Do you want to learn how to make a bottle brush tree wreath for Christmas? Here are the steps for making this easy and festive wreath.

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Back story

As someone who collects vintage Christmas decor, I adore bottle brush trees. They are charming and a bit kitchy which is perfect for the Holiday Season. Unlike so many other decorations, bottle brush trees aren’t breakable – although you do need to prevent them from getting crushed. Another bonus is that they are light weight and easy to store.

So, when I learned that I could buy a new “reproduction” version of these trees in bulk online from Amazon, I knew right away that I wanted to make a wreath.

I also decided that a wreath would look better if it was adorned with little trees that were in multiple colors. So I decided to dye some of the trees green and red. Dying the trees is an extra step – that isn’t required. However, I am including it because you may be interested in dying your own bottle brush trees since it is an easy process.

How to make a Bottle Brush Tree Wreath for Christmas

This project took me several hours on a Sunday afternoon. For those of you with children, this would be a fun activity for them to complete. If you decided not to dye the trees – then the project could be completed in a little over an hour.

Supplies

• Food coloring kit
• White Vinegar
• Hot water
• Paper towels
• Wire wreath form
• Package of bottle brush trees – variety of sizes (this package has 49 trees)
• Wire snips
• Cotton batting or poly fill
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks

It’s worth noting that I have found wire wreath forms at our local Dollar Tree Store as well as wire snips.

Dye the Bottle Brush Trees

First, here are some words of wisdom based upon experience. If you decide to dye bottle brush trees, the process works best on those that are made out of natural materials like sisal. If you use bottle brush trees that are made out of plastic, they may not absorb the color.

Another tip is to purchase white or light colored bottle brush trees. These are easier to dye since they don’t require the additional step of being bleached.

Since these trees were all fairly small, I created some dye baths using large coffee mugs. Following the instructions on the back of the food coloring kit, I combined the dye, white vinegar and hot water into a large mug. Then I submerged the trees into the dye where I let them sit for about 30 minutes. When I removed them from the dye solution, I placed them on a paper towel to dry.

For this project, I wanted a mixture of red, green and white trees.

Attach Trees to Wire Wreath Form

Lay out the trees, using different sizes and colors, around the wire wreath form. This will ensure the trees are spaced adequately and that the colors are evenly distributed. Then using some wire snips, cut approximately 3 inches of wire and use it to secure a tree to the wreath form.

Keep wiring different sizes of trees in different colors around the wreath form. Some of the larger trees may need to be wired to the wreath form in two different places. The photo below shows how the back of the wreath form looks once the trees have been wired in place.

Work your way around the entire wreath form filling in empty spots with some of the smaller trees. The image below gives you an idea as to how the wreath should look at this stage.

Add Cotton Batting

Plug in your hot glue gun so it has a chance to heat up. Meanwhile, cut some cotton batting into small pieces. Then using your fingers pull the batting apart so it looks more like a cotton ball. Use your hot glue gun to secure the cotton batting to the base of the trees. You can also fill in any blank spaces in your wreath with the cotton batting. The cotton batting is intended to look like snow.

Enjoy Your Wreath

Congratulations! Your wreath is complete. You can hang it anywhere you desire. If you want to hang the wreath on your front door, the trees should be sturdy enough to withstand the cold and wet temperatures outside.

Although I dyed the trees green and red, you can dye them any color in your food coloring kit. As you can see, I dyed a larger tree blue.

If you don’t want to dye your bottle brush trees, simply skip the first step, and wire the trees onto the wire wreath form. You can also purchase these bottle brush trees previously dyed different colors like these HERE.

Below is a video of the finished wreath.

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