Usually, I shy away from craft kits because I have a very thorough craft supply cupboard and much prefer to find my own way when making something new, but I couldn’t resist making the hot air balloon nursery mobile kit from Flying Tiger. Mostly because it was easier than hand-cutting all those felt shapes and I really needed something above the changing table for a useful distraction.
The kit was only a few Euros and included everything needed, except the scissors.
There were no real instructions. There was a basic sheet provided but not covering everything. Like how long each length of thread should be. Four lengths need to be the same and a fifth length of string needs to be much longer to hang lower and knot around the wood sticks and hang on the ceiling.
Each piece of felt has a paper backing that you remove to reveal the sticky back. It then matches to a counterpart piece with the string between it to hang. Then within each larger balloon shape are smaller ones that affix in layers for depth and contrast.
I made two main mistakes in creating my kit, but overall it went fine.
Mistake 1: I cut the threads the wrong lengths and had to use a spare piece of yarn for the hanging bit at the top.
Mistake 2: Two cloud stickers were larger than the others and meant for the centre string, I did not match them properly.
My advice is to match the supplies properly and measure to avoid my mistakes. That being said, the mistakes did not hinder the functionality of the mobile.
I should have adapted the kit because from below (baby view), you cannot see the hot air balloons. But maybe the mysterious floating objects will draw baby’s attention long enough for an easy diaper change. To compensate for this, I hung the mobile above one end of the table so he can see it a bit. I give it a spin and hope he stays still for changing.
Highly recommended as a standalone and ideal activity for an older child about to welcome a new baby into the family as a way to make something but also have parent-child time together.
The result is lovely. The kit could do with better instructions since it is geared toward parents and we are a tired bunch.