I decided I needed to do something creative..... I have always liked those little bottle brush trees over the years and have seen them in various colors but never bought any. So I took a trip to Michaels and bought a package (below) and decided to do the bleach thing to them:
They come in various sizes from a couple larger ones to very wee ones.....they are on sale right now for $10 for the pkg of 21.
There are tutorials all over the internet and YouTube but it's very simple. You just fill a container with bleach and water (I did about 50/50 and then adjusted accordingly)......plop the trees in (little plastic stand and all) and wait. I did a few at a time, swirling them about until they looked like I wanted them. It's all a personal preference as to how far you want to take them in terms of bleaching the green out.....some came out an off white and some a more natural brownish off white and some had a tinge of the green left. I used tongs so not to get bleach on my hands since I didn't have any rubber gloves (I need to get some) and when they were done I put them in plain water with a little salt and a touch of white vinegar then rinsed and squeezed out the excess and placed them on a paper towel. (The flocking comes off as well)
I decided I wanted this batch a bit more vibrant (I may buy more and as I want to do some in more Marie Antoinette colors later) and used whatever I had on hand to "dye" them. I took a shoe box and used it as a spray booth and used Ranger Alcohol Inks on some, food coloring in a spray bottle and some liquid water colors (just dipped the smaller ones right inside the liquid water color bottle), I also used a brush on some. I just played and rinsed and did a couple colors together. A few I just wrapped in paper towel to blot and didn't rinse the color. Once again this comes down to personal preference. I've seen where some people actually mix up Rit dye but I didn't feel it was necessary, besides I don't have any. I placed them on paper towel (with newspaper underneath) and now they are drying.
The large tree on the back right isn't actually green as it appears, it's actually turquoise. I am having issues with my camera and had to use the flash so it played with the color. BUT Soon I will be taking much better photos. (will explain that later)
Tomorrow I will get out the glitter and some various things to tszuj them up and figure out how I want to use/display them in my studio. I am saving the paper towels as they are so colorful and when dry I can use them in an art journal or painting.
I haven't done a single Christmas decoration......yet.......I really have to push myself to get there. So we'll see. I am not a grinch, it's just a difficult month for me as it is for many.
So there you have it.......give it a try if you haven't already!
See you soon!
