Showing posts with label pinecone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pinecone. Show all posts

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. 

Monday, January 6, 2020

DIY Pine Cone Bonsai - How To Make A Pine Cone Bonsai

Japanese Black Pine mini bonsai by Vertmoi



Once considered to be lucky, the pine was thought to be a talisman against evil, so displaying one in your home protected you from evil and gave you good luck! The symbol of perpetual youth and longevity, these pretty pine cone bonsai are the perfect way to begin your new year. Read on to learn how to make your very own pine cone bonsai!   



Mini pine bonsai from Cobonsai



Before: 

After:
Pine cone before and after images from Matome Naver



How to grow your own Pine Cone Bonsai

1. To grow your own pine cone bonsai, you will first need to find a pine cone that is young and fresh and that has not opened. This is because you need one that still has it's seeds. Once the pine cone opens up, the seeds will be gone and the pine cone will not sprout, so you want to make sure you find a closed pine cone that still has it's seeds. Also, pine cones from a Japanese Black Pine work great perfect for this project. 

2. Try to find a pine cone that is on the larger size; this will help to assure that the seeds inside are of better quality. It's also best to collect a few pine cones and not just one!


3. Some folks recommend giving your pine cones a quick bath in a solution of very diluted lime-sulfur solution before starting this project. That is just an extra step that will help get rid of any pests or fungus that is living in the pine cone. 

4. Next you will need to dry out your pine cones, so place them in a dry spot and watch as they begin to dry out and open up. You may see some of the seeds begin to come out. At this point, you can give the pine cones a few taps to help loosen seeds if you want to plant the seeds outside of the pine cone. The darker seeds will be of better quality. 

5. If you want to grow the seeds directly from inside the pine cone you will next place your pine cone in your prepared soil. Loosely bury bottom of pine cone only, do not bury the entire pine cone! From this point you will water it sparingly and wait for it to sprout - do not over-water or it will rot. That's all there is to it!

A sprouting pine cone from Gisela Zimmerman

6. If you want to plant your collected seeds at a later date follow these directions: Place the seeds in a cool dark place until you are ready to sow them. Once you are ready, you first want to soak them in warm water for a day to help them get started and to separate the duds (those will float to the surface, the good ones will sink.) After the 24 hours, place the seeds in a baggie with a damp paper towel or a bit of moss to get them ready to plant. At this point you can place them in the fridge for a week or two.

6. Once you are ready to plant the seeds, simply sprinkle them on your soil and then cover them with a thin layer of soil. They will take between one and three weeks to sprout. You can strategically position your pine cone in the soil close to your seedlings, but not directly on top of the seedlings or you will kill the seedlings.

7. Give them plenty of sunshine but water them sparingly.


Japanese Black Pine cones, from Bonsai Tonight



Bonsai from Mikuni image from Bronwen Macdonald





If you are interested in learning more about traditional bonsai in general, you might like these books - this one is for beginners, and this one is perfect for gift-giving.


Or jump right in with a bonsai grow kit, which is a great gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day or for the person who has everything! For the bonsai pro, check out this very cool bonsai tool set.



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Have a great week!
Laura

Article and images copyright ©Laura Beth Love 2020 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Decorating & Crafting With Pine Cones


I love pine cones! If you can get to them on a dry day before it rains, why not collect some yourself to use in crafts, home decor, and gifts? Autumn is the perfect time to start collecting pine cones and a great time of year to bring some of the outdoors
into your home. Fall's bounty of leaves, acorns, and pine cones
 offer great opportunity for both crafty folk and DIY decorators. Whether you use them right away in fall or save them for Christmas crafts and Christmas decorations, you will find that the humble pine cone is versatile, beautiful, and can be used in many different ways!

Check out some of the ways that pine cones can be incorporated 
into your home and be inspired!  

My daughter and I created these glitter pinecones for Christmas decorations many years ago when she was in elementary school! We collected them from our yard, dried them out, wrapped the tops in wire, and then rolled them in white or ivory colored paint and then rolled them in glitter and allowed them to dry. We still admire them each year.


Pine cone chandelier via BHG


Estrela feita com pinhas clareadas. Eu ensino esta técnica para você transformar suas pinhas recolhidas da natureza.
Pine cone Christmas ornament




Pine cone decorated cake from Martha Stewart


BHG's Winter Charm Pinecone Tree (here's the DIY) is just beautiful


Use different colored acrylic paint to create a Painted Pinecone


Pretty acorn and pine cone wreath by Hwit Blog


Wax-dipped and painted pine cones







HomelySmart | 11 DIY Pine Cone Decorations For This Christmas - HomelySmart
Pine cone and holly topiary 






Pine cone centerpiece








Wool woven into pine cones by Family Chic


A garland of pinecones


A pretty pine cone wedding bouquet


Garland by Two Shades of Pink


Painted pine cones


Pink pine cone wreath // #Kranz  #kränze #wreath
Painted pine cone wreath


I love to make these and hang them around the house. 
I roll mine in glue and either gold, clear, or silver glitter. Photo via Country Living


I've been wanting to make some wax fire starters for the Fall.   Since the weather has been so hot in
Pine cone fire starters



Cute pine cone trees by The Swenglish Home



Clever pine cone place card holders by Project Wedding


Attractive pine cone wreath


Pine cone garland by Gonna Stuff A Chicken


Pine cone finial DIY from Martha Stewart


20 Gorgeous Winter #Wedding #Bouquet Ideas You Must Have!
Pine cone wedding bouquet

Giant pine cone sculptures made with old shovels! by Floyd Elzinga, Ontario Canada


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Have a great week!  
Laura
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Article copyright Laura Beth Love 2021 and may not be republished in print or other media without express written permission from the author. For any link updates or corrections leave correct info in comment area.