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When Cristalier Designer #5 faced the challenge to create a Sweet 16 (Quinceanera) Crystal Birthday Tree in one hour or less, the first thing that popped into her head was...

"I need to talk to my daughter!"

After phone call home, & it's Pixie Whimsy meets Sweet 16!

Designer 5

Inspiration:

I knew I wanted fun colors but I still didn't have a theme or direction. Then I saw these spirited little Pixies and I thought of my daughter. She can be very curious and sometimes a little mischievous. She flies from one thing to the next, always busy and always smiling. That's when I knew, I had found the perfect theme.

Biggest Challenge:

While the crystal ornament trees are prodomently thought as wedding trees, putting a youthful twist to it was a bit challenging.Teenage girls can be hard to design for, they don't want childish, but the don't appreciate adult styled sophistication either. I had to take the overall concept of a crystal tree and adapt it with teen trends.

Favorite Feature:

I smile everytime I see those dainty Pixie faces. They have captured the very essence of the teen girl "attitude".

Alternate Ideas:

I used glass pearl ornaments on the bottom of the crystal strands, but for added sparkle, I recommend using either 20mm or 30mm crystal balls. They would really give rainbow sparkles all across the room.

Final thoughts:

When creating a well designed tree remember; humans like to view asymmetrical objects that's why things like bouquets of balloons are always in 3's, 5's, or 7's. The same thing goes for floral arrangements, they typically display an odd number of flowers. So be sure to work in odd numbers when using focal point objects.

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Metal Tree Color: With this design, I Could have chosen either one of the ornamental faux manzanita trees. If I would have chosen the bronze tree, the theme would have more of a garden feeling.

Tree Size: The Pixie ornaments were almost 7 inches high, so I chose the 72" Classic Ivory Tree. This allowed alot of space between the lowest hung strand and the table top. Of course, you would need very tall ceilings to allow a 6' tree on a standard table.

Crystal Type: The 72" metal tree comes with 9 perfect votive holders. The additional sparkle the candlelight gave to the crystals was magical. I used Swarovski Strass lead crystals for my tree. The lead crystals gave the tree "fire" and all-over rainbows which added to the fairytale feeling. To save money, you could opt for either glass clear strands or AB strands.

Crystal Count: Because this was such a large tree, I ended up using 60 strands of Swarovski leaded glass crystals. Each strand comes 36" long. I kept most of them their original length. The remaining shorter pieces, I connected together or hung on the outer farthest branches.

Accessories: I had so much fun adjusting the Pixies so they seemed to be hanging out in the tree. On the strand bottoms attaching the ornamental colored balls were a snap. If you are going to add larger objects (such as birds, fairies, butterflies) to your metal ornamental tree centerpiece, use Cristalier magnets. They are easy to hot glue or super glue to almost anything and will attach to your wrought iron tree in seconds.

Tree Base: Cristalier Metal Ornament Trees come with a prefectly configured base. If you do not want to use the root base you can remove it and insert the trunk into another container. Just be sure to properly weigh down the base, with the use of Plaster of Paris* or Crafters Cement*.

Plaster of paris is used by florists and crafters all over the world everyday. Using it to make your tree base is fine. If you have any questions, be sure to read labels for directions & any warnings.

Making your own Crystal Birthday / Wedding Tree Base:

If you want to use a different base for your metal tree you can.While our base is designed to take the guesswork of trying to create or make your own base, removing it can add a completely different look to your tabletop centerpiece. If you choose to try a new look here are some helpful tips:

You can either use Plaster of Paris or common Crafter's Cement to weigh down your trunk. These items are found at most local craft stores. I have heard of people using concrete (KwikCrete) you buy from a hardware store. While this will definately give you a strong base it may be too large or heavy to transport. I also am not too fond of mixing concrete. It can be a dirty dusty heavy job. Whatever you choose to use, be sure to read the directions and warnings on the products label. Also only work in well-ventilated areas and use protective gloves and eyeglasses.
If you are using smaller trees, be sure you securely attach the trunk into your container. If you choose a low profile container, than you will need to get your stability from the width of the pot or vase. Taller glass vases or containers will require a weighted base to keep the tree from toppling over. This is the case whether you use real manzanita branches, plastic or rubber branches (see warning) or metal trees. Also be sure if the table is bumped or shifted that your vase won't fall over!
When you are inserting the trunk, be prepared to lose some overall height. A 60" tree could lose as much as 12" when it is weighed down or secured inside a pot or container.
If you want a even taller tree, you can remove the base of the 72" tree and place it into a tall urn or like item. This can raise the already tall metal ornament tree to amazing heights! Fill the urn 2/3 of the height with styrofoam and your choice of compound. Then insert tree base into urn. Continue filling the container but be sure to leave room for the compound to expand. You can cover the base with moss, sand, fresh or silk flowers or even Cristalier crystals.