Fun With Himmelis!

If you have been on Pinterest, Etsy or have visited any flea market in the past year, you have probably seen a himmeli.  You might not recognize the name but the distinct minimalist geometric shape is hard to forget.  Despite the recent popularity of himmelis, they have been around for quite some time.   Himmelis originated as a traditional Finnish Christmas mobile decoration.  The first himmelis were made of straw and hung above the dining table to ensure a successful rye harvest the next year. The ornate mobiles would be hung around Christmas time and would stay into spring. 

   

This past holiday season Croft House hung its first window displays.  Himmelis were an easy choice for the display because of how perfectly their clear lines and distinct design accent our furniture(we hung them over our Railcar Walnut Table and Arden Bed.)  The ornaments make for a fun craft project and are easy to build, so needless to I was very excited for this DIY. The list of supplies to make a himmeli is short. All it takes is: 

- Paper Straws

- 30 Gauge Wire

- Gold Spray Paint

- Scissors

There are several tutorials online, here is one of my favorites.

We stayed late, ordered pizza and twisted wire until our fingers hurt.  Once we finished placing the cardboard straws into their final shapes, I sprayed each himmeli with two coats of gold spray paint.  The ornaments were then hung from the ceiling at various heights in each of our front windows.

When the holidays ended, it was time to take down the window display.  I loved the himmelis so much and such a great time making them that I refused to let them go to waste.  They were worth repurposing, so I decided to recycle them and use them as air plant holders.  Air plants are low maintenance as they do not require soil to grow, they get all of their nutrients through their leaves and require minimal sunlight.  My covered back patio was the perfect home for my repurposed himmelis.  To add a little more weight to the ornaments I hung them with hemp twine.  I only bought a few air plants to start but the patio will not be finished until every himmeli has an air plant! 

 

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