Holiday Decorating With Pine Cones

Paint pine cones gold before using them to decorate.

Decorating with pine cones is a way to bring some old-fashioned style to your Christmas or wintertime decor. Using pine cones that you find in your neighborhood is an inexpensive way to create your own decorations. If you live in a snowy place, be sure to collect cones before the snow season begins and store them in a dry place. You can also buy pine cones from a craft store or at a floral supply store.

Things You'll Need

• Pine cones
• Foam cone
• Floral picks
• Wire
• Ribbon
• Sheet moss
• Paint
• White glue
• Glitter
• Hot glue gun
• Basket
• Flowers
• Brown pipe cleaner
• Wooden bead
• Felt

Instructions

Pine Cone Tree

1. Buy a cone made of foam and 2-inch floral picks at the craft store.

2. Stick floral picks into pine cones or use wire to secure them if the picks don't stay.

3. Starting at the bottom of the cone, stick the largest pine cones into the cone. Continue covering the foam with the pine cone, using smaller pine cones as you move up, until the foam is covered.

4. If there are bare spots where the foam is visible fill the holes with pieces of sheet moss, which can be found at plant stores.

5. Place one large pine cone tree inside a planter, or make several smaller trees and arrange them together on a mantle.

Pine Cone Ornaments

1. Spray paint pine cones with silver or gold paint. You can also cover the pine cone in glue and roll it in silver or gold glitter. Allow the cones to fully dry.

2. Wrap a loop of wire around the top of the cone. Secure the wire underneath the scales of the cone to keep it in place. To make a hanger out of ribbon, cut an 8-inch piece of ribbon. Apply two dots of hot glue to the stem of the pine cone and tie the ribbon around it. Tie the ends of the ribbon together to make a loop.

3. Hang the ornaments from a Christmas tree, in a window or from a chandelier.

Flower Arrangements

1. Arrange red roses in a large handle basket. Use fake flowers or use real flowers with the stems pushed into a block of wet floral foam to keep the flowers watered.

2. Tuck pine cones between flowers. Use plain cones or cones painted with silver or gold paint.

3. Place the basket next to a doorway or on a side table.

Pine Cone Elves

1. Hold a small pine cone so that the wider end points up. Cut two pieces of brown pipe cleaner to be 4 inches long, then wrap one piece around the back of the pine cone so the pipe cleaner sticks out an inch on each side to make the arms. Wrap the other pipe cleaner around the back of the lower half of the pine cone and point the ends down to make the legs. Bend up the bottom of the legs to make feet.

2. Glue a wooden bead from a craft store on top of the pine cone to make the head. Paint or draw on a face with markers or paint.

3. Use felt to make mittens, boots, scarf and a hat for the pine cone elf. Use the templates on the Martha Stewart website to trace the patterns onto whatever color of felt you choose. Trace the shapes from the template, then cut out the shapes--two for each mitten, boot or scarf. Glue or sew the two pieces together and place them onto the pine cone elf.

4. Make as many elves as you want, then place them around the house in scenes together. Tuck them into a holiday centerpiece, place them on a mantle or arrange a few of them together on a table surrounded by "snow" made of cotton to create a winter scene.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you use any pine cones that you found outdoors, be sure there are no bugs living in them. Place cones in a sealed plastic bag for two days to kill any critters.

References

• Country Living: Holiday Decorating with Pinecones
• Good Housekeeping: How to Decorate with Pinecones
• Martha Stewart: Pine Cone Elves