Thursday, August 21, 2014

How to Make Vintage Bottle Brush Trees

It's never too soon to start thinking about Christmas, right? I have some projects I'm working on that require vintage looking bottle brush trees. Do you love the love the look of faded a old bottle brush tree? Years ago I needed lots of faded little trees for some putz houses I was displaying, and stumbled upon this easy technique for making new bottle brush trees look vintage.


You can buy new bottle brush trees at craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. If you can find them on sale for 50% off, you might want to stock up!



Gather up several small glasses or cups that are about the right size to hold a little tree.


Next, mix a solution of about three parts water to about one part bleach.


Dip your little trees into the bleach solution. The longer they stay in the solution, the more faded they will become. They bleach pretty quickly, so you will want to watch them. If you don't plan to re-dye them, you may want to take them out before they get too white.


You don't want to reach into the bleach solution, so use long tweezers or an old fork to pull the trees out of the glasses.  You will want to rinse the trees right away to prevent further bleaching.


That's it! This is a quick, easy project that will give your Christmas crafts a charming vintage flair. If you enjoyed this tutorial, please feel free to pin or share!

Are you ready for Christmas?