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Monday, November 27, 2023

Creat Your Own Pinecone Topiary For The Holidays





Why not create your own pinecone topiaries to use as winter holiday decorations? Sometimes you only have to go as far as  your own backyard for most of the supplies!

Use large size pinecones to create single-cone toparies, or use a collection of small pinecones to build a larger sized topiary. 

Supplies needed:
Pinecones
Hot glue gun & glue sticks
Something to use as a base; ideas:
Mini terra cotta flower pots, egg cups, teacups, you get the idea
White glue & glitter (optional)
Acrylic craft paint (optional)
Add-ins: small sprigs of pine needles or other types of evergreen, floral craft piks for ornament, small jingle bells, shelled nuts, etc.



To begin with make sure your pinecones are completely dry and free from insects or other pests. You can put them on a cookie sheet in a warm oven at a very low temperature such as 200°F to help dry them out, but be sure to keep an eye on them and do not leave them unattended. 



Once dry, you can use you pinecones as-is, or you can fancy them up with some paint, glitter, or both!



To add snow-tipped edges to your pinecones, pour some acrylic craft paint in the color of your choice onto a paper plate. I like to use an off-white color that has a hint of beige for a vintage look. 

If you like, you can loosly wrap the top end of each pinecone with some fine wire before painting so that you can hang them to dry:
The photo above shows how I used very thin wire and attached it to the tops of the pinecones. This helped with painting and glittering them, as well as drying them. I had lots of extras so I kept these strung up on the wire and hang them around my house each Christmas season. The ones above I made with my elder daughter when she was six years old - she is now 21 so you can see how long they have lasted us!




Carefully roll the pinecone through the paint, making sure that each tip of the pinecone gets a spot of paint. Hang to dry using the wires or allow to dry on a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap. 




Once dry, remove the hanging wires.



To add glitter with the paint, first roll the pinecone into your choice of colored acrylic paint, and then, quickly roll the wet-painted pinecone into a plate of your choice of colored glitter. My favorites are clear, silver, or gold. Shake gently to remove excess glitter. Hang to dry. You don't need a lot of glitter, a little goes a long way.



To use only glitter and no paint, roll the pinecone into a paper plate covered with white craft glue, such as Elmer's glue, and then roll the pinecone into a plate of glitter. Shake gently to remove excess glitter. Hang to dry.


Use many small pinecones to create one larger sized pine cone topiary. To do this you can simply use your hot glue gun to glue the pine cones together until you achieve the shape you trying to achieve, or you can begin with a base. 

One easy way is to begin with a cardboard cone-shaped base (you can make one by stapeling a cereal box into a cone shape and then painting it so that it does not show through between the pine cones.) Once you have your cone, use your hot glue gun to attach the pinecones to the base.  




To create pinecones that are completely drenched in color, use spray paint to paint them from all angles.





Florist plant pokes from a craft store are a great way to add little touches of color or different shapes and textures to your topiary. Other small things you can add include small acorns, shelled nuts such as chestnuts, small colored pom pom balls, etc. 

Use hot glue to attach your pinecone to it's base. That's all there is to it! 



Happy Holidays! 

Laura


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Article and images copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2023 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from quaifying purchases. 

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