Bottle Brush Tree Craft

Bottle brush trees are a fun decoration at the holidays.

Bottle brushes can be useful long after they are finished cleaning bottles. Clever crafters have figured out ways to turn worn-out bottle brushes into trees, which can dot model train landscapes, fill the yard of a dollhouse or create a magical winter landscape to display on your fireplace mantel during the holidays.

Function

Bottle brushes are made from nylon, steel, stainless steel or brass.

Bottle brushes are long narrow brushes on a stick that are used to clean the inside of bottles. They are available in an assortment of diameters. Materials used to make the brushes are nylon, steel, stainless steel or brass.

Uses

Bottle brushes are used in crafts to create small trees for a variety of uses. They can be as small as one inch or as large as six inches, depending on the size of the original brush and the finished size that you need for your project. Using wire cutters, cut the brush part from the the bottle brush. Be certain to leave room at the bottom to form a trunk.

Color and Form

Trim the brush to form a triangular shape.

Most bottle brushes are cylindrical. So, to form trees, you'll need to trim the brush to form a traditional triangular shape and then paint or dye it, depending on the look you want.

Ornamentation

Use bottle brush trees to form a pictureque Christmas landscape.

Once you have the correct form and color of your tree, it can be decorated. Depending on whether it's to be a part of a winter landscape or a model train background, you can use glitter or flocking or leave it simple.

Final Installation

Floral foam, available at a crafts store, can be used as a base for displaying your bottle brush trees. You can also use prefabricated bases, or you can punch a hole in the landscape and insert the tree directly. It is preferred to place it in a movable base to vary the location every so often.

References

• Solo Horton Brushes: Industrial Brushes
• Bottle Brush Tree Crafts