Bead-and-Glitter Fruit Tree

6 Materials
$35
1 Day
Medium

I put together this table-top tree like a puzzle, using thrift shop decorative fruit and some things that may surprise you!

Every time I saw this type of sparkling fruit decoration at a good price, I added it to my stash.

I made my bead-and-glitter fruit tree of:

• 16 pieces of actual-size fruit, which I called "large"

• 30 pieces of medium, or smaller fruit

• 30 pieces of very small fruit, like clusters of berries and grapes

• 30 faux twig branches (mine had crystals attached) 

• 30 glass beads in red, green, blue, old, and clear (optional)

• Beadalon wire for attaching glass beads (optional)

• Tulip dimensional fabric paint, glow-in-the dark (optional)

• 2 strands of battery operated wreath lights (optional)

• hot glue

… and there's something unexpected you can use for the base …

Here's a diagram I made to assemble a tree like this using a wooden paper towel holder for the base. Add an extension to the top to make your tree the same size as mine which is about 18" total.

I found some of my fruit on eBay and another box of smaller glittered fruit at Michaels. I was also able to gather quite a bit from thrift shops and yard sales.

I also liked the idea of wiring a few glass beads to the ends of the twig branches because they move and sparkle at the slightest vibration.

Here was the tree as I began stacking the fruit around the base, holding each piece with about two spots of hot glue.

My twig branches were long enough that they overpowered the stacked fruit, so I shortened them to about two inches beyond the stack, using a wire cutter.

Here I am wiring on a few dangle beads and threading some string lights in between the fruit. I wore gloves sometimes because my twigs were sharp with crystals.

I added a small drop of dimensional fabric paint to the tip of each cut twig to give it a finished look. This added great texture and also catches ambient light, and glows in the dark.

Here is the finished tree in natural light with lots of texture. It is also fairly light weight since the fruit is hollow and there is lots of space between in the stack.

Up close this decoration is a feast for the eyes. Click on the link under the sun-button below for more details. I think you'll love my blog!

Resources for this project:
See all materials
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Stephie McCarthy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
Next