Primitive Christmas Tree Make-Do

On a recent antiquing trip to one of our quaint little towns up here in the Pacific Northwest, I ran across an old object that had a battered wood handle screwed on to a very rusty round base. I knew immediately it would make a great base for one of my make-dos. When I went to purchase the item, the older gentleman behind the counter explained to me that long ago these were used to scrape hair off of hogs after they had be boilded. I can only trust that it was cleaned well after each use.

Anway, I took this wonderful piece and made up a Christmas tree and used this hog scraper as its base. The tree is made from unbleached muslin. I stained it first with my coffee and cinnamon mix. I then baked it slowly until good and dry. Then I color washed it with a forest green and baked it again till dry. Last I coated it with some of that gooey cinnamon film that settles at the bottom of my stain mix and baked it once more. I decorated it all all up. I think this is one of my favorite pieces that I've made. Of course, it always looks better in person than in my pictures. So, it's listed on ebay right now. We'll see how it does...!