I fell in love with Bottle Brush Christmas Trees many years ago and have managed to collect a few 😉 Every year I look forward to setting up my Snowbabies to frolic in frosty forests throughout the house. Last Christmas, I began to custom dye tree’s to give as gifts. This year, with a piece of Christmas decor as my colour inspiration, I customized my very own frosty forest. You can make them any colour to suit your own decor.
Before
After
Here’s how to make your own frosty forest.
You’ll need a package of LEMAX trees. I purchased these at Michael’s, with a 50% off coupon. Of course they’re green, but not for long 😉
You’ll also need a bottle of plain house hold bleach and dyes to match your Christmas decor. I chose Petal Pink, Aqua and Lime Green.
Fill the sink with equal amounts of bleach and warm water. Submerge all your Green LEMAX trees into the bleach bath. If you have pets, cover the sink for safety.
You’ll want to leave them bleach for at least 30 minutes….why not have lunch with a friend?
Once all your trees are pristine white, empty the sink and rinse each tree well with clear water. Dry on an old towel overnight. I like to fluff them while they dry (when you wander by).
Now the fun part begins. Using tall jars, mix your dyes. I use 2 Tbsp of salt to 1 Tbsp of dye. The Teal dye was much stronger, so I weakened the shade with more warm water.
Dip white tree’s, one at a time, into your dye. It doesn’t take too long. Dip and check, Dip and check. If you find your tree got more colour than you wish, just rinse with clear water.
I wanted a fourth colour too, so I dipped some of the trees in a teal/ lime green combo.
You can play with the colours, mix and match, double-dip. The possibilities are endless. Let the dyed tree’s dry overnight. Again, I like to fluff them while they’re drying. I finished them off with a light mist of spray glue and some clear glitter. I’m tickled with the results.
Won’t you join me in the Frosty Forest?
I’ve made a set of Frosty Bottle Brush Christmas Tree’s for one lucky Boomdeeadda follower. To enter, simply email a picture with Santa to petalsdaye@gmail dot com. It can be a recent visit, a picture from your childhood or your pet visiting with Santa. I’ll randomly draw one winner on December 27th. Good Luck!
Boomdeeadda 
Oh my!!!! PERFECT, i knew about the bleaching but i didn’t know you could dye them with that kind of dye. I have never seen those trees in a bulk bag before… i picked up a few at the dollar store. I want to get more but i bet everything has already been put away for next year!
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What a good dollar store you have. These Lenox trees bleach and dye nicely. There’s a coupon on line for Michaels every week. About every other week there’s a 50% off. I did buy a cheap bag at Zellers last year that didn’t work…turns out they were plastic, not bottlebrush. I think any fabric dye would do. RIT doesn’t have too many to choose from, so might be good to play and make a custom mix…..yes, next year! Thanks for your nice compliment too. Were you in Calgary for all of Christmas?
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What a amazing idea for the christmas trees, that is the prettiest display I have seen online all year for the mantle place, so so so pretty! And I love Petals peeping over the table XD
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Oh my gosh, thank you so much, I see so many gorgeous things on Pinterest, it’s hard to decide what to do…but, if you lead with your heart it seems to all work out. Petals is a real snoop…love her so much.
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Aww, I love the snowbabies! They are so angelic! Lovely collection:)
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Thank you so much Lea, I have been adding to my little collections for many many years. I haven’t bought one for a long while because I tend to only like the ones without colour like the old ones. I’ve scooped a couple off of eBay, but I should stay off of there..;)
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The trees are absolutely breathtaking–and they look like a lot of fun to make. You are so creative!
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Thanks Sheryl, I hope you’ll enter a photo….I was saying to Alys, you can always take a picture of yourself holding a picture of Santa. It’s fun seeing what colour they’ll be when you start mixing dyes. I really like the Martha Stewart Clear Glitter, it’s very sparkly, it’s everywhere LOL even on the cats.
