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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Bleached, Dyed, Glittered, Decorated, DONE!

Well I got my bottle brush trees finished and ready to tag & bag.  This was a very messy project with many days of work involved from start to finish.  I had found the bleached bottle brush trees by googling when I had seen one on a blog somewhere.  I wish I could remember where but there have been a lot I've looked at since and many different versions of how to achieve the bleached/dyed bottle brush look on the green Lemax trees.  I tried different ways to bleach the trees, after ruining a bunch of them, I ended up finally finding a process I liked.  Anyway, I had searched many hours at thrift stores and yard sales to find items to use on my trees.  I had gotten a wonderful surprise one day when I went to a newer thrift store, Humane Society Thrift Store.  There was a baggie of vintage glass bead garland, filled full of several different colors for a price I couldn't pass up!  I had gotten a green string of garland at an antique store for much more for just the one string than I paid for the 6 strings!  I was doing the bargain dance inside... outside I was composed (alright I was smiling from ear to ear)!! LOL!  I also had gotten several packages of vintage laces, again stuffed full.  It was a wonderful day in my neighborhood!!  When I saw online how much the garlands go for I nearly fell over & bonked my head on the computer!  So started my endless search for more vintage items.  I got more goodies along the way and found old thread spools to use as bases.  I hadn't seen any trees on spools like that anywhere, but that doesn't mean someone hasn't done it...but I like to think I thought of it in my own little crafting corner.  If someone else has, I would love to see them.  So after many hours of bleaching, dyeing, glittering, and decorating...I finally finished my sparkly trees.  I had decided when experimenting, that less is more.  The trees alone without decoration are pretty enough, but the added vintage was icing on the cake.  I'd love to know what you think.  I wish I could capture the lovely glistening glitter on pictures.    Here's my trees that I plan on putting in the Snowflake Boutique in November...and maybe a sneak pre-sale...



These are 8 1/2 inches tall.

These are 4 1/2 to 5 inches tall.

More 4 1/2 to 5 inches...

These were the tops of the larger trees I ruined... I salvaged the tops.  These are 5 inches tall.

I loved the blues together (4 1/2 inches)

These are the baby ones... 3 to 3 1/2 inches tall.

My baby pastels.

All glittery!




Well I guess that I need to get on to the next project.   I am working on the spoons with nests that I had on a previous post.  I'm adding beads...the beads are a nice added touch that was recommended to me by fellow bloggers.  Aren't online friends wonderful??  :-)  I'll post pictures when they are done too.  Here's hoping you are accomplishing whatever you are working on, whether it is crafting, decorating, or your hearts desire.

Blessings,
Cindy 

11 comments:

Home and Heart said...

WOW! You did an EXCELLENT job!! They look like antiques, only prettier! Hope you have a great week!!

My Vintage Studio said...

Beautiful!
Do you sell these lovelies? If so, where?
Sharon
dswideman@comcast.net

Blessings from Cindy said...

Jody & Sharon,
I am so excited to have you both give me your feedback! You really made my day! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the compliments/comments! Sharon, right now I am just in a craft show in the area. I had tried etsy but just didn't get any response. But it was florals then... not very exciting! LOL! If I have things left over maybe I'll try again.
Blessings to you both,
Cindy

Kim B said...

Those are just beautiful, you should try etsy again. They are so lovely. I want one....oh me!!!
Thanks so much for coming by my blog. Hope you have a wonderful week. Just signed up to follow your blog.
Smiles,
Kim :)

Hopemore Studio said...

Cindy, These are gorgeous they so remind me of the ones my grandmom had. You really did luck out at that thrift store and then the all thee hard work bleaching and dying was so worth it. What a reward. I really like them all but you really like the thread spool bases the best.

I hope you sell every one of these at your show, but if then not definitely look into Etsy I think there is a real demand handmade lovelies like these.

Looking forward to seeing your next project!
Angie

Blessings from Cindy said...

Dear Kim,
Thank you go much for the wonderful compliment and coming to visit my blog. I don't see you under my blog followers or it is something else I don't know about?? I'm having an exciting week because our middle child, Nathan, is getting married Saturday!! You have a great week also!!
Blessings,
Cindy

Blessings from Cindy said...

Angie,
Thanks bunches for stopping by and checking out my new trees. What a wonderful thing to say about my trees reminding you of your grandmom's! I like the thread spool bases best too. ;-) I will get pics of my spoons on in a few days... wedding stuff going on & busy with family in town. The ceremony is Saturday afternoon for our son & his bride! I will definitely consider Etsy... seems like several are recommending it for me again.
Blessings,
Cindy

More Entertaining Women said...

Thank you , Cindy, for becoming a follower!! You made my day! Oh, gosh. I collect bottle brush trees! But yours are exquisite. They will go FAST! I am jealous of who is going to buy and enjoy them! Can't wait to see all your other posts. Haven't posted or checked in awhile due to some time consuming home improvement projects, so was so happy to see what's going on! Blessings from another Cindy.

Blessings from Cindy said...

Cindy,
You must have a beautiful collection! Thanx bunches for the compliments... you made my day! LOL! I will be posting more soon so keep checking. Make sure you put pics of your home improvements on your blog.
Blessings,
Cindy

Mikey Fuller said...

These are pretty! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us! Do you have an Etsy/eBay shop?

Blessings from Cindy said...

Thank you, Mikey! I will be putting some trees on Etsy within a few days. Thank you for becoming a follower!
Blessings,
Cindy