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Swarovski Cherry Blossom Tree
Published: 2009-04-05 23:53:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 35399; Favourites: 1021; Downloads: 9990
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Description
Alrighty Folks! I've been talking about it, you've helped me choose wire colors, and now it's done! This will be my entry for the 2009 Fire Mountain Bead Competition.Here's what it's made of:
26 gauge brown copper wire
Around 110 pink and white flower-shaped swarovski crystals
translucent green "Ming Tree" seed beads- size 11
Rainbow crystal and rainbow pink "Ornela" czech seed beads- size 11
...then it's mounted on a 3 lb rock covered with sheet moss, which is mounted to a moss-covered wooden base. This base holds a glass dome that fits over it (see additional pictures below).
I'm not sure that I'm happy with the photo. I'm going to try to get one outside in natural lighting to see if I can show off the sparkle of the crystals. If you have any advice on how to improve this photo, send me a note. I have a forum thread about all my photo problems here: [link] and I would LOVE some advice!
While this is a contest entry and I can't change it, I would still love to hear any critique you have of it so that I can continue to improve in future works.
Additional Photos to see!
With the dome on: [link]
Close-up on crystals: [link]
Close-up on the roots: [link]
What do you think? The deadline to submit photos for this contest is April 15th, so it's coming up REALLY soon.
Edit: I just read the submission sheet, and I have to come up with a title for my tree, and I have no clue. Those of you that watch me may have realized that I'm not really a "creative title" type. It's usually something like "green leaf bonsai." Help? I don't want it to be cheesy, but maybe a little better than what I come up with. My best so far is "Crystal Cherry Blossom Tree."
(April 7)Edit again: I've submitted this photo as my entry! I won't find out if I'm a finalist until the end of May. Also, I gave it the name "Tranquil Cherry Blossoms." What do you think? (April 10)
Edit/Update I've received a letter saying that I am a finalist in the Fire Mountain contest! Yay! That means that this thing is going to have to be shipped all the way to Oregon. (June 5)
Update: Fortunately, the tree arrived in Oregon safely (I emailed the company and begged them to just let me know if it was broken to pieces or not... they said it arrived in perfect condition), and now I'm just playing the waiting game. I have NO idea how long it will take to announce winners.
Final Update: I didn't place any further than "finalist." No biggie. Fire Mountain broke the glass dome when they were packing it up to send to me. They're going to replace the dome and enter the piece into a swarovski contest before sending it back to me. I'm looking forward to getting it back.
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Comments: 157
Thanks so much for your feedback!
I put the tree in the globe so that it would be safer during shipping, since it had to travel from Ohio to Oregon. Since the branches are made with such thin wire, if I simply put filler in the box, the tree would arrive bent up all wrong.
I agree with you on the rock- they do take away from the tree. Most of my trees stand alone on a rock and are enhanced by it. This tree uses such delicate colors that it was really difficult to find the right rock for it. I added the moss to "soften" the feel of the rock and to create some contrast of color between the roots of the tree and the rock. That's about all I could do without searching all over the state to find a better rock.
Anyways, I REALLY appreciate your critique! Thank you so much!
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love the subject matter an execution of this piece very well done
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Oh my god. I thought that was a real tree. It's gorgeous.
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You're totally welcome
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...
1) This is amazing. I mean, the amount of precision and effort are obvious, and it's rather beautiful, as well as adorable.
2) That's a lot of Swarovski Crystals.
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There's somewhere around 120 swarovski crystals. And yet, there's still not enough! 
Thank you so much!
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That's a lot of crystals.
It's something shiny, and human instincts are supportive of shiny things. Thus, there are never enough swarovski crystals.
You're welcome! ^^
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You should see it when you take it out in the sun! Every crystal that catches some light creates a little rainbow. It's magical.
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Gorgeous little bead tree!
I've started making a tree like this myself with some paper stars that I folded. The only thing I can't figure out is how to anchor it on a base... How did you anchor yours onto the rock? o:
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Before you try to attach your tree to a base, make sure it's balanced. It should be able to stand on its own, or at least, mine should, since I make roots for them. I glue my trees to their bases using E-6000. Make sure you give the glue plenty of time to set.
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Thank you so much for the tip! ^^
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Very well done! When I first saw this I thought it was a real bonsai cherry tree.
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How much time would you estimate you spend on a project like that?
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Somewhere between 8-10 hours, I'd say?
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Oh my gosh, it's lovely!! I used to make them all the time, you're much better than me though. C:
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Do you have any pictures of your trees? I'd love to see them!
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I'll try to get one up soon~!
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Great! Let me know when you do.
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Okay, here it is! [link]
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Advice: You should have really taken another photo over a black background. You don't paint glass over a white surface, do you? Same should apply with all those beads. Some of them are hardly distinguishable. Other than that, creative and far beyond my skill level.
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