11 Darling Bottle Brush Trees
Hi everyone! I hope you had a great week. Today I’ll be restocking both my craft fair booth and my antique booth, but I’ll take a break in-between for lunch with my sweet friend, Nancy. Meanwhile, today I thought I’d share some of the different ways that I’ve been styling my bottle brush trees this year.
I’ve brought many to the craft fair and several have sold already, in the $6-12.00 range. A couple I just can’t seem to part with, however, so they will be part of this year’s Christmas home decor.
The tree on the far left is in a stainless steel kitchen cup (for melted butter?), and it has sold already. I added the mercury glass beads with hot glue.
I have a baggie filled with spare beads that I’ve saved for just this purpose. The tree on the far right rests in a little terra cotta pot that I dry brushed with gold paint. I added the beads to it as well, and it has also sold.
These two are the ones that I’ve not been able to part with yet 🙂 I “planted” the tree on the left in a stainless steel toothpick holder and added the beads and garland myself.
I attached a homemade mini wreath to the second tree and planted it in this marvelous, English-inspired container that I picked up at a garage sale. I think this one is my absolute favorite.
Although I’m also pretty fond of this pair as well. They fit perfectly in these cute-as-can-be urn-shaped, ironstone toothpicks. They are available at the Shaker Craft Fair. I think they look rather elegant without any extra decoration.
As do these two. And don’t ask me what their base is, LOL. Gold thinga-ma-bobs.
This larger tree, which fit well in a vintage cold cream jar, has also sold.
Ditto these two trees–the left in a small crock and the right in a milk glass jar. Rather than decorating the trees, I gussied up the bases, as you can see, with baker’s twine and jingle bells.
Throughout the year, I looked for interesting containers that can serve as good bases for b.b. trees. I wasn’t completely sure about this silver plated baby cup, but with a white tree and some pastel beads, I think it works. How do you feel about the tarnish? To polish or not to polish, that is the question–
Final Fabulous Tree: I picked up this tree base at a Labor Day church sale that has become a favorite (thanks for introducing me to it, Nancy!). Ask me how much it cost. Go on. Ask. A quarter! Yep, 25¢. It’s actually an antique lamp base and is perfect for holding [another] white tree with pastel beads.
I hope you enjoyed considering different ways to style your bottle brush trees this year. Nothing quite says vintage Christmas like bottle brush trees, whether new or old. I hope you enjoy your holiday decorating, and may we all find the time to reflect on the reason for the season. God bless!
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Bye for now,
I’d love it if you’d pin for later–
Love the English pot tree!
These are adorable. How tall is the tallest tree?
Yes to the tarnish. I love your collection. So sweet.
Love each and every one! Leave the tarnish….
I love how you styled these, Diana…very cute!
These little trees are so cute! I never thought about putting them in containers but now I see all sorts of possibilities!!
As a horsewoman, I love the equestrian tree, too, but while it might appear to be “English” inspired, the horse and rider actually are performing a classical dressage movement and the rider’s attire is derived from traditional military attire and seen most often at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria. “Dressage” means training in French and it is a formal discipline that goes back several hundred years and emerged out of the equestrian disciplines in Europe. It is the basis for today for correct riding and at the foundation of many other equestrian disciplines. It is seen today in competitions around the globe, and is included at the Olympic Games as one of the three equestrian disciplines contested and as a distinct component, at a slightly lower level, of the three-phase eventing competition there, as well. (Modern Pentathlon also has an equestrian component, as well, but it is show jumping, not a dressage competition.)
I would love to know the size of these trees. How tall is the tallest and how short is the shortest? Love them all but my favorite is the baby cup. Thank you for always being so inspiring.
These are all neat! I am sure at least two would come home with me. You have such creativity to see the trees in the various containers! Loved this post.
I let out an audible “OOOHH” when I saw the pink lamp base tree. I also love finding cute containers; usually for flower arrangements, but BBT may become a possibility for next year! Scored a bunch of small ones (not vintage) @ place where my booth is. I also love tying a ribbon around the threads on a jar to camouflage them! One of my faves is the old Avon sachet cream bottles; some were so pretty and are a perfect size. I bet lone egg cups would work, too. I make several decorated trees every year for the Feb. dollhouse show I participate in. Wide red velvet ribbon trimmed with rick rack or gold trim makes a great tree skirt. Gold tinsel pipe cleaners for garland! The little foil packages beneath. I love “Old lady necklaces” for”bulbs”; a double or triple strand has a variety of tones of colors, sizes, and shapes. You’ll never look at .50-$1 necklaces the same way again! Bud vases, flower pots, perfume bottles, pencil cans from beads! Not to mention upcycling beads to earrings strung on a head pin or a bracelet on elastic!
Was looking at your vintage German wooden village on eBay. I have a few of those pieces. My church is clearly marked Made in Germany East. Thought you’d like to know.
where do you get your bb trees? I love your ideas
Well, got my palm off my forehead and wondered WHY I hadn’t thought about this, myself? Sometimes, I just don’t understand my thinking…thanks for the nudge, friend!
LOVE the white urns! My favorite!
All of your planted trees are so cute. I would have a hard time parting with any of them.
Thank You! Loved them all. Never met a tree I didn’t like. Have a collection that I now need to get busy and decorate! Merry Christmas!
I love every single one of those trees and their “pots”, Diana! Especially, though, the one in the cold cream jar. Now who would have tho’t of that to hold a bb tree besides you??
I have only one vintage bb tree–white with gold baubles. But last year I went a little crazy and ordered a whole lot of them online. I seemed to have forgotten how many I had ordered and so ordered some more! Now my quandry about what I should do with all of them has been answered! I have some ironstone egg cups that I’m thinking some of them would look pretty good in. What do you think? I guess I’ll try putting the trees in those and see how they look. Thanks for the wonderful ideas you inspire us with!
Love all these variations & you’ve just given me an idea of how I can do one with something I’ve been saving. I can understand why you like your keepers too! Pinned
Very sweet! I love the baby cup one just as it is!
Diana:
I love ALL the wee trees! I’ve collected the trees to put on top of cars. But now I might have to make some to decorate and put in wee pots. Thanks for reminding us how BBTs can be used.
Don’t you also buy and sell mercury bead garland ? How can you tell when it’s mercury beads ? there are SO many lookalikes out there !
Well I was just going to ask how much for the tree in the equestrian tin…but you are right not to part with it! These are all fabulous! Sharing this post on my fb page this morning! Thanks for linking up to Home For Christmas friend!
Amber
Follow The Yellow Brick Home
These pictures make me want to run to my decoration stash to see what I can find to make some of these adorable mini trees. They will make cute gifts to give my crafty friends this Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Diana, I read my old comment! Ha! I have made a bunch of “snow shoes” this year, copied from someone’s blog; wish I could give her credit. BBT in a ceramic or single doll shoe, embellished with glitter, cotton snow, you name it. Found a large single man’s saddle shoe, a pair of red high top sneakers, and of course baby shoes. Even tried it with a pair of REAL baby shoes. So cute. Now I need to decide whether or not to decorate the trees with more than glitter!
I love all your trees! You are so creative! I may “steal” some of your ideas and make some of my own. My question – where did you find the beads for the trees that are small enough to be to scale? I’ve looked at local stores and can’t find any. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Judy! Feel free to steal away 🙂 The beads are vintage mercury glass beads that I bought loose in a baggie at a garage sale. Perhaps beads from a vintage necklace would make a good alternative? I hope you find something that works for you!
I love all of these trees. You are so creative and inspire me. Thanks for sharing.