I've been obsessed with these geometrical 3D brass himmeli objects for a while now (at least since I was searching for unique Christmas gifts last year).
I have since made a few of my own, and I'll show you how below.
 |
| from houzz.com |
 |
| from duealberi.blogspot.com |
 |
| from wanelo.com |
 |
| from thedesignconfidential.com |
 |
| from HRUSKAA's Etsy listing here |
They are super versatile and as long as you have some patience, you can play around with shapes and design.
Reasons to love:
- can be used to house air plants
- look cool mounted on the wall
- make several smaller ones to use as ornaments (wreath, mantle, christmas tree, holiday table, etc)
- build around a bottle or small planter for decor or gifts
- quick and easy build!
My versions...
 |
| Icosahedron (20 sided) |
 |
| Icosahedron around a vintage Chambord bottle found at a local thrift store using aluminum rods instead of brass |
 |
| a few different styles and sizes |
To create you own, you will need the following:
 |
| ruler from college, box cutter from the olden days |
1. Several metal rods of your desired color tubing, found at your local hobby store (I found mine at HobbyLobby, but have since found them cheaper here). I used 3/32" wide tubing, but feel free to play around. I suggest not going any smaller as it becomes difficult to wire together.
2. Ruler
3. Pencil
4. Cutting mat or board (I used a small one from the kitchen)
5. Box cutter or razor blade (I wasn't going with a single razor blade, surely I would've ended up in the hospital)
6. Wire thread (I found mine at HobbyLobby as well, but you can use regular sewing thread with a beading needle, too)
Step One:
Measure the tubes to the desired length of each side of your shape. For the larger shape (icosahedron), I measured each to 3", which creates an object that is 6" wide. You will need 30 pieces for the shape above.
Step Two:
Using your cutting surface, use your box cutter to "roll" the tube back and forth, creating a score in the metal. Keep rolling and applying pressure until it snaps off (I didn't get a photo of this, boo!). be careful!
Step Three:
Once you have your desired amount of pieces, you can begin to put them together using your beading wire. If you're doing the 20-sided one, you will work with all triangle shapes. Keep adding tubes to your shape by re-threading others and make your way around the structure (silly me didn't get a photo of this, either. Cutting myself some slack though, this is my first DIY post).
 |
| from Martha Stewart crafts department, and yes, you can use any hollow tube you can find! Coordinate for a wedding with those darling paper straws, perhaps? |
Step Three: Part Two:
I found that the structure wasn't as sturdy as I wanted it to be, so I re-wired each one again. This made it nearly unmovable (thumbs up!). If you're making many of these (say, for wedding decor), you might skip this step.
Step Four:
Enjoy these babies wherever. Mine is currently atop a few coffee table books in my living room.
If you want to get crazy, hunt for some cool vintage bottles or little planters and build your shape around them. You don't have to worry about placing your item inside until attaching the last few tubes. The one I created around the vintage Chambord bottle (pictured above) is now one of three holding fresh flower stems on my dining room table.
For a housewarming gift (someone move somewhere!), I will create a more intricate one surrounding a lovely bottle of vino (yum) to be kept as a keepsake. I will post that as soon as I can.
Have fun with this... and post your creations below!
Susan @ SimplyLuxeBridal
