Pinecone Ornaments
Pinecones: Nature’s ornaments (source: colormesunny on pixabay)
It’s time for the winter holidays, and one of the most fun parts of the winter holidays (for me, anyway) is crafts. I loved the crafts we made in Girl Scouts as a little girl, and I love them now. These pinecone ornaments are an easy, fun, creative craft the whole family can enjoy.
When it comes to holiday decor, everyone has their own tastes and they’re all equally valid. Some people, whose faith is deeply important to them, like to incorporate a lot of religious imagery. Some people like a lot of bright colors and intense light shows. Our occasional cameraman, and my Spouse, is one of those people.
Personally, I like decor that emulates nature. I like natural or natural-look trees. I like piney boughs as garlands, and natural-looking wreaths on houses. Christmas is just one of many transitional holidays, a celebration taking place at or near the Solstice, and I find comfort in as many reminders of nature as I can get at such times.
We used scented pinecones, because that’s what I could get and because the cinnamon scent is kind of awesome. Okay, that’s not natural. It does have a calming, cheerful effect and can help keep bugs away.
You can use pinecones you gather yourself for this fun craft. The only issue is that you risk bringing undesirables like mold spores and bugs into your home. You can prepare your foraged pinecones for craft use following instructions like the ones on this blog; I have not made the attempt. Don’t leave your oven unattended, however; you don’t want to risk a fire.
To make the pinecone ornaments, you will need:
Pinecones
Twine
A hot glue gun
Glue sticks (we used glitter glue, because why wouldn’t you?)
Paint (Again, we used glitter paint, because we could. I don’t think watercolors would stand out against the dark pinecones, but a good thick paint should do okay.)
Paintbrushes
Ribbons, trim, other accessories (we used some of the trim and ribbon we got in our Michaels Grab Bag!)
- Make a generous loop with your twine and attach it to the top of your pinecone.
- Glue the loop into position with hot glue. An adult should do this part, or at least supervise!
- Decorate the pinecones as you see fit. You can use glitter, or paint, or you can glue on other decorations. Get creative!
- Let the glue dry and move on to the next pinecone.
