DIY Himmeli Wreath

After seeing this beautiful brass himmeli wreath on Etsy, I was ruined for all other wreaths. It is everything I’m loving right now; geometric, modern, and metallic. The $185 price tag is warranted for such a unique hand-made wreath, but we don’t have that kind of coin for decorations at the moment.

I decided to take a stab at a DIY  Himmeli wreath using floral wire and coffee straws. While it’s not a replica and more of an “inspired by the original” kind of project, it satisfied my craving for a himmeli wreath. I may only use it one season, but it just cost me $12 and a couple hours to make.

Before you try this on your own, proceed with caution… Rating it for difficulty, I’d give it about a 7. If you’re a veteran crafter, go for it. However, it’s definitely not something to try in a group setting like a craft night. It might end with wire being thrown across the room and people drinking wine through little black straws. (PS-If you’re going to host a craft night, there should be wine. It makes things much more interesting, and even the non-crafters will attend.)


DIY HIMMELI WREATH
Supplies:
-About 100 coffee straws
-Gold floral wire
-Gold spray paint
-Wire clippers (or heavy duty scissors)

Instructions:
1. Start by threading a long piece of wire through three straws. Bend wire and straws to form a triangle and secure and the top. Repeat eight times.
2. Connect the eight triangles together using two or three longer pieces of wire so that the bottoms of the triangles form an octagon.
3. Adding on to each of the base triangles, thread wire through adjacent triangles to add three straws to the corners. These three straws extend toward a point opposite the base of the triangle. Connect at the top by twisting and securing the wire.
4. Where the new 3D triangle connects (the vertex), becomes the starting point for a new triangle. The vertex of this triangle will end up being mid way between two of the original eight triangles. (Clear as mud?)
5. Continue threading wire through and adding extra as necessary to make the wreath sturdy in weak points. Once completed, you will need to hang with multiple nails to ensure that the shape stays intact once hung.
*I realize these instructions may seem confusing…Honestly, there was a lot of trial and error for me in this project. If something didn’t look symmetrical, I clipped the wire and started that segment over. I almost gave up many times, but the fear of craft failure pushed me onward. 


A bit below the DIY Himmeli wreath sits another of my holiday knock off projects, Anthropologie inspired gift wrap from a couple years ago. (Yes, I kept the box; I love it that much.) As much as I try, I can’t get away from brown kraft paper. This year I vowed to try something new and fresh, but “brown paper packages tied up with string” just feel like Christmas to me…