Especially in autumn and Christmas, fragrant pine cones can be used excellently for very different craft ideas. You can either collect this natural material on a walk in the forest or simply buy it in stores. The most beautiful specimens can be painted, decorated or arranged with other accessories. As soon as you have got all the craft materials, you can get started right away. We have put together some instructions for wreaths, mini Christmas trees, elves and other Christmas crafts with cones that you can do or use as inspiration. Whether young or old, everyone enjoys crafting with pine cones!
Make crafts with small and large cones
Pine cones come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. It depends on which tree they come from. The elongated cones are usually spruce cones. Other conifers that produce cones include pine, cedar, pine, Douglas fir, larch and fir. Anyone who has fresh conescollects in the forest, will definitely be impressed by the variety. Everyone else can also order pine cones online. It's not that much fun, but it's a good solution.
Pine cones also work great with othersNatural materials such as acorns, chestnuts, tree bark, maple seeds etc. combine. These are found in abundance in the forest. They look very nice in a bowl and bring a rustic charm to your own four walls. But they get a special and slightly artistic touch when you paint or decorate them. You can decorate the cones with acrylic paint or grab a glue gun and decorate the spaces with pom poms. With these beautiful craft projects you can show children how to make things with little money and a little imaginationmake beautiful decorationscan.
Door wreathwith a rustic flair
Even in November you can create the right atmosphere in your own four walls and prepare for the upcoming pre-Christmas season. Whether on the front door or on the coffee table, a wreath is a beautiful and classic decorative element that should not be missing this year. Such a door wreath is easy and quick to tie and can be decorated in many different ways. Any cones, twigs, berries, cinnamon sticks, acorns and nuts can be incorporated. Here, for example, the gold-colored beads form a nice contrast to the other rustic-looking decorations.
This is how it works:
Wrap the Styrofoam blank with jute ribbon and secure the end with hot glue. Glue the pine cones onto the wreath and fill the spaces with acorns. Then the beads are arranged and glued. Finally, a jute cord is wrapped around the wreath.
One ball outPine conesand make crafts with fir branches
If you want to try something new this year, this idea is just right for you. This ball, also called a kissing ball, is a nice alternative to the classic wreath and looks very elegant. Plus, using artificial pine branches will keep it fresh and beautiful all winter long. However, if you like it natural, you should get fresh pine greens.
Materials required:
a Styrofoam ball, 15 cm
Satin ribbon, 2 cm wide
Cones, 1kg
(artificial) fir branches
(artificial) berry branches
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Wire pliers (for cutting branches)
The ball can either be hung up or placed in a glass bowl. To hang it up, first wrap a tear-resistant cord or satin ribbon around the polystyrene ball and knot it at the top and bottom. The ribbon is also fixed with some hot glue.
Now the Styrofoam ball is tightly covered with cones. By the way, the Styrofoam balls are available in different sizes. The smaller the ball, the fewer cones are needed.
As soon as the ball is covered with cones, the branches are inserted into the spaces. Finally, the berry branches are shortened to match the size of the ball using wire pliers and inserted into the Styrofoam ball.
Mini Christmas trees
The next craft project is suitable for children aged five and over. Painting with a brush requires some sensitivity and patience. This also helps children's ability to concentrate.
You can also paint the cones with green spray paint. Note that painting with spray paint should be done in well-ventilated rooms or outdoors. Spray paint should be applied from a distance of approximately 30cm. Then let the children decorate the painted pine cones themselves with pom poms.
Why not stick the mini Christmas trees on a wooden tray and arrange them as a fairytale winter landscape? There could be space for small forest animal figures between the trees.
Christmas trees forTischand window sill
The Christmas tree doesn't always have to be big. A small table Christmas tree also creates a festive atmosphere. Simple and unusual, these Christmas trees are made entirely of white cones. A few red berry branches and decorative birds freshen up the color.
Materials required:
different sized pine cones
Spray paint in white or gold
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
cardboard
Decorative birds on wire
Decorative berries with wire
Optional: a vase or a flower pot
This is how it works:
Cut a circle out of cardboard. The average of the circle determines the size of your Christmas tree. Then stick 10 pine cones on the sides of the cardboard all around. This is how the base of the tree is created.
The cones should then fit together like puzzle pieces. It goes up layer by layer until the hole in the middle is closed. How quickly you close the circle determines the height of your tree. For example, all three layers at the bottom can consist of 10 pine cones each. Only then can the amount be gradually reduced.
Finally, spray the Christmas tree with spray paint and let it dry. Then attach the decorations to the gaps and you're done!
Zapfenwichtelcraft
The Christmas cone gnomes look very cute with their pointed felt hats and make an excellent hanging decoration on the Christmas tree. These can also be made in just a few steps!
Materials and tools required:
small pine cones
wooden balls
Felt fabric
Mini bells
thin yarn
Scissors
Hot glue gun
black marker
This is how it works:
Glue a wooden ball onto the cones. Cut a hat out of a triangular piece of felt and glue it onto the wooden ball. The cap should be adjusted to the ball diameter. Wrap a felt scarf around it and glue it in place. An alternative to the scarf is a long beard made of craft cotton.
Cut a string approx. 20 centimeters long and thread the mini bell on it. Tie the ends of the string together. Glue the bell to the tip of the hat. Use a black marker to mark two small dots as eyes and you're done.
Angel pendant for onenaturallyMake a decorated Christmas tree
Classically simple and elegant, the angel pendants unfold their unique charm on the Christmas tree. The cone angels can also be hung with thread as a window decoration. Of course, they are also ideal as homemade gifts for friends and family.
Materials required:
1 wooden bead
1 pine cone
1 piece of lace fabric (10 x 17 cm is enough)
Glitter
Craft glue
Hot glue gun
Ribbon/string
Felt decorations
This is how it works:
Cut the piece of lace fabric like a half moon. Hand sew a straight seam in the middle of the crescent. Pull the thread slightly to gather the fabric and then knot it tightly.
Tip: To keep the tip in shape, you can spray it with hairspray and then dry it with a hairdryer for 30 seconds.
Draw an angel face on the wooden bead. The halo is made with a thin strip of craft glue and glitter powder. Finally, all body parts are glued together using the hot glue gun.
There are many materials available for making body parts:
- In addition to wooden beads, Styrofoam and cotton balls are also suitable for the head
- You can also use pipe cleaner wire or cake doilies for the wings
- Use either gold cord or jute cord as angel hair
This way you can let your imagination run wild and experiment with different materials.
bird figuresConesand wooden beads
These beautiful bird figures can be made from wooden beads and pine cones! You can choose between a festive glitter look and a natural, Nordic flair.
Materials required:
Wooden beads
Cones
Spray paint in white
Felt fabric in white
brown paper
Scissors, hot glue gun and black marker
This is how it works:
Cut out two wings and the tail feather from white felt. For the beak, a pyramid is folded out of brown paper. Paint the cone and the wooden ball with spray paint, let it dry and then glue them together. Glue the wings and tail firmly to the tenon. Glue the beak onto the wooden bead. Draw two eyes with the black marker and you're done!
