DIY: Sparkly Snow Covered Bottle Brush Christmas Trees

I found myself needing a couple days off from making jewelry this weekend and of course I couldn't sit around doing nothing. So I decided to indulge my obsession with bottle brush Christmas trees and tried to make some myself.

I had bought 2 cute Cody Foster white & blue trees last year and they looked so adorable with my sparkly cardboard houses that I had to add to my collection and what better way than to make my own!

Here is a step by step guide on how to make your own sparkly snow covered Christmas bottle brush trees.

Step 1.
First you need your supplies. You will need the following:
Bottle Brush Trees
Snow-Tex
Diamond Dust
Mod Podge
2-3 Paintbrushes
Assorted beads & baubles for decorating
Hot Glue Gun & Glue
Optional: Garland & other miniature Christmas decorations, spray glue/adhesive, coloured glitter
& Mod Podge Finishing Spray

I picked up all of these supplies at Michaels. I also bought some higher quality bottle brush trees at Target, they were a little pricier $5 & $8 instead of $1-$3. I found that the more expensive trees had nicer bristles and looked more expensive once I was finished.

Step 2.
Now is the messy part! You will want to lay down some newspaper or a plastic table covering to keep from getting snow-tex & glitter everywhere. 

1. Water down the Snow-tex a little bit in a plastic container until it is the consistency of white glue. That way it will be easier to paint onto all of the bristles on the tree. 

2.Start painting the Snow-tex in sections. I prefer to start from the bottom and then work my way up to the top so that I can hold onto the top of the tree while I am painting.

3. After you paint each section of the tree you will then sprinkle the Diamond Dust onto the wet Snow-tex. This will allow the Diamond Dust to stick to the Snow-tex creating a sparkly snow like texture onto the tree. Don't forget to work in sections so that you can sprinkle the glitter onto the wet snow, you don't want it to dry before you have the chance to glitter it up!

4. Let it dry for at least an hour. The Snow-tex container suggests 3 hours but I am not that patient. You could always do this part in the morning and then finish them later in the day or after dinner. 

5. Decorating! The funnest part of all. Before you decorate make sure to turn your tree upside down and shake it gently to get rid of any excess Diamond Dust. 

6. Get your glue gun ready and start gluing your decorations onto your tree. Have fun and be as creative as you like. You can also use a small thin garland to wrap around your tree (I couldn't find any that I liked in store and ended up buying some online and will be adding it to some of them once it arrives).

7. If you chose some pearls like I did (I picked up some .99 cent strands at Michaels) you can then use the Mod Podge to add more glitter to them. I painted the beads individually in sections and then sprinkled Diamond Dust onto them for a frosty appearance.

{ALTERNATIVE}
If you would like to create a different appearance on your trees you can choose a different method other than the Snow-Tex. Glitter! Take a container of spray adhesive and spray your tree really well. Then roll it in your glitter so that you cover the entire surface of every bristle. Once your glitter is dried you can then decorate it with your glue gun. 

TaDa! And there you have it, gorgeous glittery festive Christmas trees! Made by you to decorate and love for years to come.

 I love how my trees look with all of my little glitter houses!


The small white tree with blue & silver ornaments is from Target and comes with a battery pack that lights up the LED lights around the tree. My houses also light up and look so pretty at night. 



I just ordered some DIY cardboard houses and will be blogging about my journey for you once I am done, can't wait! I hope you have fun decorating your own trees!

Brooke xoxo




Black Friday Sale!

We're having a special one day sale!
Shop our website Friday, November 29th and receive 30% off your order
of $50 or more with coupon code FRIDAY30


This special offer is only valid on Friday, November 29, 2013 from 12am to midnight.

Happy shopping!

Brooke xoxo

Holiday Gifting: Celebrating Family


The holiday season is a time for giving, being grateful and sharing special moments with our family and loved ones. What better way to share your love than with one of our meaningful Vitalia pieces. 

My heritage is Italian and I loved the thought of naming our Tree of Life series after the word Vitalia, which means "full of life" in Italian.




Choose from a selection of Sterling Silver and Vermeil/14kt Gold-filled necklaces and rings. We also have new stud earrings and charm bracelets available next week!




Holiday Collection

Our Holiday Collection is here! We've added a handful of fabulous new designs to our collection just in time for the gift giving season. Shop our newest designs by December 7th to ensure that your order ships in time for Christmas.



