Not everything goes to plan

I've found that not everything turns out exactly how you want it in life... or in the handmade/craft world! This has happened to me today. :(

A while ago I created a design for a hanging mobile, where each mobile would have 3 birds, a bird house and a branch, cut out of clear acrylic and backed with fabulous papers. And this part of the plan went without a hitch! Today was the day I would make the magic happen... and I failed miserably.

I started out excitedly by co-ordinating my papers for 5 mobiles, and cutting all the pieces out. (I did not do this by hand! I cheated and used a die-cutter. :) I was pretty impressed at this stage. I loved how bright and colourful they were together.

One set of acrylic mobile pieces, with paper backing

I then threaded each piece with a thin jute twine and secured them onto a circle of wire, wrapped with a sort of thin kraft paper. I held it in the air and... it didn't look impressive at all! I then instead tried hanging the pieces from a cross of twigs. There is only one word for that effort. Lopsided! I then hung them in a straight line on two long twigs, and this looked great while it was laid out on my lovely bamboo floor. But, again, it was a different story when in mid air. Bleh. I was over it!! I just couldn't pull off this idea of an acrylic mobile.

So, then I was left with 25 acrylic shapes, that I'd already covered with papers. I wracked my brain to think of other ways I could use them. Wall art, somehow? They'd look silly framed because each shape has a little hanging hole; and just because my new creation would be the result of an accident... I didn't want it to look that way! So, I held my twigs against a wall with all the pretty colourful shapes dangling on the light coloured wall.... and it looked good! I took a few of the shapes off and left just a bird and a branch at one end. And, that looked good too! So maybe my mobile shapes can be saved after all. Perhaps I can turn these into personalised hanging name plates for kiddies rooms? I've seen a similar sort of idea with vinyl wall decals.

Here's a semi mock up of what I'm thinking...

Idea for kids room personalised name plate

Close up of bird and branch.... and Jason's fingers!

Papered acrylic pieces, now destined to become
personalised name plate wall hangings!

I think these can definitely work, and be cute! It will just depend on whether anybody would want them? I probably have enough shapes to make about 12.

I'm not giving up on making a hanging mobile either. I've decided I'm going to get the shapes cut out of wood instead, because it looks great and has more of a 'presence' in the air! But... we'll see!

I hope you've all had a great weekend.