Bunny Magic’s wire trees began sprouting in 1999, when Bunny Shank and her friend Stevie needed to understand how traditional wire trees were made. They took a class from a local lapidary society. Stevie was satisfied with knowing how, but Bunny became addicted. With a little imagination combined with the love of geology, Bunny revitalized an old art form.

Bunny has been a Downingtown resident for the past 20 years and has collected rocks from all over Pennsylvania. She has used Garnet Mica Schist from Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, fossils from Ickesburg, Kyanite from Prospect Park, and Jasper from Allentown as bases for her trees.

Her trees come with or without stone leaves. All stones are certified semi-precious gemstones. She has Amber, Amethyst, Aventurine, Carnelian, Citrine, Emerald, Fluorite, Garnet, Howlite, Iolite, Jade, Jasper, Kyanite, Labradorite, Lapis, Malachite, Moonstone, Obsidian, Peridot, Rhodochrosite, Ruby, Sapphire, Tiger Eye, Tourmaline and Unakite.

She has wire trees on rocks, in lamps, in glass ornaments, in frames and on birdhouses. If something lies around the house long enough it gets a tree put on it. She even has trees that have been designed to be decorated with your own earrings.

All trees are locally grown. No watering required. No dusting. No pruning. And she guarantees that they won’t die. Prices range from $10 to $125.

Visit her website at www.bunnymagic.com

Bunny has been a member of The Creative Hand since 2006.

(Did you know that Native Americans used Jasper as money? Or that Garnet Mica Schist has real garnets embedded into each stone?)