It’s a Holiday Wreath With Tube Brushes From Habitat for Humanity ReStore

I love making holiday wreaths.

It doesn’t matter that it’s just a project designed for pleasure, and no actual practical use. I embrace my desire for crafting amusement and go ahead and make yet another festive wreath.

I’ve used candy, berries, plastic spiders, medallions, and more to decorate our front door. But this year I went a bit further into the upcycle world.

This wreath is made from tube brushes. After seeing racks of tube brushes for sale at Philadelphia’s Habitat for Humanity ReStore, I grabbed a handful, and set out to bend and paint those metal brushes into a faux wreath.

Since I’ve never painted brushes before, I grabbed several different Krylon spray paint colors to test on the brushes. After playing, layering, and comparing, I decided that a base of brown (Brown Boots), followed by a layer of gold, and dusted with silver was the look that most appealed to my decorating instinct.

I had an idea to use door knobs as a bow, but reached for a few holiday balls and ribbon to keep the look more traditional. I’m saving those door knobs for a future upcycle project.

Step 1: Materials

Brushes
Krylon spray paint
Ribbon
Pliers
Other embellishments.

Step 2: Prep Your Brushes

I lined up all of the brushes on a trash bag (easiest drop cloth ever) before painting.

Step 3: Paint the Brushes

I experimented with a few different colors to see how the brushes would take the paint, and how the black fibers would look painted. Obviously I take this part of the project very seriously.

Step 4: Shape the Brushes Into a Wreath

Using a few brushes I hadn’t painted, I played with the various ways I could bend and shape the brushes into a wreath. It was easier than I thought. I squeeze the end of the handle so that it could fit inside another brush handle.

I wrapped each brush around the previous brush after they were connected at the bottom. Twisting each to form part of the circle.