I discovered himmeli, which are traditional Finnish Christmas decorations, in a somewhat roundabout way. A fashion blog that I follow, Closet Visit, covered a Japanese-born designer named Momo Suzuki. (Hang on here for just a bit longer.) Suzuki has a delicate, minimalist aesthetic, and there was a photograph of her under an intricate mobile she had made—a himmeli. I investigated further and learned that they were originally made to promote a good harvest: The bigger and more complex these rye straw decorations were, the better the crop would be. I was encouraged to make my own himmeli after coming across detailed step-by-step instructions on Elsie Marley. Even though they're traditionally displayed at Christmas, I'm considering leaving mine up year-round.
Above: Some examples of himmeli from AMradio, an Etsy vendor who makes them from natural straw, plastic straw, and aluminum straw for different effects. The straw himmeli on the right is the Natural Straw Modern Mobile: Himmeli No. 1; $59.
Above: Modern Mobile Himmeli No. 5 is made with black plastic straw; $97 from AMradio.
Above: LA-based designer Momo Suzuki creates a himmeli mobile. Photograph by Jeana Sohn of Closet Visit.