I adore himmeli … perhaps it is my Scandinavian ancestry … or my deep love of geometry … or my love of sculpture and simply making things … or a combination of all of those! To say I have been completely in my element is an understatement!

I have had boundless fun constructing several himmeli pieces: wreaths, a ‘sun’ and a ‘moon’ and a giant star to top my Christmas tree.

So ... a bit more about my beloved himmeli ... the making of them is a tradition in Scandinavia/Baltic Sea region. The etymology of the word is swedish/germanic ‘himmel’ meaning sky or heaven. Himmelis were made for Christmas, Easter, weddings, other celebrations as they were believed to be symbols of luck.

I used hollow ‘phragmites australis’ reed straws to make the wreaths, sun and moon shapes: the wreaths are repeating pentagonal prisms; the sun has at its core an icosahedron and then lots of triangles and then, the moon is made up of 12 pentagons ... based on a do ... do ... do ... do ... dodecahedron! The star is based on an octagonal prism. I finished these with beautiful LEDs, mini baubles and circular tinsel (my main wreath); teeny copper ‘warm’ lights (the sun and moon) and pastel LED lights (the star), respectively!  Again, the reflections are so very special! 

They are very festive but I have a feeling these sculptures will remain in situ forevermore! 

They are very much, in so many ways, a Christmas present to ... me! ✨