Decorating with Bottle Brush Trees in Creative Ways
Bottle brush trees are an easy to find and inexpensive Christmas decoration that can be used in SO many different ways. I’ve rounded up the most creative ways to use these little trees in your decor this holiday season!
These little sisal trees have been used as Christmas decor for decades. They have become such a popular vintage Christmas decoration that you can find them just about anywhere.
For a few years, I actually thought these bristly little trees looked pretty cheap when I would see them packaged up new in the store. Of course, now I’ve figured out that there are so versatile uses for these trees, and when used in creative ways, they look awesome!
In This post You’ll find:
How to Replace the Base of a Sisal Tree
Sometimes, these miniature trees come with ugly plastic bases that look like a pile of snow poop. Of course, you can definitely cover these bases with faux snow or greenery, but I’ve found door knobs and drawer pulls work really well as a prettier base.
Simply remove the plastic base of the tree and update it with a vintage door knob or a decorative furniture pull knob. You’ll just need to make sure your knob has a hole in it (normally for a screw, but in this case, a tree).
Because I plan to use these door knobs in other ways throughout the year, I found a temporary way to attach the trees to the inside of the knobs – sticky tack! I also think that clay, kids’ playdoh or silly putty would work really well. If you wanted a more permanent base, use some hot glue to attach the trees into the knobs.
Now that you have a pretty little base on the bottom of your trees, let’s get to using them in our Christmas decorations!
I’ve rounded up a ton of different ways to use your own bottle brush trees in your holiday decorations this year. These ideas can be placed on top of your holiday mantel, as a centerpiece on your dining table, or sprinkled throughout your home on counters, dressers and shelves.
Christmas Scenes and Crafts with Bottle Brush Trees
Bottle brush trees come in so many different sizes (including super miniature) which make them perfect to create little (or big) Christmas scenes.
Thrift Store Upcycle
Little House of Four took a cheese cloche from the thrift store and made it into the perfect Christmas scene. Adding a miniature truck and some faux snow make it complete.
Add Them to a DIY Christmas Village
I love finding cheap Christmas village houses at thrift stores and painting them all in one cohesive color. Larger trees work perfectly in this DIY Christmas village scene to add interest but not clutter.
Miniature Scenes in Ornaments
Atta Girl Says used some tiny trees in these adorable Christmas scene ornaments. The little boxes and miniature figurines and bottle brush Christmas trees make it a fun ornament for adults or kids to make.
Embroidery Hoop Ornaments
These little ornaments from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry are so easy to make by using an embroidery hoop as the ring. Adding a little bottle brush tree and embellishments make it a great DIY ornament craft for adults.
Glass Jar Christmas “Snow Globe”
Create miniature snow scenes AND reuse glass food jars! All you’ll need to buy are little figurines, trees, and some fake snow. This Christmas craft is great for kids and adults!
Vintage Christmas Scene
I used my doorknob/dresser knob trick to help the bottle brush trees stand up and look cute in this holiday scene. If you can get your hands on a vintage berry basket, it makes for an adorable centerpiece on a Christmas table!
Bottle Brush Tree Forest
You can use a piece of decorative or reclaimed wood as a large base to create a forest of mini trees, perfect for an easy centerpiece.
Tree on a Vintage Metal Truck
If you can get your hands on a vintage truck, you need to tie a tree on top of it! Or, even if it’s not vintage, any sort of little truck or car will do!
Add them to Make a Winter WReath
Bottle brush trees can easily be added to pre-made holiday wreaths, or you can transform an old, second hand wreath form into a new winter wreath with the help of some little Christmas trees.
Create a Full Wreath
You can use bottle brush trees to update a boring wreath frame. Buying a large amount of small trees from Amazon would be the most budget-friendly way to create this wreath.
Wooden Bead and Tree Wreath
Adding a couple of bottle brushes and some greenery to the bottom of a wreath creates a tiny winter scene to hang on your front door. The large wooden beads work well for this wreath as they are pretty enough to leave alone on the top.
IDeas to Update Bottle Brush Trees
Sometimes, bottle brush trees can be a little boring straight out of the box (especially the more budget friendly trees). However, there are ways to dress them up to completely match your style.
Add Glass Glitter for Extra Sparkle
Although some trees some with glitter applied, there is something special about adding German glass glitter to craft projects. Check out Delineate Your Dwelling’s tricks for applying glass glitter to make your trees sparkle.
Bleach Them or Dye Them
It’s easy to bleach bottle brush trees to turn them all white. Once they are bleached, you can then update them by dyeing them any color you’d like. Our Crafty Mom has the full tutorial on how to bleach bottle brush trees.
Update the Base with a Cute Knob
Like I showed you in the beginning of the post, there are so many cute knobs and pulls that could be used as a base for a bottle brush tree. It instantly adds a unique look to any little Christmas tree.
Update the Base with a Wooden Spool
You can also replace the plastic or wooden disc base found on most miniature trees with a vintage wooden thread spool.
I’d love to see how you use vintage bottle brush trees in your holiday decorations. Or, do you have any other creative ways to switch out the bases on these trees?
Post by Jenny Leads
Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.
So many cute ideas for these brush Christmas Trees. Love it ! Thanks for linking up with us at Family Joy Blog Link Up Party. Merry Christmas!
I love bottle brushes. I have a ton from my village scenes. Thanks for the tips and thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best.
What is the best way to store bottle brush trees?
Hi Nancy. Great question! I usually just stick mine together and then put them all in a plastic shoe box. I’m sure there’s a better way, but I don’t know it yet. 🙂