Part 1 of 4
Last year, when I created this felt ruffled tree, I had no idea that it would become so popular. In fact, it's my most visited post to date with tens of thousands of views... which is a lot for my little ol' blog. When I created the tree, I knew that it would be the first of many. My goal has been to create a collection of pretty little trees-- the perfect holiday focal point for my entryway.
I started to make a shell "mother of pearl" tree last year, but then ran out of time and beads. So this year I started earlier... much earlier... as in August. There's something wrong about working on Christmas decor in the dead of summer, but hey, now I have three more trees to share with you!
To kick off the series, let me introduce you to the shell "mother of pearl" tree--
i love the look of this-- elegant with a casual chic vibe
Click "read more" for the tutorial
Mother of Pearl Tree Tutorial
supplies needed:
12 inch styrofoam cone
hot glue gun & glue sticks
190 3/4-inch mother of pearl beads (jewelry section) and/or buttons
quick note on buttons vs. beads...
i used a combination of buttons and beads-- it took a few trips to Joanns and an online order since they don't carry much stock. i also used coupons or purchased whichever was on sale. the buttons have visible holes at the top but are thinner and easier to work with. i used the buttons at the bottom of the tree since the overlap covered the hole, but when i got towards the top of the tree, i switched over to the beads (the hole is hidden on the side).
i started by glueing the beads/buttons at the base of the cone.
i staggered each row so that the styrofoam core was completely covered, it gives a nice "scale" effect.
work your way up to the top, layering on each new row.
for the very top of the tree, glue the bead on vertically, then glue the rest of the surrounding 5 beads to "support" it.
tada! an elegant mother-of-pearl tree.
More pretty trees coming up... Stay tuned!
edited to add...
click [HERE} to view the complete vignette
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