DIY Pine Cone Wreath Using Upcycled Foam Packaging

Holiday season is here and now that it is December most of us have started decorating. Why go out and buy a wreath when you can make one at home with items you might already have? In this tutorial you will learn how to make a DIY Christmas Pine Cone Wreath from found objects and foam packaging that you would otherwise discard.

I am taking part in the Upcycle my Stuff  12 Days of Upcycling Christmas Challenge and this project was my response to Day 1’s Challenge – Make upcycled Christmas Decorations!

For the base of the wreath I used some foam packaging that came with a faucet I ordered months ago, my partner asked why I was storing foam packaging in our closet, but I knew I would find a use for it one day!

The pine cones and acorns I used were picked up on walks with my family and set aside until I figured out what to do with them.

Use some kitchen bowls to trace circles in your foam packaging to cut out the circular base shape for your wreath. You can of course make it as a large or small as your materials allow but remember to leave enough room between your inner and outer circles to stick on all the decorations you’ve collected. Mine was roughly 10cm across.

I used a larger mixing bowl for the outside of the wreath circle and a bowl with a smaller base for the inside of the circle.

I used an exacto knife (craft knife) to cut the foam, but scissors would work fine as well.

My foam piece seemed a bit thin when I cut it out initially and I was concerned it wouldn’t hold the weight of my pine cones. So I cut out two rounds and glued them together to make it thicker and stronger. Depending on the type of foam packaging you are upcycling you may not need to do this.

I played around with adding this gold wrapping paper to the base before adding my decorations, but in the end I decided against using as it seemed too flimsy. You could paint your foam or add a christmassy fabric as a background if you are concerned about seeing the foam packaging through your decorations and embellishments. You should be able to fully cover your foam though if you have enough smaller bits and pieces collected.

Next step is to prep your decorations, brush off any dirt and if necessary trim some of your pinecones. I liked the ‘swirl’ at the top of some of pinecones so I cut off the pointed end so it could be affixed with the swirl face up. You will need some sharp scissors or garden snips to cut the spine of the pinecones.

Now you can start decorating! I added ribbon to the edges with my hot glue gun, but you can be creative and weave it around if you prefer.

Start by organizing where you want to place most of your pinecones, and where you will fill in gaps with acorns.

Here is mine in the planning stages.

Now start glueing! I recommend using a glue gun but a strong adhesive glue will work fine as well.

And this is the finished wreath! I think it is just festive enough but not so festive that you couldn't keep it up after Christmas!