Pine cones are the ideal holiday decoration. Not only are they easy to find (and free), but there are an almost infinite number of ways you can use and decorate with them. They look good on their own, or with a few tweaks and some creativity, you can turn them into something completely different.
There are many standard pine cone crafts or DIYs that pop up around the holidays every year. This year, I thought I would try something different.
I’ve picked a few crafts (of varying complexity and difficulty) that are a little more unusual than the ones you’ve probably come across. I also added some options that aren’t explicitly festive, meaning you can use them around your home throughout the year.
Related Reading: Why You Should BAKE Your Pine Cones First
Pine Cone Flowers
If you’re an avid gardener missing your spring flowers in the gloomy seasons of winter, this pine cone craft is the solution. No more fleeting fresh flowers that only last a week before they wither away. These pine cone flowers will last forever, and they’re easier to make than you think.
For this craft, you need only a few pinecones of different shapes and a high-quality pair of sharp shears. Decide how large you want your flowers to be and cut the pinecone into two, three, or even four pieces, depending on size. You don’t want them to be too small, or they won’t hold their shape.
After cutting, you’ll notice you already have a beautiful flower shape, whether you place the cone upright or upside down. From here, you can paint the ‘petals’ in different colors or leave them as they are. To create a long-lasting arrangement, drill a small hole through the center and add a branch or skewer to stand the flowers upright.
If you want to create more intricate shapes, you can also remove individual scales and stick them back together to create a variety of flowers. Use images of real flowers for inspiration as you’re putting them together. If you choose this option, paint the scales first before gluing for a cohesive color.
Succulent Garden
Sticking with garden inspiration, the next craft is for all the succulent lovers out there. While chopped-up pine cones do look like flowers, you can also make them look like adorable succulents if you cut them just right. Place them together in a pot, frame, or a glass terrarium for a truly low-maintenance (or in reality, a no-maintenance) succulent garden.
For this to work visually, it’s best to use pine cones with different shapes and sizes to mimic the forms found in a succulent garden. Cut them into pieces in the same way as the flowers, using the ends upside down and different sections to create your various succulents.
These also benefit from painting before you place them to make them more convincing. If you need help with the colors, look at pictures of a potted succulent garden and match the hues. It helps to paint a few different colors on each cone rather than one solid color, adding some shadows and form to look like the real thing.
Once your succulents have dried, place them in your pot or frame. I’ve opted for a terrarium shape to keep as décor indoors. Surround the pinecones with decorative gravel and a few stones to complete the look.
If you struggle to grow succulents in your home due to lack of light (or the common succulent garden mistakes), this is the ideal solution.
Hanging Star
When you’re decorating for the holidays, pinecones are always useful. They look great on their own, or paired with some festive foliage to make a more elaborate centerpiece. You can also use them as diffusers to make your home smell like Christmas.
But with a little hot glue and some twine, you can turn your pine cones into a completely different decorative item—a star.
Ditch the plastic ornaments this year and make your own natural stars with a few foraged pinecones. Longer pinecones work best shape-wise, but you can use any you have lying around. Simply glue the ends of five cones together at a central point to create a star shape and attach twine for hanging.
If you have smaller pine cones like eastern hemlock, you can also glue them onto a star-shaped frame made from cardboard. These are harder to hang, but they’re great for standing up on shelves or countertops to add to your existing Christmas décor
Snow Globe Tree
Pine cone Christmas trees are a popular craft and one of the easiest ways to decorate with pine cones. Simply pop a few decorations or some fake snow on the ends, stand them upright, and you have a tiny Christmas tree. You could even add a small terra cotta pot to finish off the look.
There is a way to take these tiny trees to the next level—make them the feature in a DIY waterless snow globe. This craft is so easy to complete but makes a big impact. It’s also a great activity for kids, allowing them to decorate their snow globes in various ways and flex their creative muscles.
For this craft, you’ll need a glass jar with a flat lid, some fake snow, a pine cone, and some small beads (or whatever décor you want to pop onto your tree). You can also add paint to the list if you want to decorate the pine cone the lid of the jar, which will be the bottom of the snow globe.
Start by placing the lid upside down (after the paint has dried, if you are painting). Glue your pine cone upright and add any decorations or paint to make it look more like a Christmas tree. Make sure any ornaments are glued on strong.
Next, fill the open jar with your fake snow. Once the pine cone has dried to the lid, screw it back on upside down. Then, simply flip the jar over and you have a wonderful waterless snow globe.
Candle Covers
Candles are an amazing way to create ambiance in your home around the holiday season. They bring that warm and cozy feeling that’s essential at Christmas time. If you want to add an extra Christmassy touch to your candles as part of your holiday décor, pine cones are the perfect solution.
There are many ways to make pine cone candle holders, including in the pinecones themselves. But these can be a little unstable if the base of your cone is not flat enough. The option I chose is safer but still has that natural pinecone look.
Start with a small candle in a glass or metal container. Look for taller candles around the height of a regular pine cone over short ones. Using scissors or shears, remove the individual scales from the pine cone and set them aside. If you want to add color, you can paint them at this stage.
Glue the individual cones to the container facing outwards, recreating the pine cone shape. To create a different texture, you can also glue them flat. Keep going until the whole candle is covered.
Once your candle is exhausted, you can always refill the glass and add a new wick for next year’s decorating.
