diy bottle brush christmas trees

diy bottle brush christmas trees

i first got inspired to order some miniature bottle brush trees after seeing this pretty project from jeni baker over at in color order. with full intentions of bleaching them, then dying them pink and green. however, i had to stop half way through the process!

you see, my theme for christmas this year is white, white, white. actually, it's the theme for the whole house! i love how sweet, simple and clean it looks. after i finished bleaching these little trees white, i fell in love with them and the winter wonderland they created. just look:

i think they're so pretty and just darling as a center piece. here's how i did it:

first, you'll have to get your hands on some mini bottle brush trees. your local craft store should carry them but if not, you can find them here or here.

second, all you have to do is let them soak in a bath of warm water and a little bleach (i used 3 capfulls in my sink). the color begins to fade almost instantly. i let mine soak for a few hours until they were completely white, then i simply rinsed them and set them upright on a paper towel to dry overnight.

if you're only making white trees, then you're done!

HOWEVER, if you'd like to dye your trees into a dreamy color combo like these beauties from jeni baker, then you're half way there! my mom ended up making some pink ones of her own, and the process is really simple. all you need is some rit dye! here's the how to:

to dye your bottle brush trees:

step one: bleach your trees, following the instructions above.

step two: combine your desired amount of rit dye and warm water in a glass bowl (follow package instructions), and let your tree soak. just keep an eye on the color and remove the tree when you're happy with it. leaving it in longer will make the color darker or richer.

step three: remove the tree from the dye and rinse with cold water. set on a paper towel to dry.

step four: if you want to add a little bit of extra sparkle (like jeni did), add some glitter using a glitter pen, or glue and loose glitter.

have fun!

Original article and pictures take bonniechristine.com site