DIY Bottle Brush Trees and Mini Assemblage

DT Project By Lisa Kettell

DIY Bottle Brush Trees

By: Lisa Kettell

DIY Bottle Brush Trees and Project

There is a surge in popularity of vintage bottle brush trees and millineries, after a few years of researching and experimenting I have created a quick and easy tutorial for you to create your own bottle brush trees which I might add are not just used in holiday décor and crafts but in a variety of assemblages and projects. In addition you can dye your trees with clearsnap inks and water to create a whole forest of them in addition to using them in a variety of your projects.

With just some easy to find supplies and a few simple steps you will be able to start making your own trees in all shapes and sizes, no longer needing to hunt them down in stores or online. In addition to the trees, I will show you how to make a cute tree block assemblage using the trees, tiny wood figurines, millinery and left over supplies.

DIY Bottle Brush Trees, Dyed w/Clearsnap Inks

DIY Bottle Brush Trees

Materials

-Sisal Twine (must be sisal twine)

-22 to 26 gage wire

-Quick grip glue or tacky glue

-Clearsnap inks or ink pad refills

-Disposable rubber gloves

-Tools: scissors, heat gun, paint brush, ziploc bag, cup of water, craft mat

Directions

1. Cut about 30 pieces of 3 ½ inch pieces of sisal twine, the more pieces of twine you cut, the thicker your bottle brush tree will be.

2. Next, if dying your twine, put on disposable rubber gloves, swipe clearsnap ink pad of choice a few times inside the ziploc bag add a tiny bit of water, then place your 30 pieces of cut sisal twine into the bag. Move the pieces around adding more ink and water as you go. If using ink pad refills, drop a few drops into the ziploc bag.

3. Remove inked pieces of sisal twine, lay onto craft mat, then using heat gun, dry them, once dried, begin unraveling each piece. ( see picture example)

4. Once your twine is un-raveled, place all the un-raveled pieces together to form a long rectangular shape, set aside. Cut a 8 inch piece of wire, bend in half, twist the middle portion around your finger to form a loop. ( see picture example)

5. Coat the two inside pieces of wire with quick grip glue, place the un-raveled set of sisal twine into the wire, lay flat, press the top piece of the wire over the top of the un-raveled set of sisal twine, press, set aside to dry. (see picture example)

6. Once dry, insert the loop end of the wire into a drawer, door corner or under a heavy object, to secure. Then start twisting the twine and wire around, using one of your hands to guide the twine, keep twisting gently until all the twine has been fluffed around the wire, remove from its lock. ( see picture example)

7. trim up  the tree with scissors and use in your next project. (see picture example)

 

Wooden Block Tree Assemblage Project

Materials

-Handmade and dyed bottle brush tree

-Wooden block

-Miniature wooden figurines

-Millinery

-Hot glue

-Tools: scissors, hand drill or jewelry pick, hot glue gun

Directions

1. Drill or pierce whole into top of wooden block, insert tree base into the hole, glue in place with hot glue.

2. Begin decorating your tree with millinery.

3. Finish off your assemblage with miniature wooden figurines, glue in place with hot glue.

 
Tips and Tricks

-If you don’t have a hand drill or jewelry pick, hammer a nail into the wooden block, remove, this will leave a hole big enough to insert your bottle brush tree into.

-If you decide to create your tree without dying the sisal pieces first, you can dye it afterwards using the same technique, then fluff it up with the heat gun.

-Try adding ink highlights to your bottle brush trees using the clearsnap ink pads, just swipe the ink pads off the tree edges in a different colors for a fun effect.

-Use glitter or mica flakes on your trees

 -If you don't have quick grip, you can use a tacky glue