11.06.2012

vintage bottle brush christmas trees



swoon, swoon, swoon!

The sight of bottle brush trees all gussied up in their brightly colored glass ornaments makes me all giddy inside.  Like stepping into an old-fashioned candy shop and peering into the big glass jar full of gumballs. 

 I grew up in a town that had one of those candy shops full of the glass jars with tiny and wondrous candies inside.  I used to save up my pennies and nickels from chores (or more likely looking inside my parents coat pockets...resourceful yes??) and on Saturdays bike the three miles to downtown to buy myself a treat.  In our house we never had candy or much in the way of store bought treats.  It was a big deal to get homemade chocolate chip cookies every once in awhile.  I'm sure it was hard enough to feed all 7 of us kids healthy food let alone find the money for junk food.  But we were allowed to spend our independent finances (does that make 45 cents sound important?) as we saw fit.  I admit that I was jealous of my school friends whose whimsical lunch boxes were adorned with twinkies, ho ho's and cinnabuns while my brown bag that I was supposed to keep nice and re-use throughout the week was lucky if it got an apple to go along with the pbj sandwich.  Don't even get me started about those mini bags of chips we never got either.... sigh, woe is me.  So when I got the green light from mom and dad to do what I wanted with my money, I did what my sugar-deprived heart desired.  I biked like the witch in Wizard of Oz (insert crazy noise ....of Wicked Witch pedaling with all her might here) the whole 3 miles without looking up.  Just another kid on a mission!   Gumballs were often on my list of possible procurements.  Gumballs and candy dots stuck to long ribbons of paper along with candy necklaces and ring pops.  Even as a child I was drawn to the world of whimsy, color and adornments.  

Now as an adult I've substituted visual candy for real candy.  And I can't get enough of these gorgeous bottle brush trees.  What vintage item makes your heart swoon?
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14 comments:

  1. They are sooo pretty! I do love all the prettiness of Christmas and the vintage treasures that go along! :) Hope you have a great day! xo Holly

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  2. Darn-it! I set one on the table for you yesterday, and I forgot to show it to you! :(

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  3. I love bottle brushes too. After seeing them featured so beautifullly by Andrea at HulaSeventy a few years ago
    http://hulaseventy.blogspot.com/2010/12/to-you-and-yours.html
    I started a collection for my SIL and brother, who had just bought their first home and were looking for holiday decorations.

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    1. now that's a good sister! I just popped over to see your inspiration on Hula and I love it!!!

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  4. I can relate wholeheartedly to your situation as a youngster, because our sugar intake was very limited and we didn't get an allowance, so when times like Halloween and Easter came around that involved lots of sweets, I'd squirrel them away and ration them out for as many months as I could stretch them for it. I think it was an important lesson in self-discipline and probably is part of the reason why I never developed a major sweet tooth (I love sugary things, don't get me wrong, but I'd say I have more of a savory tooth).

    Your bottle brush trees are completely, sparklingly gorgeous! What an awesome collection - I don't have a single one, but you've suddenly got me wishing I did. Something else to add to the vintage wish list for sure! :)

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. I also hoarded my Halloween candy and tried to make it last for months! You should add a little bottle brush tree to your holiday decor. They sure are cheery!

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  5. I ate lots of twinkies and I love these too. Beautiful Megan.

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    1. I'm kind of jealous that you ate LOTS of twinkies but happy for you and your magical twinkie childhood. :))

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  6. I love me some bottle brush trees. I have a small collection, including a pink one, which is my favorite.

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  7. Putting together a Birthday party for 12/12/12, looking to buy bags of bottle brush Christmas trees for a snow globe craft...Were you able to find an affordable (cheap) retailer?
    Really appreciate your input~
    Thank you.
    Kirby Speas
    Kirbyspeas@aol.com

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    1. Hi Kirby,
      I gather up all of my trees at estate sales and usually have to pay a couple dollars each for them. I know they can sometimes be found cheaply at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I think some people wait and stock up on them after the Holiday at the 50% off sales. Wish I could be more help.

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  8. where is a good place to get those beauties?

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