How To Make a Bottle Brush Advent Calendar and Birch Tree Tea Light Candle Holders

I’ve always wanted a decorative advent calendar to display for Christmas but the one’s I like are really expensive! So when I found these bottle brush trees at Target, it gave me the idea to make my own for cheap!

How do you make a bottle brush advent calendar? The quick version: Cut birch logs in half, mark and drill 25 evenly spaced holes (plus a couple extra for tea lights) with a 1.5″ paddle bit, then wood-glue a mini bottle brush tree into each hole. Line them up on a shelf and move a little star topper from tree to tree to count down to Christmas. It’s a budget-friendly dupe of the pricey Pottery Barn version. Full step-by-step below. 👇

My inspo was this bottle brush tree centerpiece from Pottery Barn.

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Here’s everything you need to make these:

• 25 Bottle Brush Trees
• Birch Wood Logs
• 1 1’2″ Paddle Bit
• Drill
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Wood Glue
• Miter Saw
• Tea Lights
• Mini Star Tree Topper
• Optional: Fairy Lights

STEP 1: Cut the birch logs in half using the miter saw (or band saw if you have one).

STEP 2: Evenly space out, measure and mark where the bottle brushes will go. I drilled 27 holes total, leaving an extra one at the beginning at the end for tea lights!

STEP 3: Drill holes using the paddle bit. Make sure you don’t drill all the way through the log. It’s helpful to put a piece of blue tape on the drill bit so you know how far down to go.

STEP 4: Use wood glue to glue the trees into the holes (hot glue would work also). I left one hole on the left of one log and one hole on the far right on another log empty so I could put a tea light in the first and last hole. So I ended up drilling 27 holes instead of 25.

That’s pretty much it! Arrange the birch logs and trees in a line on your mantle or a shelf and place the little tree topper on the corresponding day of December.

I think the trees would look really good with some tiny little twinkle lights too! I might add those this year.

I had a few extra birch logs so I used a couple and just added tea lights to make a nice candle holder. With the other extra logs, I cut them into 3 different height pillars and drilled holes in the top to make another candle holder arrangement which looks really nice too! You could also cut slices in the logs and make individual tea light holders that you could place anywhere. Lots of different ways to use these!

Here you can see the entire advent calendar on the top shelf and the two different birch log candle holders below.

I’ll be sharing more Holiday DIY crafts and gift ideas so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

Let me know if you make these, I’d love to see them! You can tag me on social media at @selenebuildsthings.

Common Questions About a Bottle Brush Advent Calendar

How many bottle brush trees do I need?

You’ll want 25 trees, one for each day from December 1st to the 25th. I drilled 27 holes total so I could pop a tea light in the first and last spot for a little extra glow.

What size drill bit should I use?

A 1.5″ paddle bit fits standard bottle brush tree bases nicely. Wrap a piece of blue tape around the bit as a depth guide so you don’t drill all the way through the log.

How much does it cost to make?

A fraction of the store-bought versions. The bottle brush trees came from Target and birch logs are inexpensive, so it’s a budget-friendly dupe of the pricey Pottery Barn centerpiece that inspired it.

Do I need power tools?

A saw to halve the logs and a drill for the holes make it easiest. No saw? Ask for pre-cut birch rounds at the craft store, or hot-glue the trees onto a flat log slice instead of drilling.

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About the author: I’m Selene Teitelbaum, the DIYer behind Selene Builds Things. After renovating my entire home, I started sharing beginner-friendly tutorials so anyone can pick up a power tool (or a drill) and make something they’re proud of. More about me →

Until next time,

Happy DIY-ing!

xoxo,

Selene

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