Reader Idea: Jewellery Christmas Tree

We loved this idea- re-imagining jewellery!  Our friends Amy and her son N. show us the steps to their project.  (Their next piece will use vintage pieces of her grandmother’s- we can’t wait to see it!)  So fun and kid-friendly!

If you love vintage clothing, check out Amy’s Esty store:  http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ButtonsandFrills

Materials

• Canvas
• Paint
• Brush
• Smock
• Tray
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Earrings (straight posts are the easiest for young children)

Directions

• Purchase jewellery at a re-use store, garage or estate sale or go through your own supply of jewellery. (This would be perfect for singles where half of the pair has been lost!)  Select pieces you would like to use.

• Next N. chose the colour he wanted to paint his canvas. 

• After letting it dry overnight, with a little help from his mom, he traced out the shape of a Christmas tree (a triangle), so he would know where all the earrings needed to be.

• Amy said, “Straight back earrings work the best as we could push them through the canvas.  You can use other types of jewelry too but it means that you need a glue gun to attach them.  N. really loved pushing the earrings through the canvas as they make a fun popping sound!”

• They used earring backs to hold the earrings onto the back of the canvas.

• Here is the finished tree!

• Amy suggested, “If someone was really into making a big project out of it, they could do it on wood and drill small holes in the tree to stick mini lights in before attaching all the jewellery!”

• We think it is a great project for little ones and we are so happy our friends Amy & N. were willing to share it!  Do you have an idea you think other families or educators would like?  We’d love to see it!

Purpose

• Re-imagining items
• Developing fine motor skills

Safety Notes

• Be sure to wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect surfaces and clothes when you paint.
• Earrings and their parts (the backings) can be choking hazards so do this activity with direct supervision. It is not suggested for children 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things in their mouths.