of creativity with an exciting resultant effect. Glue or some adhesive is useful in joining the different parts of the hat together. Felt material may need some stitching which may be done by hand or by machine. Most New Year’s hats are red with a white trimming but the colours can be personalized according to the party theme.

Decorating Party Hats

For paper hats, choose a strong paper that will not tear easily and start by cutting out the desired shape, which in most cases is conical. The conical shape can then be decorated using other shapes like stars cut out from papers with matching or glittering colours. These are then stuck on the conical shape. Spray paint and crayons can also be used to decorate the hats. Glue is then used to join the two ends of the conical shapes to make a hat. In some cases an elastic band is used to hold it in place and this is attached to two opposite sides of the hat.

Felt hats are made in a more sophisticated manner using differently coloured felt material. Use a sharp pair of scissors and cut the material on a flat surface to avoid damaging the material and for a smoother cut. Hat toppers can be made from foil and ribbons, which can be tied into bows for girl’s hats. Pompoms are great toppers for felt New Year’s hats and should be in a different colour from the main hat colour for a striking contrast.

Making Crafts at Home

Any interior decorating can be greatly enhanced by a couple of hand made crafts and other items to further adorn the home. Making crafts together as a family works wonders for family bonding and improving relationships. For the children, working with their hands increases their creativity and motor skills as well as sharpening their brain development and imagination. Crafts for the home range from small boxes to hold items on a desk or mantle piece to hand made carpets and wall rugs. Readily available materials can be used to create unique pieces that significantly draw attention to the home’s décor.

Crafts to Liven each Room

Every room in the house can benefit from home made crafts and the occupants of the bedrooms can be involved in creating personalized crafts for their living space. Attractive washcloths can be made for the kitchen using crotchet and knitting techniques and colourful yarn that is absorbent enough. The dining room will be livened up using creative and unique place mats made from banana fibre, sisal, light weight cardboard, knitting yarn and the commonplace pieces of cloth. The whole family will enjoy making personalized book marks for each other with meaningful messages in artistic writing or drawings.

To add that romantic flair in the home, consider moulding your own candles! These can be made from used candles which are melted and poured into containers that have the desired new shape. Once the wax sets, they can be carefully removed from the containers and hey presto, new candles. It is important to be mindful of the hot wax, especially near children, to avoid burn accidents. Different colours can be mixed to add a little bit of originality, while at the same time be careful not to mix so many scents. Home made crafts definitely add to the elegance of interior decorating.