valentine mobile

Valentine’s Day is a low-key decorating holiday for our family, so I like to make homemade decorations with my three boys. It’s amazing how cheerful humble handmade hearts can be! Share the craft love with your children with a simple beading project that is perfect for small hands to work on. With a few common crafting materials, they make a beaded heart mobile that everyone will love! This is a cheerful gift for Grandma, or to hang up in the child’s bedroom window. If you don’t have all these materials on hand already, you can pick them up at the dollar store or for less than $5 at the craft store. As always, I encourage you to improvise so you can use whatever you already have on hand!

I found these wooden beads in small packages at the dollar store. Pony beads or homemade paper beads, duct tape beads, or recycled plastic bottle beads would work well.

Project Materials:

  • 3 chenille stems (pipe cleaners), on hand or $1
  • 18 medium-sized beads, on hand or $1
  • 1/8″ ribbon or yarn, on hand or about $.50 at your local craft store
  • pencil

Total: FREE and up

To Make:

valentine mobile
1. Thread 4-6 beads on a chenille stem (or more if you like, and depending on your child’s age!).

valentine mobile: twist chenille stems
2. Fold the chenille stem in half. Bring the two ends of the chenille stem together about 1″ from each end and twist together twice until stem is secured

valentine's day mobile: form heart
3. Parents might need to help with this step: place your thumb on the folded part of the pipe cleaner and push down between your index and middle finger to form a heart shape (as shown in photo)

curl edges of pipe cleaners with pencil
4. Curl the ends of chenille stems around a pencil to keep the sharp ends from sticking out


5. Make three hearts and tie together with 8″ pieces of ribbon or yarn to make a one-stranded mobile

valentine mobile
6. Make multiple mobiles and hang together for a fun Valentine’s Day decoration

valentine mobile
Tips:

  • Great Garlands: Instead of stringing the hearts vertically as a mobile, try stringing them side to side to make a horizontal garland.
  • Heart Ornaments: Tie a piece of ribbon on a single heart to make a pretty heart ornament. Attach it to your Valentine’s Day cards for a fun favor.
  • Mini Hearts: To make small hearts, cut a chenille stem in half (use old scissors — never good scissors!) and follow steps 1-4.