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Having a baby can be an amazing time. Full of ups and downs, preparations and discoveries. It is also a time when we call to mind our basic values and decide what should be passed on and what can be left behind.

I wanted to perpetuate a greener environment and a greener nursery with the birth of my child. The best way I saw fit to follow these principles was through a simple nursery design with elements that reflected what was reasonable for our economic bracket and conservationist values.

I elected to keep my son’s room pretty spare, as I hoped it would be a room that he could grow into. I didn’t want to generate a bunch of useless waste as he grew older so I read up on the must-have items and made a few concessions.

Here’s how I did it:

• We had a great old crib that had been passed down from my mother.
• I didn’t buy a changing table but elected to use the extra twin bed instead.
• I found a used dresser and refinished it. I spruced up the knobs and color-coordinated it to the newly painted blue walls (we were expecting a boy).
• I didn’t buy bumpers or matching bedspreads but used the receiving blankets we’d been gifted from loved ones instead.
• I found some adorable used curtains at a thrift store and modified them for the windows.

But I was missing one element that is a quintessential nursery item. Something that research claims reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and speeds brain development in infants.

I was missing a mobile to hang over my son’s crib.

I was loathe to purchase any of the singing, overly plastic ones that were battery operated. I just couldn’t see my son enjoying it beyond six months and they seemed so cumbersome—and frankly ugly—that they wouldn’t match the aesthetic of his room…which was, and is, very green.

I did some research online and found a great DIY project that I modified. For those of you who are artistically inclined or into crafts, this is a great project for you! But truthfully, it’s pretty easy for anyone.

• The materials you need are:
• Fishing line
• Scissors
• Sewing needle
• Tree branch about one meter long
• Colored paper
• Two hooks
• Drill

Here’s a step-by-step description of the process:

1.    In your yard or at a nearby park, find a fallen tree branch about one meter in length.

2.    Trim off the leaves and excess branches. You want it to look somewhat like this photo.

3.    Drill two holes in the ceiling over the crib (be sure to remove or cover your baby’s bedding). Screw hooks into the holes. Tie a bit of fishing line to the branch and suspend it from the hooks in the ceiling. Make sure the branch is securely attached.

4.    Use the scissors to cut your paper into various shapes—hearts, stars, circles, diamonds, squares, crescent moons, etc. You can draw on the shapes, color them in or attach photos to them. You can even opt to get fancy and do a bit of origami as I did. If you want to learn how to make an origami star, check out this great video tutorial.

5.    Insert fishing line through the eye of a large sewing needle and thread it through each shape, varying the length and making sure there is enough to suspend the shapes in the air above the crib. Tie the line with the attached shape to various locations all across the branch.

This is a great DIY project for families welcoming a new baby. Kids can help pick out the branch and cut the shapes. You might even modify the idea a bit and create larger mobiles to place over older children’s beds. Perhaps the largest mobile could be over the adults’ bed with dried flowers suspended for effect. Have fun!

[Share your comments and your own DIY ideas below. - Ed.]

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