How to Make Cinnamon Stick Himmeli Ornaments | DIY

A pretty handmade ornament made with one of my favorite holiday spices: cinnamon!

When it comes to decorating, I’m all about keeping it DIY. Why feed into the big business of the holiday season when you can make something really cool yourself? This year I’m keeping my Christmas décor simple, with earth tones and lots of natural elements, but I still really needed a modern pop. That’s when I started playing around with the idea of making a cinnamon stick himmeli ornament.

This geometric Finnish ornament has been having a moment in the craft world for some time. Himmeli are traditionally made of straw and can include hundreds, even thousands of pieces depending on how complex they are. I decided to keep it simple and make a 12-piece version with one of my favorite holiday spices: cinnamon!

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

I picked up my cinnamon sticks at the local co-op from the bulk bin section both to save on costs and pick and choose the best pieces. Make sure you look for ones with a hollow middle where the bark has rolled enough to fit a needle through.

Cinnamon Stick Himmeli Ornament DIY

Tools

Materials

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Start by threading a 3-4 yard piece of twine through your needle, I found a needle threader makes life a lot easier for this task. Next, use the needle to pull your twine through three cinnamon sticks. If your sticks have begun to crumble, you may need a pair of pliers for this part.

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Gather your your first three sticks near the start of your piece of twine, then tie it tightly with a regular old square knot. (Left over right, then right over left.) I found it easier to take the needle off in order to do this, but any knot should work as long as you’re securing the connection tightly.

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com
DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Next, thread your needle again and slide on two more cinnamon sticks. These are the sides for your second triangle. Take your need through the middle of the triangle you just made, pull and secure with another square knot.

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

After the first couple, you’ll really get the hang of it. Repeat until you’ve created five triangles, all tightly secured, then thread one more cinnamon stick on the end.

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Now for the fun part! This step almost feels like a magic trick. Take the two ends of your string and tie them together. This should pull the last cinnamon stick into your final triangle and create the base of your ornament.

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Secure your last triangle with a firm knot. Then cut a piece of twine to hang your ornament from. This is going to be doubled over in a loop, so give yourself plenty of length. Pull this through the two open triangle on either side, pull them together and tie in place. String on a few wooden beads finish the end of your loop with a knot. Voila, you have a cinnamon stick himmeli ornament!

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Fair warning, once you get the hang of this, you won’t want to stop making these sweet smelling cinnamon stick himmeli, which is totally fine since they’re absolutely adorable. These also make great presents for a home cook to hang in their kitchen year-round… until they need a cinnamon stick that is!

Learn how to make a matching himelli and dried orange garland, too!

DIY cinnamon stick himmeli // jojotastic.com

Project and styling by Gwen McKenzie for Jojotastic.

Photography by Meghan Klein

pssst… more DIY projects right this way!

Leave a comment and let us know what you think of this cinnamon stick himmeli tutorial! And if you make a batch, be sure to post a photo and tag @jojotastic on Instagram so we can see.

Behind The Blog

Joanna Hawley-McBride is a Pacific Northwest-based social media strategist, content creator, and former textile designer. Joanna is the founder and editor-in-chief of Jojotastic, a lifestyle blog focused on Joanna’s work-in-progress cabin, finding the best pair of underwear through #UnderwearThesis, and empowering women to explore nature — all in her signature unfiltered style. Her work has been featured in Domino, CNBC, and Eating Well.

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Leave a Comment

5 Comments

  1. 11.15.16

    I’ve never seen himmeli as proper cinnamon sticks but its such a lovey idea, I bet it smells great too

    – Natalie
    http://www.workovereasy.com

    • 11.15.16
      joanna said:

      It seriously smells amazing! We’re working on a garland version of this, so stay tuned!

  2. 12.9.15
    angela sum said:

    OH this is so cute! Now I’m thinking of doing something like a chocolate edible version… maybe chocolate wafer sticks, and some maltesers lol~

  3. 12.9.15
    angela sum said:

    OH this is so cute! Now I’m thinking of doing like a chocolate edible version… maybe chocolate wafer sticks, and some maltesers lol~