Christmas and crafts go together perfectly. Winter is just about the snow or cold weather. The chilly weather is perfect for sitting indoors and working on holiday projects. As an example, why not try making a pinecone Christmas tree? Whether or not you decide to bring an evergreen tree indoors to decorate as well, a tabletop pinecone tree is a fun holiday decoration and a cool way of bringing nature indoors.
DIY Pinecone Christmas Tree
When it comes right down to it, all Christmas trees are made of pinecones. Those brown cones are the seed-bearers of evergreen conifer trees like pines and spruce, the most popular types of live and cut Christmas trees. Maybe that’s why the pinecone Christmas tree craft just feels so right.
A tabletop pinecone tree, however, is actually constructed of pinecones. They are fixed in a cone shape, with a wider base tapering to a smaller top. By December, the cones will have released their seeds into the wild, so don’t worry about having an adverse effect on the species.
Making a Christmas Tree with Pinecones
The first step in making a DIY pinecone Christmas tree is to collect pinecones. Head out to a park or wooded area and pick up a selection. You’ll need some big ones, some medium, and some small. The bigger a tree you’d like to make, the more pinecones you should bring home.
You will also need something to attach the pinecones to each other or to an inner core. You can use glue – a glue gun works well as long as you don’t burn yourself – or medium gauge floral wire. If you want to work with a core, you can use a large cone made of paper. Cardstock stuffed with newspapers works just fine.
Pinecone Christmas Tree Craft
Making a pinecone Christmas tree is a matter of layering and securing pinecones in an inverted cone shape. If you prefer using a core, pick up a floral foam cone from a craft store or create a cone from cardstock, then stuff it tightly with crumpled newspaper to provide weight. You can also use a round piece of cardboard to sit the cone on if you like.
The only rule for building a Christmas tree with pinecones is to start at the bottom. If you are using a cone base, attach a ring of your biggest cones around the biggest end of the cone. Push them close together so that they interlace with each other.
Build one layer of cones on top of the previous layer, using the medium-size pinecones in the center of the tree and the smallest ones on top.
At this point, you can use your creativity to add decorations to the tree. Some ideas: add shiny white pearls or tiny red ball ornaments glued throughout the “branches” of the pinecone tree.