Stars from Drinking Straws-Himmeli!

 A few years back I noticed that these geometric Himmeli creations were getting alot of attention. 

Traditionally a Finnish craft using wheat straw,  

they were made for Christmas  and holidays, and just for fun.

Long years ago, Life magazine had a feature article on Himmeli stars 

made from drinking straws and our family made them for Christmas that year.

Now that plastic drinking straws are being phased out, this craft is perfect 

for the supplies still on hand.

I found this box of 1000 in a thrift shop.

These can also made from paper straws!

I cut the straws in half and strung wire through them to make a series of triangles

 then attached them together to make the geometric ball in the center.

 Leave the extra wire attached to trim away later when you are finished.

It will seem floppy and look a mess until you have attached enough

 triangles to give the ball structure and strength.

Wire three long straws together and attach to the triangles that for your center ball. 

Soon you will see how your spiky star ornament will look! 

Carefully tighten the wire attachments and trim the ends. 

Now you can hang your beautiful Himmeli star or spray paint it a 

fun color or even, what fun, cover it with glitter!

And NOW I'm getting oh so fancy and using black straws for this 

next wonderful project.

Here's the start......

A gorgeous Himmeli light fixture (with a low heat bulb of course!)

I will write up another post when it's done!

BIG Two Foot Wide Wreath from a Hula Hoop

I wanted to make a BIG wreath for our door. It had to fit

around the rectangular window so I knew it needed to be 

at least 24" wide.

A trip to the Dollar Tree gave me great ideas, including using a hula hoop base.

I bought a hoop, a foam noodle and loads of colorful silk decor in 

autumn colors and spent less than $15 for everything.

I split the noodle lengthwise and hot glued it to the hoop so the wreath would be 

flattish on the back side and plumpish on the front. 

Those are technical terms, right?

Then I wrapped the foam and hoop in burlap type fabric. 

By the way, the Dollar Store also has the best deal on lotsa sticks of hot glue for a buck.

Let the fun begin! I ended up cutting the leaf clusters off the garlands and

 gluing them in place among the flowers on the front. 

This eliminated any bulk on the flattish back side.

Just a side note...still LOVING the penny counter we put on my kitchen island this summer.

What a fun way to spend an hour or so...attaching pretty colorful flowers

 to a giant wreath for autumn decor!

Oooh aaah!

It's the perfect size to go around the window in the door 

and it's exactly how I pictured it.

Bonus close up shots just because.

During the year I'll hit yard sales and thrift stores for more

colorful things to put on this wreath.

Hula hoop door wreath...I think we have a winner!

Easy DIY Lighted Autumn Hurricane

Here's a unique...and easy...DIY for stunning autumn decor.

I "filled" a tall hurricane glass so that the garlands and lights stood tall

inside the glass.

I scored this 20" tall hurricane glass for $2 at a yard sale 

and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

I had Dollar Store leaf garlands and white twinkle lights in my stash

 so I wrapped them together to make one string.

The problem was they would not stand up and fill the glass. Even wiring the garland to the top edge of the glass didn't fill the glass the way I was picturing.

Here's the simple solution!

Take a dowel that is just a little shorter than your glass. 

Cover it with some autumn paper or paint it to match. 

I used leaf printed napkins and wrapped them around diagonally.

NOW, wire your lighted garland to one end, making sure the plug end for 

your lights comes out at the top or bottom, as you wish.

Tada! 

Your pretty lighted garland will stand up and

 fill your glass from top to bottom!

I loved the look so much I did the same thing to a tall pasta jar 

and put both of them on top of a tall bookcase. 

The mirror behind them reflects the colors and lights

 into the room and looks dazzling.

I did a safety check on both containers and found the lights were only warm, 

not hot, so this display is safe.

My kids are kind of blase with all my decorating projects but my grandkids 

and great grandkids still react with wonder and delight 

when they come to visit our autumn house.

So, easy DIY lighting project plus kids' smiling faces?

Win win!