Pine cone Christmas trees have been a popular holiday decoration for generations. A well-crafted holiday tree, constructed of pine cones and stored carefully, can last at least that long as well, becoming a family heirloom of sorts. It also makes a wonderful present for a teacher or special friend.
Here’s how to make a Christmas tree from pine cones for home décor or gift giving.
First, gather the pine cone Christmas tree supplies and materials.
Sturdy foam cone
Craft glue
Plenty of pine cones (cleaned and dried)
Holiday ribbon
Floral or fruit embellishments (optional)
Follow these instructions to make a pine cone Christmas tree.
Gather as many pine cones as possible. Children love to assist with this. Collect various sizes and shapes of pine cones, or aim for uniformity, as desired.
Place the pine cones in zippered plastic bags, and seal the bags tightly. Leave the pine cones in the bags for at least 24 hours. This will eliminate any insects that may be living inside the pine cones. Also, keeping the drying pine cones indoors allows them to warm up, which will likely cause their scales to open more.
Gently shake the pine cones out of the plastic bags onto a large sheet of newspaper to collect any debris, dirt, dust, dead bugs, or seeds. Allow the pine cones to dry thoroughly. Gather up that newspaper, and discard it.
Cover a table or counter with several layers of fresh newspaper. Place the foam cone on the newspaper.
Glue pine cones onto the foam cone, one by one. Begin at the base of the cone, and work your way around and up to the top point. If you wish, you can use larger pine cones at the base, medium pine cones in the middle, and smaller ones on top. This creates a more natural effect, as the pine cones gradually become smaller toward the top of the pine cone Christmas tree.
Use smaller pine cones to fill in any gaps, so that the white foam cannot be seen.
Adorn the pine cone Christmas tree with holiday ribbon, floral or fruit embellishments or other decorations before displaying it.
The pine cone Christmas tree makes a lovely holiday gift. If you pack it tenderly and carefully, the pine cone Christmas tree will last for many Christmases to come.
As an alternative, the same instructions apply to making a pine cone Christmas wreath, if a sturdy foam wreath form is substituted for the cone one.
Tiny pine cone Christmas trees are fun to make as well,
Smaller pine cone Christmas trees cab be created from individual pine cones. Try to find pine cones that still have small stems attached to them. Dry them well before spray-painting them with snow glitter paint (or the holiday colors of your choice). Stand each individual pine cone Christmas tree by sticking its stem into a small glob of putty or clay. Glue a tiny charm star on the top of the pine cone Christmas tree, or add a small gold paper star.
Tiny pine cone Christmas trees make super place cardholders for the Christmas table.
