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14 Nov 2013

DIY: Himmeli Christmas Ornament

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.

Co-pilot loved the ornaments too.  :)

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. :)

48 comments:

  1. these are so adorable!!! you have such a great eye, anu.

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    1. Thanks Cassie. I knew right away when I saw my leftover straws that they would become himmelis. :)

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  2. I 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!

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    1. Thanks 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. :)

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  3. They are so pretty. I love them. They look so great with the striped straws too. Great ornament :)

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    1. Thanks Katja. I really liked the neutral colours of the straws and I love how they look in the himmeli shape.

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  4. Beautiful...and kids friendly! You always have great ideas!

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    1. Thanks so much Ama. I agree, it would be a fun craft for kids too. :)

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  5. those are adorable...and look like something i could attempt with my 7 year old. thanks for sharing!

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    1. I 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. ;)

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  6. how did i know you'd end up making himmelis with those straws?! great minds think alike? ;)

    i 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?! ;)

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    1. 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!

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  7. GORGEOUS and breathtaking...your pics are wonderful! Would love to see you link this up over The Weekly Creative - 6 blogs, a ton of fun!
    http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/the-weekly-creative-33/

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    1. Thanks so much for the invite. I will stop by!

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  8. They are beautiful! thanks for the tutorial.

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    1. Thanks. I'm really happy with how they turned out. :)

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  9. So creative! Love how geometric they are!

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    1. I find it really neat that a traditional Finnish ornament can look so modern in that geometric shape.

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  10. Love these! I can see a few of them hanging from my Christmas tree right now :)

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    1. Thanks Caitlin! I think they would be great on a Christmas tree. :)

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  11. So cute! I love seeing different ways to use paper straws :) xo Kristin

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    1. There are so many great crafts with paper straws out there. They're so versatile!

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  12. Those paper straws are amazing - and I love your ornaments. Pinning to remember!

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  13. Love these! and it's great that you found a way to use the straws...those straws are too adorable to go to waste :)

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    1. I could never let anything go to waste, especially pretty straws. ;)

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  14. Oh, they look fun made from these striped straws!
    Only knew the typical ones until today :)

    Love, Midsommarflicka

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    1. The straws worked out really well although, I really love the traditional ones too.

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  15. I 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! :)

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    1. Thanks so much Alexis. I'm heading over to your party right now. :)

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  16. These are too cool! I've never heard of Himmeli decorations, but they are quite lovely when using the straws.

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    1. I love that they're a traditional Finnish ornament. It's great for my boys to learn about their background. :)

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  17. Beautiful! I can't wait to try this with some of our new gold + silver straws for my tree!

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    1. They would look so nice in the metallic tones. Please share photos if you make them!

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  18. Oh my goodness. These are too cute. And look at that little cutie tying to it haha! Beautiful work, Anu!

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    1. Thanks 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)! :)

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  19. They 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! :)

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm glad the video was clear. Please share pictures of yours if you decide to make some. :)

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  20. Love these! The possibilities for colors is endless! Great tutorial and the video is wonderful! Sharing these on our Fb page today! ;) Bonnie

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    1. Thanks for the FB share and for the feedback on the video.

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  21. These look awesome! What a great idea.

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  22. Found you via the thrifty decor chick party. These are super cute. I made Himmeli ornaments from paper straws too this year!
    http://whatsurhomestory.com/paper-straw-himmeli-ornament/

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  23. I should have known before I even clicked on the link party image that this was your craft! So cute. Lovelove them:)

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