What do you think?
Firstly, I purchased an 8" polystyrene ring from my local craft store and painted it. I chose Sugared Lilac from Dulux in silk. Recently Dulux had a fantastic offer on their tester pots, 3 for £1, so I stocked up on a few! I gave the ring two coats just to ensure it was covered fully and to achieve the maximum colour.
Using elastic thread I measured a variety of lengths from 14" to 18". I think having the dangles at different lengths helps add dimension and variation to the project. I made 9 lengths but you can choose how many you wish, for example using a larger ring may require more for maximum effect and likewise a smaller ring less. This is all personal preference so experiment and go with what you feel looks best.
I then selected three different shades of card stock, I used Bazzil which I bought from QVC UK, and an embossed white card I had in my stash. Using my Sizzix Eclips machine I cut out around 100 butterflies, however any die cut machine using a butterfly die would be equally great.
The next bit was quite time consuming as you need to adhere the butterflies together sandwiched in between the elastic thread. I used hot glue for this and after some trial and effort found the technique which worked best for me. I found laying one butterfly down, adding some hot glue to the butterfly, laying the elastic thread through the hot glue the holding onto the wings of the second butterfly and pressing this onto the elastic thread worked best.
You then need to repeat this four or five more times depending on the lengths of your elastic thread.
Once all your dangles are completed you will need to adhere them to the ring. I used hot glue once again. This did melt the polystyrene slightly but this wasn't a problem as the ribbons cover up any marks, but honestly they aren't hugely noticeable. I glued the dangles using the same technique as before, holding the elastic into the glue in position until secure. I also adhered the longer length dangles onto the outside of the ring and the shorter one's on the inside.
Now if you manage to do this without getting all your dangles tangled up then fantastic. I didn't. I decided not to panic and with care managed to untangle the dangles (sounds more fun that it was haha).
By now the mobile was taking shape and it was time to select all the gorgeous ribbon I wanted to use. In my mobile I used a variety of ribbon and organza in different colours and widths, however you can also save money and use what you have lying around for a more eclectic finish. All the ribbon and organza I bought at my local craft store and are made by Celebrate and Club Green. I preferred to wrap the ribbon around the ring and then cut to ensure different lengths again for dimension. I preferred to alternate the ribbons and organza not adhering to any fixed pattern but standing back and checking how it looked before deciding I needed more of this or that at any given point. I then used a 3mm ribbon in white tying a bow in between all the butterflies. Once I was happy how the ring looked I then used a larger width organza to make the part it hangs from. I choose to use white to balance out the white used in the dangles but again choose your own colour scheme, experiment and have fun most of all.
I then stood back and admired my beautiful butterfly mobile.
Thank you so much for viewing. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Hope you all have a wonderful crafty weekend. Take care of you.
Pauline
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