Cool Stuff: Pukapuka Sea Sponge Mobile

I'm digging this grown-up mobile from Pukapuka, inspired by the groovy, organic forms of natural sea sponges and crafted from plantation-harvested Australian plywood.

It's 32 inches long and 22 inches wide, and is $165 at Supermarket.

Etsy Find of the Day: Spin Designs Mobiles

Mobiles for grownups, from Etsy seller Spin Designs. Above: LaLa Mobile, $42

Chandelier Mobile, $42

Eiffel Tower Mobile, $42

Spring Twist Mobile, $42

Birdie Mobile, $42

See all of Spin Designs' Etsy offerings right here.

Cool Stuff: Bamboo Trio Mobile from Petit Collage

I spotted this wooden bird mobile at Lorena Siminovich's Petit Collage booth at Renegade last weekend, and was instantly smitten.

Though it's perfect for a nursery, it'd be equally sweet in a more grown-up space as well. The laser-cut bamboo plywood mobile is $76 right here.

(P.S. Here's another great alternative.)

How To: Make a Paper Insect Mobile

I was delighted when More Ways to Waste Time reader (and fellow blogger) Colleen Casey of Marietta, Georgia wrote in to share her homemade version of the pretty paper mobiles for sale on Etsy that I featured last week.

Not only are Colleen's mobiles wonderful, but I was charmed and touched to discover that someone was inspired by something she saw here, and that she used that inspiration to create a beautiful thing for her home.

Here's how Colleen did it:

* One day during a thunderstorm, Colleen and her two young daughters "set about doing what we do best: Making a mess and calling it art."

* They started with a lonely window, then found an old thrift-store book and began tearing out the pages.

* Colleen used a die-cutting machine (available at fabric and craft stores) to create several identical insect shapes at once from the book pages. (If you don't have a die-cutter, you could simply fold the pages in half and use scissors to carefully cut out shapes for butterflies, dragonflies, birds, or any other creatures that strike your fancy. Or, even easier, you could order one of the die-cut insect kits this crafty mom put together for others who want to try a similar project.)

* She then cut crochet yarn -- though any fine twine, string, or yarn would work -- into 60-inch lengths, folded each of them in half, and tied a knot one inch from the fold, creating a loop.

* Colleen used a small hole-punch to make two petite holes in the insects, and then she and her daughters began stringing several insects onto each doubled-up length of yarn, being careful to keep the loop at the top.

* Once that was done, they left the strands of yarn as they were -- but you could also tie pretty beads or buttons onto the bottoms to help weigh them down a bit.

* Finally, they laced a tension rod through the loops at the top of each length of yarn, mounted the rod in a window, and have been enjoying the insects fluttering and twirling gently in the breeze ever since.

Thanks so much for showing us this simple and lovely project, Colleen!

Have a DIY project of your own you want to show off? I'd love to share it here. Just e-mail me a snap or two, plus simple, step-by-step instructions.

Etsy Find of the Day: Royal Buffet Recycled Paper Mobiles

Pretty mobiles made from recycled French magazines and record jackets by Etsy seller Royal Buffet (aka Greenville, South Carolina artists and crafters Mollie Greene and Annie Koelle). Wouldn't these be lovely suspended near a window, where they'd flutter gently in the breeze? Above: Butterfly Quicksilver Mobile, $19

Salut, Birdie Mobile, $22

Dans le Tourbillon de la Vie Parisienne Mobile, $25

See all of the whimsical papergoods (like this sweet Petit Papillon Garland, $10) in Royal Buffet's Etsy shop.

Cool Stuff: Frazier & Wing Paper Mobiles

These paper mobiles are such a pretty way to bring color and dimension to a dead corner or to add movement in front of a window, where they'll flutter gently in the breeze.

The delicate mobiles from Portland's Frazier & Wing are made to order by owner Heather Frazier, who cuts each shape by hand from artist's paper or recycled magazine pages before stringing them with clear monofilament from a Plexiglas disc.

The colored mobiles come in three sizes: 5.5 by 28 inches ($85), 7 by 38 inches ($150), and 7 by 72 inches ($200).

The white mobiles are available in two sizes -- 5.5 by 30 inches ($95) and 7 by 38 inches ($150) -- with a choice of six accent colors: green, brown, red, blue, lavender, and coral.

See all of the lovely mobile designs in Frazier & Wing's online shop.

Cool Stuff: Swallow Mobile

I'm still kind of annoyed at Roost, but dang if they don't just keep cranking out beautiful products.

This delicate branch-and-bird mobile (which reminds me a bit of Helen Ige's, but rendered in a much more three-dimensional way) is perfect for hanging in a window or a drab corner to hearken the arriving spring.

Crafted from hand-carved basswood swallows suspended from a real branch, the mobile is $140 right here.

Cool Stuff: Oras Mobiles

Whether you have a nursery to decorate or a window or empty wall that could use a little ornamentation, these mobiles from Oras will add bright pops of color, gentle movement, and graphic form.

The mobiles come with ovals or squares in a variety of hues and are strung from a clear acrylic rod that's supported by inconspicuous aluminum wall brackets. They're available for $180 at various retail locations or from creator Vilija Marshall's brand-new online shop.

Cool Stuff: Not-Just-for-the-Nursery Mobiles

Who says mobiles are only for babies' rooms?

I can picture Helen Ige's winsome walnut-veneer Birds of a Feather mobile hung over a grouping of potted plants at the kitchen window, or gently twirling in the breeze in a serene adult bedroom, too.

Bonus: It comes in a frame that doubles as a stencil, so you can repeat the birds-and-branches motif on a wall or a textile.

The mobile is $65 here.