There was a time not long ago when I would look at Christmas Trees made of vintage costume jewelry and a pang of sadness came across me. All that beautiful jewelry that had been torn up to make a decoration, think of the revamped vintage jewelry I could make with it!
Lately my feelings have changed. I don’t know what happened, it’s as if something nostalgic for the trees came over me and now I kind of wish I had one of my very own. These are some fantastical examples by This Little Piggy, Junkmail 050269 and Dally. I started to make myself a jewelry covered tree for this holiday season, but I had a better idea. Jewelry covered Christmas trees can only stay up around the house for a month at most without making you look like those weird neighbors that keep their Christmas lights up all year long. My concept was a Floral Fro that could adorn your walls all year long!
The idea for Floral Fros came to me as I was flipping through a book I found at a thrift store called Hair Today. It’s a gold binder full of hair style pictures (front and back) straight out of the 70’s. The bottom of each picture says “Hair Style of the Month Chicago, IL”. I have been going through a silhouette phase lately and decided why couldn’t I combine the two looks together. With that I chose my favorite profile from the book, scanned her in, turned her black and white in Photoshop and printed her out on some sturdy paper.
Next I needed to cut out a piece of felt to the exact size of my head, this is where I started racking my brain for tracing ideas.
I placed a piece of parchment paper over my hair style hottie and was able to clearly see the picture and trace her outline. I cut out this piece of paper making a pattern and pinned it to some white felt. I then cut the white felt out in the same exact shape as my woman’s head.
My black and white woman needed a protective top coat so it was time to rev up my heat press and bust out the laminating paper. I cut off all her perfectly coiffed hair, ran her through the laminating machine and then trimmed her up.
Once this was done I then lined her face up with the piece of felt I had cut out and glued her face down to the felt.
Next the fun part. I keep some of my craft supplies in drawers sorted by colors. This is a system I use mostly for things I only have one of. I hit my white drawers and started pulling out all the earrings, pins, pearls and what not that I could find.
First things first I decided to outline my Floral Fro with a strand of faux pearls using a glue gun.
In my line of work it pays to have very little discretion when shopping for craft supplies. It just so happens that I have 3 whole drawers full of white and cream odds and ends that came in darn handy for this little project. Once upon a time on a trip to Rhode Island I purchased a huge bag of single clip on earrings from several different costume jewelry designers Coro, Sarah Coventry and more. My guess is they were singles so that traveling costume jewelry sales men could take the examples to stores for them to see, the stores chose their favorite styles, placed an order and the rest was history. Lucky for me white was apparently a hot color for clip on earrings in the 50’s and 60’s. 
Using my pliers I removed the backs to all the earrings. I then placed them within the pearl trimmed outline of my Floral Fro and once I had everything placed exactly where I wanted it I went back and glued everything down.
The last few steps were to glue my silhouette onto a piece of black felt and frame my piece of art. I am totally smitten on the finished results! 
So smitten in fact that I made another version in black and white!
Think you might want to stick with the traditional jewelry covered Christmas tree this time around? No problem. I scanned in some easy step by step instructions from one of my favorite craft books Don’t Throw That Away by Vivian Abell.
You can also visit the Signs of Times n Such blog for more instructions. She also currently has “Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton playing over there that makes me feel warm and squishy as it is one of my holiday faves.
Don’t forget we are doing a crafty how-to a week through December so that you can be sure to give the raddest home made gifts in all the land. Kinky Candles, Jewelry Displays and more! Keep you eyes peeled for book week with contests, reviews and a fun how-to card making guide coming up next!
Let me know what you think of the Floral Fros and if you decide to make one yourself!
Brilliant. I love fros.
love it times 1,000!! reminds me of jason mecier!! i want to make one now!!
http://www.jasonmecier.com/title.html
OMG I love that bean guy, what a compliment. I had totally forgotten about his stuff and now I see a bean encrusted Golden Girls portrait that I am in love with!!!! Oh I know what I am asking Santa for.
holy crap jen those floral fros are amazing! i’m thinking about trying something like that out in evan’s room….but i may need help! i don’t even own a glue gun..
Thanks lady! Glad you like. Maybe I’ll make one for Lil’ Whips room and we can craft them together. We can get you a glue gun. I actually thought I didn’t have one either until I remembered that I had gotten one as a party favor at a BBQ at Cathie Fillian’s house in LA this summer.
saw your tweet about these and just HAD to look! they are actually really cool!
love it!!! although I still cringe at those rhinestone covered trees…and have been known and try to pry things off LOL
Awesomess! As usual.
I wish I could make my hair look like this…
How interesting that you posted this today. I have one of those jewelry trees hanging up in my home right now!
I even wrote an entire post about it a few days ago on my own blog.
http://www.jentucker.us/2008/12/03/o-jewelry-tree/
Jen
This is my favoritist thing you’ve ever done, and that’s sayin’ something cause I love your work. Brilliant, striking, fun and fabulous.
Cheers,
Madge
Hey Jen I love that yours lights up! Maybe the next Floral Fro I make I will wire with lights that would be RIIZZAADDD!!!!
Margot thanks lady, your very fave wow! I think it might be one of my very faves too. I think I’m gonna have a varation in my next book if North Light ever writes me back.
Hiya Jen, it came out soooo great, I absolutely LOVES it! This is a great gift idea;)
This is so much fun! I’ll be linking to this post in the Daily DIY.
OH MY! I LOVE THOSE! I’m sooooo going to think about making one. LOVE IT! Thanks for the great idea!
Very fun. I like the bottlecap tree idea. I did a bottle cap arrow for a sign. This reminds me of my cool jewelry lamp you can see it here.
http://hioctanejewelry.blogspot.com/2007/10/wow-jewelry-lamp.html
Awesome Jennifer! I love them. They turned out amazing!!
Oh can’t wait to be in the Daily DIY OPT, that sounds awesome.
High Octane that lamp is the exact same concept. My great aunts had jars covered with jewelry like that. Just goes to show recycled crafts have been around for a good long while.
Your vision is inspiring:P I still haven’t found my creative vision yet but I’ve got my eye out. I’m still living vicariously through my husbands craftiness:) It’s funny, those that know him say, ‘Dave made THAT!!!’
All is fair in love and craft!
Wowzers I am so in love with this! I even love the trees. I hadn’t seen them before. Being a straight and silky girl, I’ve always been jealous of fros. I really want to try making one!
wow they are beautiful!!!!thanks for sharing..Amy
One word: INGENIOUS!
This inspired me to take all of my Xmas pins and pin them on a crochet Xmas tree my grandmother made years ago. I can share pics if you want!!! Your work and your mom’s inspires me!!!
OOps my name is Melanie (wrote the anonymous) commet. I’m kinda new to this posting thing.
These are really cool. They remind me of one of the series of works that the artist Ellen Gallagher did.
Love it ditto! I like the idea that you made a piece of artwork with jewelry component, yet it can hang on the wall.
Awesome idea! I love how all the different jewelry textures work together.
Brilliantly beautiful !!!
I really love your collection and work.