Brooke xoxo

Holiday Gifting: Sisterly Love

We're so excited to be getting into the holiday season, a time of cozy sweaters, a packed social calender and those warm and fuzzy nostalgic feelings. We know you're all making your lists and checking them twice 
about the perfect gifts to give this year. That's why we are starting our "Holiday Gifting" series.
We will be blogging about wonderful gift ideas for you to give and of course receive!

Our first installment for our series is focusing on your sisterly bond. Whether it's with your biological sister or your bestie who might as well be blood related, we're sure our Infinity series will leave a lasting impression on her about what she means to you. 

The Infinity represents endless love and we all know that having that sister is like having a best friend for life. Love her or hate her (sometimes!) she will always be your go to person that you share life's 
ups and downs with.


Here at Brooklyn Designs we've created a lovely collection of delicate and feminine designs that look beautiful on their own and make for excellent layering pieces. Choose from Necklaces, Bracelets and Rings to find the perfect way to say I love you.

 (modeled by Crystalin Marie)

Brooke xoxo

Style Series: Simple Layers

I have always been drawn to the simple things in life and I find more and more that this is also how I dress, simply. With that in mind, this is also the way I design. Brooklyn Designs is about offering easy to wear versatile pieces for your jewelry wardrobe. One of the best things about offering simple jewelry designs to you is that you can layer these pieces together however you like. Being able to wear 2 or 3 of your favorite necklaces together allows you to create your own unique look and celebrate your own style.

Photo via To Vogue Or Bust

One of my favorite bloggers is Vancouver based Alexandra Grant, aka To Vogue Or Bust. Alex loves to layer and is a real master at it. Whether it's clothing or jewelry, she always looks effortlessly chic.

Taking cues from fashion bloggers is a great way to add to your own personal style and they really help you translate what you read in fashion magazines into real life. We love how Alex took 3 of her Brooklyn Designs necklaces and layered them together to add personality to her basic wardrobe. Jewelry is the easiest way to add character to any outfit and layering adds versatility and uniqueness.

Do you love what Alex is wearing in this photo? You can find our Mason, Leandra and Jasper necklaces on our site and click the links for direct shopping. 

Brooke xoxo

Studly

Who doesn't love a gemalicious stud earring? We're in love with our new Laurel earrings, the perfect little pair that look amazing with your favorite embellished sweater and your go to LBD. Look for more Laurel studs in different juicy gemstones soon!


 Shop Laurel here.

The League


It's such a thrill to see our jewels on TV shows and we love that funny girl Katie Aselton wore our Elise bracelet on this weeks episode of "The League". We also spotted our gold Liz earrings on one of the LLC ladies too!

 Shop Elise here.

Shop Liz here.

The Crazy Ones

We love Sarah Michelle Gellar and were thrilled (actually super duper excited!!) so see her wearing our Taina Earrings last week on her new show "The Crazy Ones". We named our Taina (tie-na) earrings after one of our favorite ladies at La Belle Vie in Cloverdale and love that our Taina's were worn by SMG.


Brooke xo

Item of the Week

We have a new feature on our site, the "Item of the Week".

We will choose a new item for our weekly promotion that will feature 
new and existing favorite designs at 25-40% off the regular price!

Our first Item of the Week is our newest design the Eternity Hammered Necklace.
Available in Gold-filled and Sterling Silver and at a special price of $45.


Make sure you're signed up to our newsletter so that you can be one of the first to know about our new online promotion!

Brooke xoxo

Style Series: Fashion For Less

I am so excited to be starting a new blog series for all of you ladies! I will be posting a new way to amp up your wardrobe featuring our products (jewelry, scarves & hair accessories) and some of our favorite brands.

Today our series is starting off with 2 of my favorite places to shop, Smart Set and Aldo. Smart Set has come a long way in the past year with lots of affordable, well made on trend pieces for the woman on the go. If you're a mom like me you are constantly looking for clothes that will transcend all of the events on your calendar whether it be work, running errands, or relaxing with friends and family. One of the biggest trends for fall is leather, you will be seeing lots of leather accents on almost every type of fashion and this top from Smart Set is not only cute, but it's very versatile and only $35.


5. Aldo Achillea Handbag on sale for $39.98, 

Loving the chevron accents on this bag from Aldo and of course you can't go wrong with a cute pair of booties. We've paired this look with our easy to wear Alma earrings which are made with 14kt gold-filled that won't tarnish and be a great pair of earrings to wear with almost anything in your wardrobe. I am in love with our Adrian necklace that features 14kt gold-filled hammered chain. Labradorite gemstones and an oxidized brass chain for a contrasting look. The Adrian is our take on a statement necklace and we're sure you'll find this a versatile necklace that will look great on it's own and an excellent layering piece.

