Mobile - A Sky Full of Stars

As I was browsing Pinterest back in the Spring for nursery ideas, I came across a pin of a mobile made from a bicycle wheel and paper airplanes. I loved the idea. But where to get a bicycle wheel? I finally found one I liked through eBay - and the 20" size was perfect for a mobile.

Then I put my engineer husband to the task of figuring out the best way to hang it. This is where the power of the Weatherwaxes come into play - "Weatherwaxes create!" (Makes me think of "Thundercats roar!" - hopefully some of you know what I am talking about.) My darling hubby, his mad CAD skills, and his CNC milling machine created a beautiful connector / bracket that pinned into the wheel and then into the wire cable. He even made sure that he could fit a wrench into the connector to tighten down the nuts. (Not sure I would have thought about that in the design process. I would have been more concerned about the aesthetics. We have lots more creative projects brainstormed, and I can't wait to share them - but they are Christmas presents so.... Turns out we make a pretty good creative production team.)


I thought the paper airplanes looked cool, but I wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to hang from the mobile. So with more browsing, I came across all kinds of origami and folded paper ideas. Then Coldplay came out with their new album Ghost Stories, and I saw the Target commercial with "A Sky Full of Stars," and decided I wanted to use stars, but I wanted them three dimensional and all of the origami versions I found were flat. That's when I turned to using papier-mâché forms and decoupage. 


My original idea was to use sheet music, and after much back and forth and consideration of other papers (leftovers form the Alphabet series, book pages, etc.) I stuck with the sheet music. I found a cheap-ish book of Jazz sheet music at the local Half Price Books and started tearing it up. I used the same PVA glue from the Alphabet series to collage the pieces of sheet music onto the stars and the sphere. The final decision was whether or not to add any color to the stars and moon, but they look so great just the way they are that I decided to leave them black and white.

Alphabet Series: D - Dublin, Ireland

And the last letter painting of the series - Dublin, Ireland. It wasn't last because I was putting it off. It was last because really I just couldn't decide what I wanted to use to represent Dublin and Ireland. So here it is - finally. At Trinity College in Dublin you can view folios from the Book of Kells, written and illuminated by monks in 800 CE and kept safe from invading vikings. Just outside Dublin you can view round towers, each with a single door about 3 meters above ground, thought to be used as bell towers, places of refuge, or both. And at the Hill of Tara, you can climb the hill and touch the "Stone of Destiny" were Irish high kings were thought to be crowned.

*Note: The Claddagh design comes from Claddagh (now a part of Galway City) in Western Ireland. The design we know today was created in the 17th century and represents love, friendship and loyalty.

Alphabet Series: E - Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)

Atop Castle Rock in Edinburgh, Scotland sits Edinburgh Castle. Castle Rock is a volcanic plug that rose 350 million years ago and has been occupied by humans since the Iron Age. And what about the Scottish thistle? According to legend, sleeping Scots warriors were warned of Norse invaders when one stepped on a thistle and cried out - and the thistle became a national emblem.

Alphabet Series: W - Warsaw, Poland

Who knew that Warsaw had a mermaid on their coat of arms? In Warsaw you can see a statue of the mermaid holding a sword and shield. She is Melusina from the River Vistula who is part of the legend of the founding of the city.

Alphabet Series: Z - Zurich, Switzerland

From Zurich, you can catch an alphorn performance - originally used by shepherds to communicate in the mountain meadows now played by over 4,000 Swiss musicians; travel to The Matterhorn - popular with tourists and climbers in the summer; and ski the Swiss Alps.

Alphabet Series: V - Venice, Italy

View great architecture on a gondola ride through the canals of Venice, a city of 118 islands connected by bridges.

Alphabet Series: U - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, has become a modern manufacturing city, but before 1778 it was a nomadic monastic center and changed location 28 times - each location chosen ceremonially. The yurt is a traditional nomadic Mongolian dwelling, and 30%-40% of Mongolians continue to live in yurts.

Alphabet Series: T - Tokyo, Japan

In Tokyo take time to view Mount Fuji. Japan's tallest mountain has been the "star" of artwork for centuries, including Hokusai's 36 Views of Mount Fuji. (And in the Spring, enjoy the cherry blossoms.)

Alphabet Series: M - Mexico City, Mexico

When visiting Mexico City, take a trip to the ancient city of Teotihuacan and stroll down the Avenue of the Dead where you can see immense structures dating from 300 - 600 CE including the Pyramid of the Sun.

Alphabet Series: L - London, England (UK)

When in London, hop on a red double decker bus and take a ride to Big Ben.

Alphabet Series: K - Kathmandu, Nepal

In Kathmandu stop at the Boudhanath Stupa to see one of the largest domed stupas in the world.

Alphabet Series: I - Istanbul, Turkey

In Istanbul, visit the Hagia Sophia. It has been an Eastern Orthodox cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral, an imperial mosque and now a museum. Originally constructed in 537 CE under orders of Emperor Justinian in the Byzantine Empire, it remained the largest cathedral in the world until 1520 CE and is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture.

Alphabet Series: J - Jerusalem, Israel

View the gold dome and mosaics of Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel.