DIY: Making Accessories with your Chanel Camellias

Over the years, I've accumulated a number of Camellia flowers that come wrapped on boxes from the Chanel boutique.  Some of my friends go nuts over these flowers, and stick them all over things, but for myself, I never really saw the appeal, and just ended up tossing them in the back of my closet.  But because I recently started making a lot of DIY accessories, I realized that the Chanel Camellia could be used as a really great foundation for making something fun.  For this DIY, I decided to accessorize two Camellia flowers (making one more classic and another more edgy), and have attached standard hair clips on the back.  By attaching the hair clips, the Camellias become very versatile, as they can be used in not only your hair, but can also be attached to rings, bracelets and necklaces.

What you need to do this DIY: a Chanel Camellia or other basic flower.  You can purchase any plain flower at a craft store such as Jo-Anns or Michaels.  Or, you can cut one off that old thing of fake flowers your mom has sitting on her dining room table.  Trust me, she won't notice.  You'll also need some flatback crystals (I recommend Swarovski), and/or flatback pearls.  These can also be purchased at a craft store.  For attaching the crystals and pearls, I used Gem-Tac (the same thing I used when strassing my Louboutins, another DIY which can be found here).  I also used a gem-setter, but honestly you may not need one, it depends on the number of stones you are planning to attach, and how small they will be.  You will also need a pack of hair clips, which can be purchased for around $3/set of 4 at a craft store.  It's great to do this project with a friend, because then you can split supplies.

The total time it took me to do this was about 15 minutes.  So let's begin!

Start with a Chanel Camellia (or other flower).

Use flatback pearls & crystals.

Gem-Tac is a great adhesive for applying stones.  You may also want to use a gem-setter.

You can purchase a cheap pack of hair clips for around $3/set of 4 at any craft store.

For the classic Camellia, I started by alternating between pearl and crystal along the edges.

Within a few minutes the whole thing is complete, and has a classic look. (White pearls, and Swarovski AB crystals- they give off many colors)

For the edgier version, I used only Swarovski crystals, and just filled the crystals randomly throughout.

Within a few minutes, the Camellia has been filled.  (Swarovski AB and Jet Hematite)

Using Gem-Tac, I then glued clips on the back.

Using the clips, you can attach the Camellias onto rings.  You can also glue them onto rings, I just chose the clip option so the Camellias could be used as convertible jewelry.

And my personal favorite- you can attach them onto pearl necklaces.  As you can see, I've shown many different examples of how they can be worn with different colors/lengths/sizes of pearl necklaces.  I love how they look individually and paired together.  I think I'm going to be wearing the Camellias much more often now. :)