Do It Yourself Jewelry Projects and More

Tree Of Life Pendant W/Stone

2/14/2017

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Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Flush cutters
1/4" dowel (for bail)
Dowel for frame 1 3/8"
File
Rubber hammer and bench block (opt)

Materials

16 gauge wire md 8"
24 gauge wire 44"
1 1/4" flat bead

Directions

File one end of 16 gauge wire
Go in from end about 1 1/2" and wrap the wire around the 1/4" dowel
Wrap short tail around long tail until gone to make bail
About 1/8" under the bail make a sharp bend

beginning at the sharp bend bottom wrap the wire around the 1 3/8" dowel
Now wrap the tail around under the bail till it meets the other wrap.
Trim, file and flatten smooth
Hammer the hoop (not the bail) to strengthen the frame (optional, but suggested)

Cut five 8" wires from the 24 gauge
Cut one wire 4" long from 24 gauge
Wrap one end of the 4" wire around the frame four times
Now fold all the other wires in half and wrap three on one side of the shorter one and two on the other side

Grab all the wires and twist them three half turns to make the trunk
Fan them out
Pull towards the back the center most wire away from the others (we will use this later to attach the back bead)
Twist the first two together to make a stem and two branches
Do this with all the remaining wires to make five stems and ten branches

Start on one side and wrap the wire around the frame up towards the bail.
Use flat nose pliers to make sure the end is smooth and flat
continue this wrapping process with the next four wires
When you get to the other side of the bail skip the bead wire, but leave room for it to be wrapped ( about 1/8")
Now begin wrapping the other side starting with the next top most wire and wrapping it up towards the bail
For more branch details carefully use the tips of your round nose pliers to create bends

Place bead onto remaining wire
Feed the wire under the frame to the front of the frame
Wrap the wire from the bail (to center the bead) outward in the remaining space(5 wraps at least to secure it well, gently move the others out to get more space if needed)
Trim excess and flatten with flat nose pliers

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We all love to make the Tree of Life and all our kids are home from school enjoying the summer, so why not share this fun project with them!

I wanted to do this for my sons first grade class this spring and I was unable to find a design made with wire, so of course I made one myself. It was so much fun and they all had such a great time doing it.

This design can be embellished with pony beads as well, or made with any color pipe cleaners they want to use. It will be beautiful to hang in the window or even on your Christmas tree, which reminds me they make awesome gifts for your little ones to make for friends and family!

Materials

One Bracelet bangle
Four Pipe Cleaners
Piece of Ribbon or yarn for hanging

'Tools

Flat nose pliers or an adult's tough fingers

*Please be sure to read each direction fully on each step to get the best result. Have fun, every tree will have it's own character just like in nature, so do not stress if they look different then mine does, they are suppose too.

Directions

Start with a bracelet that is rounded not flat (it works better) and four pipe cleaners
Bend each pipe cleaner in half to find the centers

Place one pipe cleaner around the bracelet at the center and twist the wires around each other like when you close a bread tie. Twist them as close to the bracelet as possible just two full rotations. (Holding them between your thumb and first finger up close to the bracelet is the key to getting to be up against the bracelet).
Repeat this step with the rest of the pipe cleaners until all of them are on the bracelet.
You now have the seeds of your tree planted.

Push all the pipecleaners close together and pinch them tightly between your thumb and first finger, as close to the bracelet as possible. With your other hand grab the bracelet on the opposite side and twist it to make the wires twist around one another for two or three full rotations. Your twists should finish about one inch or so away from the bracelet.
Your root have begun to grow and are now a sturdy trunk.

Spread out all the wires. Open them up into a fan allowing each wire to go in the direction it is facing. You should have eight wires fanning out.
Now from either side skip the first wire and place your finger under the next two
Grab those two wires up close to the trunk and twist them together like before (bread tie style) up to three full rotations.
One tree limb has sprouted

Go the opposite side of the fan. Skip the first wire and place your finger under the next two
Repeat the twist we did on the other side
Two tree limbs have sprouted

Grab the center two wires and repeat the bread tie twist
Three limbs are now grown full
Flip the tree up in front of the bracelet. If your twists are to close to the frame feel free to open them up and readjust if needed. The twist should not be past the frame and preferably there is a small space between it and the frame.

Take first wire (either side) and wrap the wire around the frame of the bracelet until it begins to be to hard to do with your fingers, You may wrap upward or downward, whatever you find easiest.
Use your flat nose pliers (or an adult's fingers) to finish the wrap so the sharp edge is flattened

Continue to wrap each wire around the frame
Your tree has now grown leaves.
Feel free to kink your branches to make them look more realistic or spread out the leaves more. It's your tree so give it your own flare or whatever.
You can also glue flowers or little tiny birdt to it if you wish.
Now just sting it with your yarn or ribbon for hanging.

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Tree Of Life Pendant

5/4/2016

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Everyone loves a tree of life pendant. You see them at fairs and at shops. They look so difficult to make and a bit mysterious, but I am here to show you that they can be a great do it yourself pendant for beginners to wire jewelry. With just a few tools and a bit of practice you will be making this Tree of life for all your friends, in every color imaginable.

Tools

Round nose plier
Flat nose plier
Cutter
1/4" dowel
File
Dowels for frame sm 1 ¼”, md 1 ⅜”, xl 2”

Materials

16g wire for frame (sm) 7”, (md) 8”, (xl) 9”
24g wire for Tree (sm) 28”, (md) 32”, (xl) 36”
Assortment of stone chips or xsmall (2mm) beads

Directions

Cut 16g to length needed and file ends of wire
About 1 ¼ from one end of 16g make a large loop around the 1/4"
Wrap the short tail around the long one 2 times.
Make it lay smooth and file the end
Make a bend 1/8"-1/4"from bottom of wrapped bail

Shape long tail around large dowel and then wrap under bail once or twice to meet up with the other wrap.
Cut any excess, tuck in tight and file smooth
Remove frame from large dowel
Hammer frame to make it stronger, being careful to not hammer the bail.

Cut 24g wire into 4 pcs (sm)7”, (md)8’, (xl) 9”
File all ends
Fold each wire in half leaving a small u bend at centers
Starting at the center bottom wrap each wire around the frame 2 times on each side one next to the other, making a coil around the frame

Push all coils close together.
Take all eight tails and twist tie them together three to five times. This is your trunk and the shorter (less twists) it is, the fuller your tree will be.

Separate all the tails into branches
Flip tree up in front of frame
Twist tie together the second and third tails three times
Then do the same on the opposite side of tree

Now twist tie the top center tails 5 times .
Bead wire starting on one side and working your way around the frame ( picture shows starting at the top, but I found this much more difficult as I went)
Wrap remaining tail after placing beads onto wire around frame in a downward coil around the frame and tighten with your flat nose.
Check for any rough edges and smooth them out
Feel free to adjust branches if needed and retighten

For an optional look add a flat bead in ne wire as a moon or add a tiny bird, use your imagination and make it fun. You can also do it in wire only for a skeleton tree, add more branch wires so it won't look to spares. Or make it really large for a Christmas ornament or suncatcher.

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Make your own jewelry!

Tree Of Life Pendant W/Stone

Kids Tree Of Life

Tree Of Life Pendant

Dawn Rosell

Get the latest DIY project and more once a month!

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​Make your own jewelry!

Tree Of Life Pendant W/Stone

Kids Tree Of Life

Tree Of Life Pendant

Dawn Rosell

Get the latest DIY project and more once a month!

Archives

Categories

Make your own jewelry!