I hope you love this look and find some inspiration in this new fashion series. All of these pieces are affordable and versatile and this outfit would be great for running errands, visiting with friends and maybe even perfect for a day at work depending on what industry you are in. 

Giveaway


We want you to win a pair of our popular Fiona earrings and a set of our super soft hair ties! 

For your chance to win please go to our Facebook page or Instagram and be sure to LIKE, SHARE & COMMENT to win!




SATURDAY STYLE: Grey & Gold


Grey is the new neutral and we're loving it's sophisticated and timeless appeal. Our Fall Collection features lots of gorgeous designs in Grey Agate and fiery Labradorite and if you're more of a silver girl we offer all of our grey stone styles in Sterling Silver too!

Shop our collection here.


New Arrivals: Sonora

Do you love Chevron designs? We do too and our Sonora Necklace is a great way to wear this trend in a feminine and delicate way. Featuring a hammered Chevron link and draping delicate chains, Sonora incorporates layers and geometric shapes all in one gorgeous piece.



Look for more features from our Fall Collection soon.

The Bachelorette: Season Finale Jewelry


Did it all come to an end already? What a rush it was to see Desiree wearing our jewelry all season long! We have been so busy filling orders from all the great pieces seen on air that we haven't had a chance to blog about the pieces she wore in the finale episodes. I could have sworn Brooks was going to come back for her, but I am happy that she chose the stable guy who actually really loved her, poems and all. Here is a look at the pieces Des wore on the final 2 weeks of The Bachelorette.

 Desiree wore our Fiona Earrings in Sterling Silver with Silver Shade Crystals. Shop Fiona here.



 She also wore our popular Fiona's in Gold with Golden Shadow crystals. Shop Fiona here.


 One of my personal favorites, our Ariane Earrings, named after my life long friend! Shop Ariane here.


And finally, Desiree wore our Arizona Earrings. Shop Arizona here.

What a blast, having our jewels worn on The Bachelorette. It was just as exciting to see who she chose (or who chose to leave themselves) as it was to see which of our pieces Desiree was wearing! 
We're getting ready for another big announcement next week about a few fabulous major t.v. shows that will be using our jewels on their hosts & characters! Stay tuned.

Re-Branding Project

Change is good. Everyone needs change whether you're a person or a brand. 
We have been busy working behind the scenes on our new re-branding project.
With our project we have been working closely with our graphic designers on a new logo as well as a brand new website design. The first part of our project has been completed and we couldn't be happier.

Here is a look at our new logo:



  Next up is our new website! Look for our updated design in about 2 weeks time and be sure to follow us on FACEBOOK & TWITTER for all the latest news and designs.
We will also be announcing some new t.v. shows that you will be seeing our jewels on this Fall!




The Bachelorette Jewelry: Hometown Dates


Last week on The Bachelorette, Desiree was spotted in 2 pieces from our collection. On her hometown date with Drew, she wore our Danielle Necklace  ( yet again!). This is the third time Desiree has worn our Danielle Necklace and we have no doubt as to why this is one of her favorite pieces! With a long sparkling gold-filled cable chain and large faceted stunning Aqua Chalcedony pendant that can be worn year round, this necklace is a major statement piece.





Desiree also wore our Lilly Earrings on her hometown date with Chris. Our Lilly Earrings were also worn on the hit ABC show, Scandal last season!



Shop Lilly here.

This Monday is the Men Tell All episode and we can't wait to see all the backhanded confrontations! Stay tuned for lots of other gorgeous pieces from our collection in the upcoming episodes.


The Bachelorette: Madeira

Last night we were thrilled to see Desiree wearing 4 pieces from our line again this week! Not only was the scenery stunning on that gorgeous island but we also thought that Des looked equally gorgeous in all of her Brooklyn Designs jewels!

Here is a look at all of the pieces from our line that Desiree wore on episode 7.




 Desiree wore our Chloe Earrings twice last night. She first wore them while sitting poolside with her gal pals at the beginning of the show and then later in the episode while on her one on one date with Chris. Our Chloe Earrings are available in a variety of select Swarovski Crystals, Desiree wore them in Peach Rose which is a gorgeous sparkly coral. Shop Chloe here.



While on her date with Michael, Desiree wore our Blair Earrings. Shop Blair here.

Desiree also wore our Aspen Necklace on her date with Michael. Shop Aspen here.

