I found a HUGE bag of bottle brush trees last summer for pennies at a yard sale. I'd been itching to try the bleaching/dyeing trick that has floated around blogland and thought this big collection would make a great experiment. I finally got around to actually doing it!! I didn't really use any directions... just played around with soaking them in a bleach and water mix (yuckiness!) and then in different dyes (food coloring, RIT, etc.)
It was really fun! Until my hubby shut down my operation... that much bleach being bad for the septic, stinking up the house... blah, blah, blah.
The rest of my pile will have to wait until nice weather when I can do them outside in a bucket.
Without him around.
But these are making me happy for now.
34 comments:
they're so pretty
hehe... i know, they can real be a bummer sometimes during our creative outbursts! Mine gets on me too, sometimes for going a bit overboard!
happy new year!
ox
christina
I heard about this, but haven't tried it. Ahh, great colors! hugs, connie
Love the colors, so pretty, tell your hubby that bleach is good to keep your pipes from having build up. We had our pipes snakes last year and the guy put hot water and bleach down when he finished. Ha Ha.
Hugs, Terri
Well, my girlfriend who had been without their septic system for almost a stinkin week would say you REALLY do not want those problems, lol, but they are lovely. :-)
Oh! They are perfection. Can't wait to try that myself one of these days.
Your trees came out great! I bleach some last summer and they came out OK, but I love the way yours turned out when you dyed them! Now I will have to give that a try.
Sue E.
They are beautiful and making me happy too!!
they are so pretty, I bleached a bunch before christmas but havent dyed them yet. Which dye did you prefer?
They look cute! I wanted to make some Christmas ones this year but didnt get around to it. I made Halloween ones last year. Hmm... maybe Valentine's Day?
Oh, I just love how the colors turned out!
melissa
wow, just beautiful! it will be pretty when you can have the whole forest done ;)
nerissa
Very cool, funky colors! I really like how they turned out. Oh, I just drive my husband crazy sometimes with my little experiments (and messes). They don't understand how much FUN this is!
My husband shuts down my operations with comments like that all the time, I sometimes wish i lived with a bunch of women LOL
Great idea I did not know about food coloring as dye!
The colors of these sweet treasures are beautiful...This is definitely on my list for next Christmas...
Heather,
They turned out great! I have a box full too, can't wait to try,,,and I ony have to answer to my doggies..no hubby! Being single sometime DOES have its advantages!!
Happy New Year!
Shell
And yes, DO share which dyes you preferred!!!
looks like a candy forest, just love how they turned out! julie
Can you tell us what color they started out as ? These are so great ! Thanks for sharing.
jill
jillsibbald.typepad.com
those are beautiful! i'd be showing those all year round in my home! LOL!
VERY PRETTY...LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors!!!
Love those bottle brush tree - they look so pretty.
I have been hunting some too - can´t find any over here :D
~ Tina
How fun! They are such pretty colors...warm weather is just around the corner! (one can only dream...)
michele
Nice job, Heather! Great minds do think alike as I'm doing the same thing!~~XXOO, Beth
Hey chickadee! I have been wanting to try this forever but I keep packing up the stuff before doing it maybe next year! lol I love the colors of yours so bright! Big hugs
toodles-
Sarah
I adore bleached trees! It was an obsession with me this Christmas. You have some pretty colors there.
Men just do not understand the importance of pastels. Pink at any cost!
The trees are very pretty...I would like to give it a try! The husband....too funny.
Love what you did to these trees!
This was my first time at your bog, I came by way of Terri Gordon's beautiful blog.
I also went to your shop for the first time and found fab stuff! I can't wait for my order!
Hubbies do sometimes tend to stand around and shake their heads at our experiments! And probably aren't too fond of wearing a glittered suit to work! ;-)
Cute story!
Diane
What lovely trees just bleach then food coloring?? love them!
Ooooh dear....talk about a language barrier! I live in Australia, and have just become a follower, but when you were talking about bottle brushes, I thought your were talking about one of our native shrubs! Your can imagine my laugh when I saw the picture. I love your blog. Jenny http://jennyscraftplace.blogspot.com
They look really great will have to try it.
these pastel colored trees are so pretty..
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