Halloween Bottle Brush Trees

Bottle brush trees are just sprouting

up everywhere here at

Purple Chocolat Home

for Halloween.

Today I am going to show you a

simplified way to create colorful

bottle brush trees to fill your holiday

house.

I created the Halloween Bottle brush trees

in color collections.

These are my purple ones, and some

will be able to double for Christmas.

The orange and yellow collection,

And the black collection.

I made over 30 in one afternoon,

and they were super easy,

because we aren't going to do

any bleaching.

I found these natural trees by

Tim Holtz on Amazon.

They are 5 inches tall (3 for $9).

I also purchased another assortment

found on Amazon, ranging from 1 1/2

inches to 4 inches, that people said could

be bleached (24 for $15).

That way I skipped the whole bleaching

process.  This makes it so easy, and I

love the 5 inch trees.  They are a little

harder to find this tall.

Start by dissolving about half a package of

dry Rit dye in hot water in a plastic cup. 

 I used yellow, orange, purple

and black.  My black was liquid, but

the others were powdered.  

Also fill a cup or two with half white

vinegar and half water.  I used two cups,

as I didn't want to rinse my darks and

lights together.

To create the ombre effect like above,

don't dip the top so that it remains

natural, then dip two thirds of the way

up with yellow, and then the bottom

third with orange.

After dipping in dye,

rinse under running water, 

then dip in the vinegar mix to set the color, 

and let dry on paper towels.

The black didn't want to take as well.

It rinsed out creating a brown effect,

so I didn't rinse it off, I let it dry without

rinsing and it stayed a dark black.

Finish by brushing Mod Podge on the tree

and then sprinkling glitter on.

I just love the dark purple ones - of course!!

My friend Joanne taught us how to make

these for Easter a couple of years ago.  Click

on that link for making ones you have to bleach.

She always glams hers up by gluing 

the trees to the tops of

salt shakers to add height and style.  I found

mine on Amazon - get sets of 12 for about

$1 each shaker.  Fill

your shakers with glitter, sparkle or baubles

and glue on some fun Halloween ribbon,

buttons, spiders, or anything fun and sparkly.

Joanne even has some that are on

silver plated salt and pepper shakers

that she got thrifting!  I need some of those -

so elegant.

As you can see, Beulah loves them so much,

she is surrounded by them.  We have them

placed all over the house.

Enjoy!  This only takes a little while

and is so easy, and the trees can be

here so quickly if you have 

Amazon Prime!

Thanks for flying in to see us this

fun time of year.

Happy Halloween decorating.