While on her date with Brooks, Desiree wore our Faidra Earrings. Shop Faidra here.

We've also spotted Desiree wearing our gold Lilly Earrings next week as well as our Danielle Necklace again! She has worn our Danielle Necklace on 2 other episodes and we can't wait for the hometown dates next week. Keep in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter to find out everything Desiree will be wearing.



The Bachelorette: Episode 6


This week on The Bachelorette we were so excited to see Desiree wearing 4 pieces of jewelry from our line! Here is a look at everything she wore during her dates in Spain.

 Desiree wore our Mason Necklace during her date with Drew. Shop Mason here.


 During her date with Zak, Desiree wore our Jasper Necklace. Shop Jasper here.


 Desiree also wore our Ava Earrings during her date with Drew. Shop Ava here.


Our Chloe Earrings are super sparkly and one of our top sellers. Desiree wore our Chloe Earrings in 
Peach Rose during her group date in Spain. Shop Chloe here.

What's your favorite piece of ours that Desiree has worn so far? We'd love to hear from you, let us know by commenting on our blog or on our facebook & twitter!


The Bachelorette: 2 on 1 Date


It looks like Desiree Hartsock is a big fan of Aqua Chalcedony too! She wore our Danielle Necklace last night on her AWKWARD 2 on 1 date with Michael and Ben. This was the second week in a row that she wore our Danielle Necklace which features a long 28 inch this gold-filled cable chain and large sparkling Aqua Chalcedony faceted stone that is bezel set in Vermeil.


Shop our Danielle Necklace here


We've spotted some more pieces from our line on upcoming episodes as well and can't wait to share with you!

Chalcedony Love


Today we're sending some love to our favorite stone, Aqua Chalcedony! With it's gorgeous and eye catching sea-worthy shades of Aqua, this stone is coveted and deeply loved by many women.

Shop our featured pieces:

The Bachelorette Jewelry: Long Necklaces


We're still so excited to have our jewels being worn on this season of The Bachelorette and we've spotted some of our favorites these past few weeks.

 You first spotted our Caroline Necklace in February on The Vampire Diaries and it's been a stylist favorite all year being pulled for a few other shows as well! When Desiree snuck away with Ben for a little joy ride on week 3, she was wearing our Caroline long spike Necklace. Shop Caroline here.



Aqua Chalcedony has been our most coveted stone for the past 5 years and we can see why. It's stunning ocean hue looks amazing on every skin tone and is great to wear all year round. The gorgeous Desiree was wearing our Danielle Necklace this week (episode 4) on her date with James. Shop Danielle here.

Look for more of our jewels on upcoming episode of The Bachelorette this season and be sure to follow us on Facebook & Twitter!


The Bachelorette


I have been keeping a secret for the past few months and am elated to be able to finally share the exciting news! Brooklyn Designs will be worn on this season of The Bachelorette!!

I was contacted this past March by the stylist for the show that they want to use my jewelry line for this season with Desiree Hartsock. With blind faith I packaged up all of their requests and sent it to L.A. and have been waiting ever since to catch a glimpse of Desiree wearing Brooklyn Designs. Last night in the opening scene for the show I spotted Desiree wearing our Faidra Earrings and our Fiona Earrings! Can't wait for the rest of the season as the stylist told me she will be wearing many of the pieces that were sent to them to select from. Yay!!

 Desiree Hartsock wearing our Faidra Earrings


Desiree Hartsock wearing our Fiona Earrings

We hope you'll be watching too and following along to find out what Des is wearing and if she finds her true love too!

Featured Blogger: To Vogue Or Bust


Alexandra Grant is the stylish west coast blogger behind To Vogue Or Bust.  We're in love with her effortlessly chic looks and amazing ability to layer whatever she wears. Alex pairs classic pieces from her wardrobe in fresh and inspiring ways.

 Alex is wearing our Johanna Earrings in Turquoise paired with a multitude of blue hues.


We're loving how Alex paired our Dilyn Green Onyx Earrings with this mix of leather & lace.

This look is perfect for a day out with the girls. Alex paired our Mason, Rowan and Jasper Necklaces for a modern feminine look.

Not only is Alex stunning, she is a fashion maven and part of the newly acquired The Style Common which is a group of Vancouver based fashion bloggers. Follow Alex daily on her blog and find yourself inspired by her amazing sense of fashion. She also posts informative video blogs with beauty how to's as well. We hope you love her as much as we do!

{all photos are from To Vogue Or Bust}
 
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