Sparkle Crafts

Sparkle Craft: Joy Mobiles

Joy is an essential human emotion — it’s what we all long for! It’s not always easy to access by our stressed, overwhelmed selves. There are all sorts of tools to get you there — gratitude lists, dance parties, hugs, play-time, breathwork, meditation — you name it! But sometimes a simple visual reminder is just the ticket.

This craft is something I’d been wanting to do for some time as a visual reminder to let joy in. I talked my boys, ages 19 and 22, into doing it with me because I adore things made with their hands.

Inspired by Meri Cherry's Gratitude Mobiles, my (not so little) sons and I dove into this craft with our own “joy” spin. And we all had fun. We pulled out my boxes of beads (that I’ve been collecting for years and years) plus broken jewelry remnants and whatever else we could find in the house. I wanted fancy ones.

Yours can be made of just about anything you have around. Ribbon. Bottlecaps. Air-dry clay beads. Just find yourself a stick and some twine.

If you want a reminder about the importance of joy, go to this blog post. I love to talk about this!

Ready to make a mobile? Gather your supplies and let’s get around the table!

SUPPLIES:

• one stick per person (nature walk, anyone?)
• yarn, string, and/or ribbon
• thin craft wire, beading string, or fishing line
• beads
• trinkets or old jewelry
• air-dry clay
• stock paper or plain gift tags
• hole puncher
• markers and/or colored pencils
• and anything else you have on hand that makes you smile, including things from the natural world

DIRECTIONS:

• We started with beads. Which beads or trinkets caught our eyes? Which colors did we enjoy looking at? We made little bowls of our faves.

• Wrap the sticks with yarn. Experiment with colors and techniques. We chose not to do this, but Meri Cherry does, and it lends a great warm feel to the mobile.

• Make air-dry clay trinkets! Following the directions on the packet, you can make beads or little discs for hanging. Press in stamps or other objects to give texture. Use markers to color. Be sure to leave a little hole so you can hang them! Meri Cherry has great examples here.

• Create small “cards” with messages on them. What words inspire joy in you? What reminders do you need? Write these on the cards, and punch holes at the top.

• Begin the threading! Thread beads and trinkets on a single line. Add a clay circle or a tag at the bottom, or like us, tie bits of evergreen or little bells. If using wire, twist to secure. Individual expression is welcome! There’s no right or wrong, better or worse mobile. Your mobile is your own, so make it pleasing to your own eye.

• Tie some ribbon or yarn to the stick for easy hanging, then find a prime spot to display. Hang them anywhere — from walls to windows!

And voilà! A mobile reminder: let joy in!

Here are more images from the crafty children over on the Meri Cherry's Gratitude Mobiles blog:

Wishing you a year filled with boundless joy, self-trust, and heaps of creative fun! For more thoughts on joy, read here!