Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “tree of life” crystal things all over my social media feeds lately, and they look pretty neat. I finally caved and decided to try making one myself. I’m not super crafty, but I figured, how hard could it be?
Getting Started
First, I gathered all the stuff I needed. I already had some old jewelry wire lying around, so that was a start. Then I went to the craft store and picked up a pack of assorted crystal beads and a metal ring – I chose a simple circular one, about 3 inches across. I also grabbed some pliers from my toolbox, the kind with the wire cutters built-in.
The Messy Part
So, I started by cutting a bunch of wire pieces. I didn’t really measure, just eyeballed it – maybe about 10 inches long each? I figured I could always trim them later. Then I took the metal ring and started wrapping one end of a wire piece around it. I just twisted it a few times to secure it. I repeated this with all the other wire pieces, spacing them out evenly around the ring. It looked like a weird metal octopus at this point.
Next, I started adding the beads. This was the fun part! I threaded beads onto each wire, mixing up the colors and sizes. I didn’t really have a pattern in mind, just went with what looked good. Some wires I filled up completely, others I left with just a few beads near the top, to kind of look like leaves.
Twisting and Shaping
Once all the wires had some beads on them, I started twisting them together to form the “trunk” and “branches” of the tree. This was a little tricky, and my fingers got a bit sore. I used the pliers to help twist the thicker parts, especially where multiple wires came together. I just kept twisting and shaping until it started to resemble a tree. It wasn’t perfect, but hey, it was handmade!
The Finishing Touches
After I was happy with the shape, I took the ends of the wires at the top and twisted them together to form a loop, so I could hang it up. I used the pliers to make sure it was nice and secure. Then, I trimmed any excess wire with the cutters. And that’s pretty much it! It’s now hanging my room,and I feel good when I see it.
It’s not perfect, it’s a little wonky in places, but I made it myself, and that’s what counts. I might even make another one, maybe with different colored beads next time.