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PS. Cute kitty pic. I see mischief in those eyes.
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Hehe, you know it. Petals was very interested in that sandwich…she kept putting her little toes on the counter and I kept saying no……I’m pretty sure she thinks I work for her. ❤
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LOL! You mean you *don’t* actually work for her? OMG that made me laugh so hard.
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I’m glad I made you laugh. You got me there, I was only half kidding. ;D We love her, but our Petals has the most DEmanding meow…its finger nails on a blackboard…then there’s Blossum, so sweet and patient and well behaved. Naturally I am a terrible enabler…pick her up, snuggles, treats..She’s like Cleopatra, being transported around all day…She’s a bit of a Diva…and yet so darn loveable. Our friend and Landlord was here today…Petals climbed all over him…Like “hello, look at me, aren’t I adorable”. 😀
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Breathtaking. This looks like a page out of Martha Stewart Magazine. What a beautiful display and what creativity. I didn’t know you could bleach those trees. I really like the colors you’ve chosen. They look beautiful together and really set off the ivory colors on the mantle.
I wonder who will be the lucky winner? I don’t have a single Santa pic, not of me, my animals or my kids. I wonder if I can convince Mike to dress up in a rented Santa suit? Dialing a costume rental store now.
Love this!
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That’s so, so nice to say, thanks Alys. I was pretty happy with the results…the colours remind me of those Instagram pictures of ferris wheels…all vintaged and candy coloured. They really perked things up. I know this brand of trees bleach, but not all brands. I bought some at the dollar store that didn’t bleach, luckily just a bad of 3 little ones.
What you could do to enter is print a picture of Santa off the internet set it up beside one of your kitty cats or even a self portrait….easy breezy.
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The trees are smashing. You’ve really captured the vintage vibe. I love the colors you achieved and the entire mantel display. Picture perfect.
Thanks for the photo suggestions. That gives me food for thought. Hmmmmm….
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You are a lovely spoiler…:) No worries on the entry photo, there’ll be another one down the road…maybe Easter or something springy…We’re away all day tomorrow at two different events….social butterflies. So I best get my beauty sleep..sweet dreams Cali girl! mwaaaa.
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Have a terrific time today! We had friends and my sister pop by all day yesterday. It was festive and fun. mwaaaa
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Thank you, it’s going to be fun, my cousin just arrived from London and Aunty Kathleen will be there….awesome! mwwwwaaaa 2U2.
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PS…Merry Christmas Sharon !!!!
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I love the picture with the cat!
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Awwww, thank’s Lizzy. Those guys never miss an opportunity to get close to the counter. One seat for me, one for Petals. 🙂
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Love ur displays – ur r very artistic – LUL
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Hi Aunty! Thanks for your sweet message. Are your tree’s still sparkling? Do we need to re-fresh them? I’m so happy that Lee-Ann and the family were able to come home, I can’t wait to see you all on Monday LUL xoK
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OMG, your frosty forest is stunning! I would have never thought of doing this. I wish we had a fireplace mantel to make our own frosty forest! Yours is so lovely!
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Thank you so much. It’s great having both the fireplace and mantel for sure. It’s fun changing it up over the year. My sister-ilaw Adele (the florist) is a really great decorater. They didn’t have a fireplace either, so they bought an electric fireplace with a really nice mantel. She now has a place to jazz up over the holidays too.
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i didn’t put out my snowbabies or fat friars this year. Those trees are a great idea as well as the cake plate to raise some up. I love the trees. I’ll give it a shot for next year. Your decor is STUNNING! Merry Christmas.
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O, you collect Snowbabies too Marlene? Fun! I hope to see how you enjoy them next year. I’ve used different things to raise them up, like paper covered books and turned over McCoy Pots. It’s fun to make little vinettes. Maybe next year I’ll write just about the Snowbabies. I think they’re so cute. Thank you for your nice message. Please enter the give away and you can make your very own forest. x
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