Himmeli light fitting

Himmeli sculptures began in Finland as Christmas ornaments, but recently I've been admiring them used in decor as light fittings and terraria. Many of these are mass-produced or made from copper or brass tubes, but I also saw many ornaments that were made from spray-painted straws. I really wanted to try this, and searched to make sure that other people had already done so for a light fitting, so that I would be sure it would not melt!

1. Decide on your design and cut the straws to length. I cut various lengths, starting by cutting the flexible end off, and making shorter lengths from this.

2. Thread some thin wire through each straw, leaving at least an inch at each end. Bend the ends over so the wire does not fall out.

3. Twist the wire together at the corners to form the structure. I started with a triangle of half-straws at the top, then from each corner of the triangle I had two whole straws, then formed triangles at the bottom. Experiment with regular or irregular shapes. Make sure that the top shape will fit on your light fitting.

4. Cut the wire ends shorter, and tuck them inside the straws.

5. Add a blob of hot glue at each corner to strengthen the structure.

6. Spray paint from all directions until it is completely covered.