Vintage bottle brush trees add cheerful nostalgia to any room for Christmas.  My favorite antique bottle brush trees are the ones that still have their mercury ball ornaments intact, although they cost a pretty penny these days.  I’ve seen larger bottle brush trees with their mercury ornaments sell for upwards of $100, but with a bit of grease and DIY spirit, you can make your own!

At any craft or hobby store, you can purchase a bag of 10 – 15 green bottle brush trees for less than $10.  In a large bucket or sink, add warm water and two tablespoons of bleach.  Simply dip the trees in the water and let the bleach begin stripping the color until it is your desired hue.  For all white trees, simply leave them in the water until all of the color is gone.  You can also dye the bleached white trees any color, such as pink, red, or blue, with RIT dye (using this tutorial).

Now comes the fun part – decorating the trees!  For an “authentic” vintage touch, consider adding mercury ornaments (Papier Valise has vintage stock mercury glass beads that work nicely) and dusting the trees with touches of glitter.  Here are a few ideas for your inspiration!

These quintessential bottlebrush trees from the 1940s are both nostalgic and glamorous with their mercury glass ornaments (via Country Living).

Grouping antique bottlebrush trees together by color is a wonderful way to create a holiday theme, as seen in this lovely grouping from ALifeinFocusPhotography.

This grouping of charming vintage pink bottle brush trees from Cydneys Antiques caught my eye with how the ornament sizes were generously arranged.

More color-grouped fun!  nellie loves vintage left the bottle brushes “as is” without glitter, embellishments, or dye, and they look simply charming.

Theresa Thompson created a nostalgic wonderland with her bottlebrush trees, cotton “snow” and the perfect Scottie!

Although they are petite in nature, bottle brush trees – even in simple white – can make a lovely statement on your mantle.  (If someone knows the source of the above photo, please let me know!)

Have you caught the vintage bottlebrush bug yet?