bottle brush carrots…

with easter just weeks away i wanted to share a quick and quirky tutorial for creating colorful carrots using those leftover woodlands bottle brush trees from christmas.  what is that you say?  you used all of your woodlands over the holiday season?  not to worry, these trees are actually available year round since you can customize them for just about any season (including these americana and candy corn trees).  the supplies are minimal, the technique simple, but i wanted to share a few tips to create your own springtime sprigs – so let’s “hop” to it (humor me ok)…t!m

supplies used:

• woodlands tree lot
• distress spray stains: spiced marmalade, rusty hinge (or any color you choose)
• misc: raffia, hot glue, paper towels

step 1: i think it’s always a good idea to create a quick color swatch to see your options.  just spray a paper towel to compare the shades of colors you have.
step 2: place a woodland tree on dry paper towel and spray it with distress stain.  i like to use a couple different tones to create depth so i chose spiced marmalade and rusty hinge.
step 3: once sprayed, wrap the tree in the same paper towel to absorb any excess stain.
step 4: this part is a little weird, but i think it helps to create more of a carrot look. squeeze the tree in the paper towel and hold it that way for a minute or so and pull the tree out with your other hand to make the bristles of the tree bend downward.

step 5: twist the wooden base several times to loosen the glue and remove it from the tree.
step 6: wrap raffia around your fingers to create a loop (note: you can get colored raffia in the floral dept. of the craft store).
step 7: take another piece of raffia and tie it in a knot around the center of the loop – repeat this step leaving a gap between the two knots as shown.
step 8: cut the raffia in half between the tied knots but don’t cut the knots…very important.

step 9: grab one of the cut ends and apply hot glue to it.
step 10: quickly press it on to the end of the woodland inserting the wire from the tree into the center of the bunched raffia.
step 11: cut the loops of the raffia with your scissors.
step 12: trim the raffia into various lengths to achieve the look you prefer – that’s all there is to it.

pretty clever idea for springtime don’t you think?  i hope you give this idea a try and based on the woodland size you can use them for home decor as well as your cards or other crafty projects for easter.  speaking of crafty projects, check out a couple of my favorites from years past including alcohol ink marbled eggs and faux chocolate bunnies – have fun!

*be sure to check your local stores for these supplies, or click on the links below to purchase online from Simon Says Stamp with a discount of 10% off your purchase – use code: Tim974