Pinecone Spring Wreath
I went to my friend, Jackie's, house last summer and saw a very clever wreath on her door. It was bright and colorful and made of pinecones! I decided then that it had Chics With Tools Workshop potential.
One of the best parts of this project is that the pinecones look like zinnias. I have a pleasant association with that flower because as a young kid, my mom always had them in her garden.
Another great aspect to this project is that it is very inexpensive, that is if you live in an area with lots of pines, which I do. It does take a little time because you have to cut apart the pinecones into flowers. You may want to wear gloves because these things are prickly.
One negative Jackie encountered was that hanging on the front door in the Georgia heat, the pinecone flowers started falling off the wreath because the hot glue melted. So to prevent that from happening, we decided to use both glue and hot glue.
If you want to make one of your own, here is how.
MATERIALS
18" Grapevine wreath
Garden shears
15 pinecones
Spray primer or white paint
Craft paint or house paint
Burlap ribbon (8 feet)
Hot glue
Wood glue, Shoe Goo, or Clear Gorilla Glue
STEPS
- Forage for pinecones of different sizes. You need ones that are symmetrical and open.
- Using gardening shears, cut one pinecone into two flowers that are no more that 1 1/2 " high.
- Pull out the center scales so the pinecones look like flower centers. Make 27-30 flowers.
- Spray the flowers with a thin coat of primer or white paint.
- Choose your paint colors. I had 27 flowers and chose nine colors so I did three of each. Remember, odd numbers are more visually pleasing.
- Using a brush, paint the flowers.
- If you want the flowers to look more realistic, first paint the centers yellow or light green.Then add brown on top just in the very center.
- Lay out the finished pinecones on a table to get the arrangement you want.
- If this wreath is only for indoor use or is protected from excessive sun and heat, hot glue alone is fine. But if that is not the case, use wet glue AND hot glue to attach the pinecones to the wreath.
- When finished, cut 4 feet of burlap ribbon to make the hanger.
- Use the rest to make a simple bow.
THE RESULTS
The participants of the Chics With Tools Workshops did a fabulous job! As you can see, the wreaths were all different and all gorgeous! Well done ladies!
Register for the next Chics With Tools Workshop or reach out by email to do a Private Event!
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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Love love love this. Beautiful work with all those colors. Can be painted for all seasons. Thank you
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I like the unexpected use of pine cones for spring. Of course colors are great. Thanks for sharing
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I appreciate how you used bright colors to recreate bold, beautiful zinnias. They are one of my favorite garden flowers. However when my eye saw the monochromatic wreaths, it felt at home, at peace. To each her own, eh? I have also seen pine cones possibly stained and sealed in a natural wood state, also pretty.
My question is, how do you know the pine cones are dry enough to not ooze sap once you start cutting? Did you do anything special to ensure that?
Thanks for sharing, and inspiring! I have a number of pine trees behind the house and I am now going to be collecting the cones instead of just mowing over them.
Very difficult cutting the pine cones. Do you have a helpful hint to make this process a little easier?