Beaded Tree

by SNLouise in Workshop > Metalworking

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Beaded Tree

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Here is a great decoration idea for all homeowners that can bring the life of a plant into the home without having to actually keep it alive. This project was ideal for me since I can never keep a plant alive in my home.

Supplies

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Here is what you will need for your project

Wire - floral or jewelry wire will work

Beads - there are small beads at any craft store

A small container

stones

Form the Leaves

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Start by cutting out about 18" of wire

Bend the wire in half to create a u shape

Add about 20 beads to the u loop

Close the beaded loop by twisting about 1/4" down the wire, forming the leaf.

Form a u shape on one side of your current leaf

Add about 20 beads to the new u loop

Close the beaded loop by twisting about 1/4" down the wire. The end of this twist should meet the bottom of the previous twist, forming a V shape

Repeat on the other side of your original leaf

Add two more leaves to your stem.

Once you have 5 leaves, add a final 1/2" of twist just below the leaves

Create Multiple Stems

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Repeat the previous step to create multiple stems of leaves.

You should have plenty of wire still on each stem

I created 27 of the small stems with 5 leaves

Start Forming Larger Branches

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Start by taking 3 stems and twisting them together right where the previous twists end

Twist down about 3/4"

Repeat with bunches of 3 until all the stems you made are now in groups of 3 small branches

Repeat steps with the small branches

At this point I had 3 bundles of metal branches

Start Creating the Trunk of the Tree

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Take the 3 bunches you have and twist them together similar to how you did in the previous steps

Twist down about 1" to 2"

The three bunches twisted together create the trunk.

The wire left at the bottom will represent the roots. Take the extra wire at the bottom and spread it to be perpendicular to the trunk and so it can hold the tree up when set down

Display

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When you are happy with the look of the tree you can set it and display it for everyone to see.

Now you have a great looking plant that doesn't need watering! Enjoy!