Cinnamon crafts for the holi-yays!

I was inspired to create himmeli with cinnamon sticks for Christmas so I ordered a bunch from San Francisco Herb company. They turned out pretty good and smell great! They require cinnamon sticks that are tubes and not all of the sticks were tubes, so I had lots of extra sticks. What to do? More crafts, of course! Himmeli plus additional ideas below.

Himmeli.

I usually make himmeli with paper straws; cinnamon sticks are much more festive for the Christmas season.

You will need:

• 12 cinnamon sticks (that are tubes)
• Nylon cord or similar non-stretchy cord (the length of 15 sticks, plus an additional 1 foot)
• Craft needles
• Fabric scissors
• Bells or other decor (optional)

String on 3 cinnamon sticks, leaving a short tail on one end (at least 3 inches). Tie a knot to form a triangle. Add 2 more sticks to form a second triangle; tie a knot. Continue to add two sticks at a time until you have 1 stick left; string on last stick. Bring the two cord ends together and tie a knot. You’re left with 2 ‘loose’ triangles. Take another piece of cord and tie the 2 triangles together. This can be the hanging cord, or you can add a more decorative string. Trim any loose cord. Add additional decor, like bells or an air plant.

Mini macrame.

With the leftover cinnamon sticks I decided to make mini macrame pieces. Shh, don’t tell anyone because I might be gifting these for Christmas this year. 🙂

For this project you will need:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• Yarn (chunky works!) cut into 4 2-foot pieces
• Fabric scissors
• Ribbon or string

You can create any pattern you wish, but here’s what I came up with:

• Fold four pieces of yarn in half and create four Lark’s head knots
• Square knot with cords 1-4 and 5-8
• Square knot with cords 3-6
• Square knot with cords 1-4 and 5-8
• Square knot with cords 3-6
• Double half hitch using cord 1 as the filler cord for the left cords (2-4)
• Reverse double half hitch using cord 8 as the filler cord for the right cords (5-7)
• Square knot with center 4 cords

Trim and add a hanging string.

Try it with multicolored yarn or rope that your can fringe at the end.

Table runner.

A super easy but very cute way to use cinnamon sticks is to create a cinnamon stick table runner. You could also create smaller groupings to make drink coasters or trivets.

You will need:

• Cinnamon sticks
• Cord (four times the length of your cinnamon row) – baker’s twine works well
• Fabric scissors

Fold cord in half. Each cinnamon stick will get a double wrap. Starting at the midpoint, place first cinnamon stick on the ‘inside’ of the cord. Create a double wrap with one end of the cord, then tie a tight single knot. It’s best to create the knot on the side of the cinnamon stick (not the bottom of top of table runner). Add a second cinnamon stick on the ‘inside’ of the two cords, create a double wrap with one end of the cord, then tie a single knot. Repeat this pattern, alternating between cords to create the double wrap, until you have ~5 inches of cord left. After your last cinnamon stick, tie a double knot. I like to create a second double knot to form a loop for hanging.

Pair with fresh foliage for an inviting tablescape.

More ideas: create cinnamon stick bundles (tie with cord and maybe add a bell) for gift toppers or create cinnamon stick sachets and scatter around your home for instant holiday feels.

How are you getting Christmas-ready? Share below!