One of my favorite things to do when I have an excess of paper snowflakes is to create a window-sized mobile. It’s so simple, and yet so magical. The snowflakes hang at all different heights, like the falling snow, but best of all, they are constantly in motion.

The changing temperature from inside to outside makes them spin and twirl ever so slowly. It’s like watching a very slow snow globe, inside your home. Even better, if you install the mobile in your front window, everyone else can enjoy it, too!

This project can be as kid-friendly or as sophisticated as you make it, ranging from a fun holiday tradition to a fine art kinetic sculpture. Whatever you make of it, enjoy it.

Here’s how we made ours:

Snowflake Mobile Project Overview

• Step 1: Gather Supplies

• Step 2: Make Paper Clip Hooks

• Step 3: Tie Looped Hanging Threads

• Step 4: Attach Looped Hangers

• Step 5: Attach Hooks

• Step 6: Install Mobile

• Final Tips: Living with the Mobile & Off Season Storage

You will need:

• Paper snowflakes (try my 6-pointed snowflake tutorial)

• Heavy-duty thread (I like to use hand-quilting thread)

• Paperclips

• Scissors

In order to make the mobile, you are going to need plenty of paper snowflakes! If you haven’t already made some, you can use my 6-pointed paper snowflakes tutorial to whip up a bunch. I usually just make lots and use the leftovers for other projects, but for a general idea, my front window is about 9 feet wide and we made about 20 snowflakes in a variety of sizes.

To make the hooks to hang the snowflakes, start with a paperclip. Bend the outside of the paperclip outward to open it up as seen below.

Then bend the top section into a hook that fits your curtain rod (or wherever you are going to hang your mobile).

Make several hooks—one for each snowflake you are going to hang up.

Cut threads at a variety of lengths and tie a loop in either end of the thread. The loops allow us to assemble and disassemble our mobile without having to cut things apart at the end of the season and potentially ruin your snowflakes.

On each snowflake, find a good spot to hang it and poke the end of the hanger thread through the hole. Then put the loop from one end of the hanger through the other one and pull it all the way through. It will hitch up the snowflake and make it easy to remove later.

Once your thread is in place, it should be loooped around a part of the snowflake as shown below:

To attach the hanger, simply slip the paperclip through the loop at the top end of the hanging thread. Gently bend the paperclip closed for extra security.

Hang your various snowflakes up on the curtain rod. Spread them out the rod and try to distribute the large/small and short/long snowflakes.

Have fun with placement! You can try to make them very even, or create natural groupings. You can have the heights be random or have them organized from longest to shortest. Whatever speaks to you — this IS art, after all!!

Living With a Window Mobile

The only downside to creating a kinetic sculpture in one of your windows is that it makes it a little less convenient to use the window curtains. There are several ways to work with this.

• Use a double curtain rod. At my house we have a double curtain rod in the front room with sheers in the back and curtains in the front. I hang the snowflakes with hooks from the back rod. I leave my sheers open and just close the front curtains. I still have to adjust each morning, but for the most part this is a great solution.

• Tape the hangers to the inside of the window frame. If you don’t have a double curtain rod or don’t want one, taping the mobile up also works. Either tape to the wall above the window or to the top inside surface of the window frame itself. This means removing tape later, so make sure you use tape that will work well for your situation.

• Let the snowflakes compress between the curtains each night and redistribute them each morning. Maybe more time consuming, but totally doable. The only downside will be having to untangle things if they get too jumbled up.

• Don’t close your curtains! This is by far the easiest solution! If you live somewhere where you don’t need to close your curtains at night, leave them open! Then the mobile can just go on being it’s lovely self throughout the time it is installed.

Off-Season Storage

When you are finished with your mobile, it is easily stored. Separate the hooks, strings and snowflakes and store separately. The snowflakes store well in a manilla folder or envelope and can be used year after year! The hooks can be stored in a envelope or bag, and the strings can either be stored or discarded and remade the next time. I usually remake the strings and inevitably we add more snowflakes, so the mobile evolves each year.

Congratulations!

You have made your paper snowflake window mobile and have created an art installation in your home.

I hope you enjoy it!

If you have leftover snowflakes, you might also use them as decorations on your gifts. The sky is the limit!

If you try this, let me know how it goes! Leave a comment below or come find me on Instagram or Facebook. Can’t wait to hear what you come up with!