Pottery Barn Inspired Butterfly Canopy

So, I saw this ah-dorable mobile in a baby boutique and it was love at first sight. It was cute, it was understated, it was elegant, it was just what I'd been looking for...until I looked at the price tag....60 bucks???? For some paper butterflies?!?! Do they make the baby sleep through the night, or change diapers? For 60 dollars they better do something amazing. Then it hit me, that DIY guilt that would never allow me to justify that purchase...I could make that for $10. And it would be made with love...and it would give my new little Cricut a job to do. And, I think it can stay with her well into her teens...So here's the results for less than 10 dollars...

I haven't decided if I like it with the netting or not....both look great over her crib though! And she loves watching them flutter around!

Want  to make one yourself? You'll need-


A few sheets of white cardstock
Ribbon
Thread
An embroidery hoop....about 1.50 at any craft store.
White sheer curtain (ok...I got this at the store where I NEVER suffer sticker shock...IKEA, I think it was 4.99 for 2 panels....you only need 1) It's the PERFECT size.
A glue gun


1. Use either a paper cutting machine or good ole' fashioned tracin' and scissors. Cut about 5 butterflies of varying sizes. Or about 1000, if you're making the original



2.  Prepare the embroidery hoop by wrapping each hoop it tightly with ribbon, after gluing it to secure at the end. You could use paint too, I just didn't have any colors I liked....hence the ribbon wrapping.

4. Then, poke the center of each butterfly with a pin, and feed the thread through the hole, then tie a knot and secure with a dab of hot glue on the bottom.

Okay, horrible picture...but just thread it through, then hot glue it on the bottom...pretty easy.

5. Tie the top of the thread around the inner hoop at the desired length. Now...the tricky part...my butterflies were not balanced because of the paper cut out of the center...so they looked less like fluttering creatures of beauty and more like attacking dive-bomb bugs. I used a few drops of hot glue to help balance them, and give them a little weight.

6. Repeat on the other butterflies, putting them around the inner hoop at varying lengths.

7. Cut 3 ribbons the distance from the ceiling to where you  want the mobile to start, then tie/glue them around the inner ring in so it balances (think the points of a peace sign).

8. Now...at this point you could just hang it and it'd look like this-



Or- just gather the curtain and put it onto the top ring, then attach it around the inner one. It's really tough to get that screw back in there....but you can do it!

I'm thinking....dare I say...I might actually like it more than the $60 one...note the butterflies on the wall which match the bedding....tutorial on that tomorrow!

What do you think...with or without the netting???

*disclaimer- you know you love that little baby more than anything...so make sure you don't do anything that might put them in harms way...and definitely don't blame me for it....if you feel it's unsafe, don't do it....then it's totally worth the $60 :)...


Here's where I'm linking up to-