Bird Feeders
The previous crafts focused on indoor décor. But what if I told you you could decorate your garden with pine cones while helping local bird life at the same time? Food supplies are scarce for birds in winter, so if you want them to stick around, it’s important to help them out.
With just a few ingredients you can turn your unused pine cones into hanging bird feeders. Again, you don’t need much to complete this craft. Grab a few pine cones (don’t forget to bake them first), some twine, peanut butter, and a mix of bird seed. The bigger the variety of seed, the more birds you will attract.
To make the bird feeder, start by tying the twine around the top of your pine cone. Larger pine cones have more room for peanut butter and seeds, but you can use any type. Dip the cone in peanut butter and spread it around to coat the entire surface. Sprinkle the bird seed on top and hang from a tree where you know birds will find them.
Since this craft is super easy and doesn’t require any special tools or cutting implements, it’s a great activity to try with kids. They’ll enjoy the process and watching the birds come by once it’s complete too.
Houseplant Pot Cover
If you’re a houseplant lover, there are so many opportunities for holiday decorating with your plants. Dress them up with ribbons, hang ornaments from their leaves, or even add a Santa hat to your indoor cactus—the list goes on.
With a few hemlock pinecones and some glue, you can also transform one of your potted plants into natural Christmas-inspired décor that lasts long after the holidays are over. This complements the green leaves of your plants perfectly, pairing particularly well with Christmas houseplants like poinsettia or Christmas cactus.
The easiest way to complete this craft is to simply glue your hemlock pine cones to the exterior of an existing container. This is an ideal way to spruce up and recycle plastic containers that don’t look great when displayed in your home. Continue gluing until the exterior is covered, making it look like the pot is made from pine cones.
If you want a more abstract look, remove the individual scales and glue them back on in a circular pattern. Although I would only try this with smaller pots unless you want to be gluing for hours on end.
House Ornaments
This next craft is something a little more elaborate, but the result is adorable. Have you ever considered how pine cone scales look similar to roof tiles? It’s a strange thought to have, but proven true in these cute house ornaments.
I’ve made a standing ornament suitable for countertops, but this house would also look right at home in your garden. They look like little fairy hideaways, blending in with nature. You can customize these however you like to create your ideal fantasy house.
For the base of the house I’ve used cardboard, but you can also glue together branches to create the frame if you plan on placing the house outdoors. On your cardboard, sketch out:
- 2 squares with flat tops
- 2 squares with triangular tops (to meet the roof)
- 1 base piece to enclose the bottom
- 2 rectangles to form the roof
Now come the pine cones. Pull off individual scales and glue them to the roof facing downwards, creating roof tiles. Cover the entire roof in straight rows, grouping scales of similar sizes for uniformity.
Once your house is done, use a marker to add decorations or some sphagnum moss for a natural finish. You can also thread a piece of twine through the roof to hang it on your Christmas tree or from your mantel.
Hanging Branch Display
If the previous craft is a little too complex, I have the solution. This hanging branch display is so simple to put together but really adds that holiday feel to any room. And all you need are a few items from your garden (plus some twine).
The base of this display is a simple branch. Preferably look for one that’s fallen off a tree, rather than lopping off a healthy limb. The branch should be long but not too heavy, as you’ll need to hang it from a hook on your wall.
Once you’ve brought your branch indoors, clean it and check for any signs of bugs. You don’t want to unknowingly bring pests inside your home. Then grab a few pinecones and some fragrant foliage or other holiday ornaments like orange slices to pair with them.
Tie a piece of twine to each cone, keeping the lengths of the twine different so they hang at varying heights. Tie each piece of twine to the branch hanging downwards and add in your other ornaments. All you need to do is hang the branch on your wall and you’ll have a festive décor display that doesn’t take up any floor space.
Teddy Bear
This pine cone craft is ideal for kids (or those who consider themselves kids at heart). Much like the hanging star, this simply involves gluing pinecones together, but this time, in the shape of a teddy bear. It’s a little more complex because you need pinecones or varying sizes to make it work, but the result is certainly worth it.
To make the teddy bear, you’ll need:
- 2 large pine cones, one for the body and one for the head
- 2 medium pine cones for the legs
- 2 small pine cones for the ears
- 2 pipe cleaners for the arms
- Ribbon or other decorative items
The hardest part is finding the perfect size pine cones to create the teddy bear effect. But once you have them, simply glue the pieces together in the shape of a seated teddy bear and add a ribbon to finish them off. These look great on shelves or as holiday décor in kids’ rooms.
Christmas Gnomes
The final craft is my personal favorite, so I think I’ve saved the best for last. It looks tricky to complete, but it’s surprisingly easy once you know how. Plus, once you make one, it’s hard to stop.
With a pine cone, some paint, wool, and a toilet roll, you can create adorable Christmas gnomes to hang on your tree or pop around your home. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut a half-inch circle off the end of a toilet roll.
- Cut several pieces of wool around 10 inches in length.
- Fold the pieces twice and loop them around the toilet roll circle until they fit snug, leaving the excess hanging off. Keep going until the whole roll is covered.
- Use another piece of wool to draw the ends together to a point. Cut off the excess, leaving only a few pieces to look like the top of a winter hat.
- Paint a pinecone completely white and place the hat over the bottom. Glue a bead or eyes to the center to finish.
Rest your completed gnome on a shelf or hang from your Christmas tree by attaching twine. Make a few different sizes and colors for some variety in your pine cone décor.
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