Rabbit Hill

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in create· Rabbit Hill· Uncategorized

Making a Vintage Looking Bottle Brush Tree Tutorial

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vintage bottle brush tree in a little child’s transferware tea cup

As you all know, if you like the old bottle brush trees, it is harder to find them. these days.  I love to use the “not so perfect but still pretty” ones in my work.  I don’t have the heart to destroy a good one, so I make the new ones look old and this is how I do it.

Supplies

~Mini bottle brush trees.  You can find these at a craft store.  I bought these at Joanne Fabrics
~Bleach
~Cinnamon
~Instant coffee or some type of stain.  I use black walnut dye.

Directions

Fill a ceramic type bowl halfway with warm water and a little bleach.  I used about 1/4 cup. Add your trees to the bowl and fill rest of the way with water. The color will start to fade almost immediately.  Let them soak for a few hours until you like the way they look.  I always do this at night and let them soak overnight in our utility sink.

This is how they look from beginning to end.

  

When the color (or lack of) is what you want, rinsed them and set them on a layer of paper towels.

Next dip them in your stain and sprinkle with cinnamon.

I like to stain some and leave the others natural.  All do get a little cinnamon

Let air dry on an old cookie sheet or place in a warm oven.  I usually preheat my oven and then turn it off and place the cookie sheet in until dry.

Look how pretty they are!

And the grand finale is using them!

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Comments

  1. Mary Phillips says

    December 7, 2017 at 5:13 pm

    They are beautifully awesome, and I bet they smell great too!The best part is to see how you creatively use them in your handmade wonders!!

    Reply
  2. Mary says

    November 12, 2020 at 3:13 pm

    These are amazing, a lot of care and work
    goes into them.Probably why they are so special!!
    Thank you for sharing Jenn, they are all truly
    unique and beautiful<3

    Reply
    • Jenn Tavoletti says

      November 12, 2020 at 5:55 pm

      Thank you Mary <3 They are fun to make ...except I always ruin something with the bleach! xo

      Reply

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Living a simple life, creating handmade pieces, always inspired by nature & antiques

Hi, I’m Jenn. I’m so glad you are here! I live in a small town in Pennsylvania with my husband and our three tuxedo cats. Sometimes my daughter is here too, but mostly she’s far away doing what she loves.

Come and join me as I write about simple traditions, handmade projects, decorating ideas, homemade food, cottage gardening…  finding joy and making things pretty!

I hope to inspire you with simple, beautiful ideas and how to find happiness in everyday life.

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