Pinecone Pin Cushion - Take a pine cone and pull a few of the stalks out here and there. Cut some circles of material and sew a running sitch around the outside edge. Then as you draw them up, stuff some wadding in to make a soft ball. Using a glue gun, put some glue in the cone where you have pulled out the stalks and stuff the soft ball in. Cut a felt circle bigger than the base of the cone and glue on, and you have a pin cushion for a crafty mum or nana.
Wax / glitter ornaments - tie a cord around the top and dip into wax. Set in egg cartons to dry. Decorate with glitter when still moist and hang from Christmas tree. (To just wax the tips, pour wax into a shallow pan and roll the pinecone in it.)
Christmas centerpieces - Sprinkle lightly with pine scent and display in a basket, bowl, or aluminum pie tin. Lay fresh pine branches in the container, to make a nest. Add some Christmas ribbon (make bows or crinkle some wired ribbon all around) and then nest the pinecones in the center. Add colorful candies around the edges, or small Christmas ornaments.
Make a Mini Bird's Nest - Take baby pinecones and start gluing them together Starting with two or three to form bottom of nest Then keep adding one forming a circle using your hand as a guide. Layer it about 3 to 4 inches high. Put glue down in the middle of nest and stick a bird (I like to use the birds on a wire) through the nest to secure, cut off excess wire at bottom. Add fs and ribbion around the bird and you have a beautiful ornament to set in tree or to use as part of a centerpiece
Make a Pinecone Wreath - use the wire frames and insert the pinecones around each section. I soak the cones outside in a large bucket overnight which causes them to close up and any bugs will come out. After they are closed they are easy to insert in the wire frame. After the frame is completed, I hang them in a warm spot for a few day and as the cones open up, they are permanently in the frame. Then spray with acrylic sealer and decorate as you choose. (be sure to wear gloves as the pine tar is very hard to get off your hands
Use as decoration on a wreath
Fill a basket with them to hold dried flowers in place
Mini Bird Feeders - tie a string to the stem so you can hang. cover the pine cone in peanut butter, then roll in bird seed. they love it!
Fire starters - place pine cone in a cupcake tin (coat w/ vegetable oil first). Add some sawdust if you like and a wick. Pour melted wax into the tin and let harden. Add this to your fire w/ kindling.
Add them to your fire untreated for kindling or extra fuel.
Treat them and toss in the fire to create colorful flames
TIPS!
Before working with the cones, condition them in the oven. You don't have to do it, but heating them first melts the sap and as a result adds a nice glaze to the pine cones. Also, pine cones that are not opened, will open in the heat. (If you make a decoration for outside, the opened pine cones may close again in a wet, humid climate) So. use an old cookie sheet or cover a sheet with foil. Place the pine cones on it and put it in oven. Bake them at about 200 ° until the sap is melted and the pine cones are open. Test first with one pine cone to get the temp. As an added bonus, your house will be smelling wonderful!
Wax / glitter ornaments - tie a cord around the top and dip into wax. Set in egg cartons to dry. Decorate with glitter when still moist and hang from Christmas tree. (To just wax the tips, pour wax into a shallow pan and roll the pinecone in it.)
Christmas centerpieces - Sprinkle lightly with pine scent and display in a basket, bowl, or aluminum pie tin. Lay fresh pine branches in the container, to make a nest. Add some Christmas ribbon (make bows or crinkle some wired ribbon all around) and then nest the pinecones in the center. Add colorful candies around the edges, or small Christmas ornaments.
Make a Mini Bird's Nest - Take baby pinecones and start gluing them together Starting with two or three to form bottom of nest Then keep adding one forming a circle using your hand as a guide. Layer it about 3 to 4 inches high. Put glue down in the middle of nest and stick a bird (I like to use the birds on a wire) through the nest to secure, cut off excess wire at bottom. Add fs and ribbion around the bird and you have a beautiful ornament to set in tree or to use as part of a centerpiece
Make a Pinecone Wreath - use the wire frames and insert the pinecones around each section. I soak the cones outside in a large bucket overnight which causes them to close up and any bugs will come out. After they are closed they are easy to insert in the wire frame. After the frame is completed, I hang them in a warm spot for a few day and as the cones open up, they are permanently in the frame. Then spray with acrylic sealer and decorate as you choose. (be sure to wear gloves as the pine tar is very hard to get off your hands
Use as decoration on a wreath
Fill a basket with them to hold dried flowers in place
Mini Bird Feeders - tie a string to the stem so you can hang. cover the pine cone in peanut butter, then roll in bird seed. they love it!
Fire starters - place pine cone in a cupcake tin (coat w/ vegetable oil first). Add some sawdust if you like and a wick. Pour melted wax into the tin and let harden. Add this to your fire w/ kindling.
Add them to your fire untreated for kindling or extra fuel.
Treat them and toss in the fire to create colorful flames
TIPS!
Before working with the cones, condition them in the oven. You don't have to do it, but heating them first melts the sap and as a result adds a nice glaze to the pine cones. Also, pine cones that are not opened, will open in the heat. (If you make a decoration for outside, the opened pine cones may close again in a wet, humid climate) So. use an old cookie sheet or cover a sheet with foil. Place the pine cones on it and put it in oven. Bake them at about 200 ° until the sap is melted and the pine cones are open. Test first with one pine cone to get the temp. As an added bonus, your house will be smelling wonderful!
