Following the boy's fox party, I had a bunch of paper straws leftover. I guess most people preferred their beverage sans straw. :) While I was putting them away, I thought that they would be perfect for a Himmeli. A Himmeli is a traditional Finnish Christmas decoration usually made from straw (hay). Using my grey/black/white paper straws made for a modern take on this classic decoration. I also decided rather than make a big Himmeli mobile, I would just make some ornaments. I am thrilled with how they turned out and am excited to use them for our Christmas decor this year.
Here I clustered a few together on one of my new Muuto Dots (I so caved and finally bought some after obsessing over them for more than a year). This is the first one I've mounted thus far and I will show you the others soon once I figure out exactly where they'll go. :) I love how my Himmeli ornaments are just haphazardly hanging there.
I also added some beads to the top of each Himmeli. I used leftover wooden beads from my Easter wreath and painted some black and grey and left the rest natural. I used different combinations of the colours for each of my ornaments and love that each one is a little different.
So for the tutorial I did something different this time…a video. Oh, SO embarrassing, but when I tried taking pictures of all the steps for making this, I found it would be much less confusing to do a video.
DIY Himmeli Ornament:
First, here's what you'll need: paper straws (12 equal-sized pieces for each ornament), twine/string, wood beads, craft paint
Here's the how to video:
and some pictures of the process:
I'm excited to have started some crafting for Christmas. I always have this unending list of Christmas things to do. We'll see how many I get to this year. :)
these are so adorable!!! you have such a great eye, anu.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cassie. I knew right away when I saw my leftover straws that they would become himmelis. :)
DeleteI have to try these! I didn't look at the video yet but I will when I can properly concentrate. I've been actually thinking about doing a himmeli for a while but somehow time has always escaped. I wonder why? ;P You did creat job and the paper straws are a great idea. A bit chunkier than the traditional hay straw. WTG girl.....AGAIN! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ina. The video is a bit embarrassing, but it's easier to explain all the steps that way. I'd love to see your Himmeli if you make one. :)
DeleteThey are so pretty. I love them. They look so great with the striped straws too. Great ornament :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Katja. I really liked the neutral colours of the straws and I love how they look in the himmeli shape.
DeleteBeautiful...and kids friendly! You always have great ideas!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Ama. I agree, it would be a fun craft for kids too. :)
Deletethose are adorable...and look like something i could attempt with my 7 year old. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of having my three year-old help me make the one in the video. It probably would have been entertaining, but likely would not have made very much sense. ;)
DeleteThese are so cute!
ReplyDeletehow did i know you'd end up making himmelis with those straws?! great minds think alike? ;)
ReplyDeletei was actually going to ask you last week (but forgot) to keep an eye out for golden/brass coloured straws... guess what i found in the christmas section at the dollar store today?! ;)
Jenny, we seem to be on the same wavelength these days. I still can't forget about the kivet curtains for the boys' room. ;) Gold would look so great for a himmeli!
DeleteGORGEOUS and breathtaking...your pics are wonderful! Would love to see you link this up over The Weekly Creative - 6 blogs, a ton of fun!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/the-weekly-creative-33/
Thanks so much for the invite. I will stop by!
Deletefantastic! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteThey are beautiful! thanks for the tutorial.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm really happy with how they turned out. :)
DeleteSo creative! Love how geometric they are!
ReplyDeleteI find it really neat that a traditional Finnish ornament can look so modern in that geometric shape.
DeleteLove these! I can see a few of them hanging from my Christmas tree right now :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Caitlin! I think they would be great on a Christmas tree. :)
DeleteVery cute! Great tutorial too!
ReplyDeleteSo cute! I love seeing different ways to use paper straws :) xo Kristin
ReplyDeleteThere are so many great crafts with paper straws out there. They're so versatile!
DeleteThose paper straws are amazing - and I love your ornaments. Pinning to remember!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pin Krista!
DeleteLove these! and it's great that you found a way to use the straws...those straws are too adorable to go to waste :)
ReplyDeleteI could never let anything go to waste, especially pretty straws. ;)
DeleteOh, they look fun made from these striped straws!
ReplyDeleteOnly knew the typical ones until today :)
Love, Midsommarflicka
The straws worked out really well although, I really love the traditional ones too.
DeleteI have been tempted to try making a Himmeli in the past but never have. I love the striped straws and beads on yours. I would love it if you linked this up to the Handmade Holiday link party: http://persialou.blogspot.com/2013/11/handmade-holiday-link-party.html Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Alexis. I'm heading over to your party right now. :)
DeleteThese are too cool! I've never heard of Himmeli decorations, but they are quite lovely when using the straws.
ReplyDeleteI love that they're a traditional Finnish ornament. It's great for my boys to learn about their background. :)
DeleteBeautiful! I can't wait to try this with some of our new gold + silver straws for my tree!
ReplyDeleteThey would look so nice in the metallic tones. Please share photos if you make them!
DeleteOh my goodness. These are too cute. And look at that little cutie tying to it haha! Beautiful work, Anu!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! My littlest keeps asking for the ornaments: "ah, ah" while pointing at them. I don't think the paper straws will last very long if I keep letting him play with them (he still puts everything in his mouth)! :)
DeleteThey are gorgeous! Thank you so much for showing us how to make them, the video is very clear. I didn't know about Himmeli before, but they are beautiful and I can't wait to make some! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'm glad the video was clear. Please share pictures of yours if you decide to make some. :)
DeleteLove these! The possibilities for colors is endless! Great tutorial and the video is wonderful! Sharing these on our Fb page today! ;) Bonnie
ReplyDeleteThanks for the FB share and for the feedback on the video.
DeleteThese look awesome! What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThese are very fun! What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteFound you via the thrifty decor chick party. These are super cute. I made Himmeli ornaments from paper straws too this year!
ReplyDeletehttp://whatsurhomestory.com/paper-straw-himmeli-ornament/
I should have known before I even clicked on the link party image that this was your craft! So cute. Lovelove them:)
ReplyDelete