Pinecones are the easiest Christmas material to gather. They cost nothing if you collect them on a walk, they already look like tiny trees, and they hold paint, glitter, glue and ribbon without falling apart. The 17 ideas below all start with the cone itself. Some need one cone and ten minutes. Others, like the wreath and the lighted tree, take an afternoon and a fair pile of cones.
This list stays pinecone-first on purpose. A wreath made of pinecones is here; a wreath made mostly of greenery with two cones tucked in is not.
Before you start: clean the cones
Foraged cones need a clean before they come indoors. Shake out dirt and loose bits first. Most of the makers linked below then bake cones on a foil-lined tray at a low oven temperature, around 200 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, for 30 to 45 minutes, checking often.
Pick cones that sit flat if the finished piece has to stand up, and save the tallest, straightest ones for trees and figures.
1. Pinecone Christmas tree
One cone, green paint and a handful of tiny pom-poms is all this takes. Debbie Chapman paints a 3 to 4 inch cone all over, then dots hot glue along the scale tips and presses 5 mm pom-poms in place as ornaments. Half a wine cork glued underneath becomes the trunk, and two glitter foam stars stuck back to back make the topper. Her tip for a tidy result is to choose a cone that already sits flat and tapers like a tree.
Try rhinestone stickers, seed beads or tiny buttons in place of the pom-poms, or paint the ornaments on with a dotting tool.
Credit: Debbie Chapman — Pine Cone Christmas Tree at One Little Project
2. Pinecone flower ornaments
Tracey Besemer starts from the rosette pattern on the underside of a cone. She snips that rosette off with hand pruners, pulls individual scales from the rest of the cone, and glues five or six scales around the rosette with the darker side up. The cut-off tip of the cone goes in the centre as the flower’s heart. Felt leaves and a twine loop finish it.
Keep it plain for a rustic tree, or dry-brush white paint over the ridges and add glitter glue for a frosted version.
Credit: Tracey Besemer — Easy and Charming Pinecone Flower Christmas Ornaments at Rural Sprout
3. Pinecone tree ornaments with a card stand
Jane and Sonja paint a whole cone foliage green, then glue a single small red bead to the outer edge of each scale. A light spray of snow spray over the top gives the frosted look, wiped off the beads so the red stays bright. The stand is a 4 inch by three-quarter inch strip of grey cardstock, rolled and glued into a ring.
Fold a 10 inch length of burlap ribbon in half and glue the ends to the top for a hanging loop.
Credit: Jane & Sonja — Lovely Homemade Pine Cone Christmas Tree Ornaments at Sustain My Craft Habit
4. Half-and-half pinecone wreath
This wreath from The Garden Style covers only half the grapevine base with cones, which keeps the cone count down to 60 to 80 and the build to about an hour and a half. Large cones go on first, angled every which way, then medium cones fill the gaps and small cones tuck into whatever is left. The other half gets a cluster of burlap loops with a long cascading tail.
For Christmas, swap the burlap for red velvet or plaid ribbon and tuck evergreen sprigs and berry clusters between the cones.
Credit: The Garden Style — Easy DIY Pinecone Wreath at The Garden Style
5. Pinecone reindeer
A red pom-pom on the tip of the cone makes Rudolph; brown or black makes an ordinary reindeer. Mom Wife Busy Life glues googly eyes towards the centre of the cone, cuts two ears from brown construction paper, and builds antlers from brown pipe cleaners bent into a V with short wrapped pieces for the branches. The antlers slide in from the back of the cone and twist to hold.
This is a good first hot-glue project for children with an adult nearby. Make a whole herd in different sizes and the variation looks charming rather than uneven.
Credit: Mom Wife Busy Life — Pine Cone Reindeer at Mom Wife Busy Life
6. Pinecone garland without hot glue
Mary Jane Howie skips hot glue entirely and wires each cone instead, which she finds lasts longer from year to year. A 20 cm length of thin floral wire is twisted into a loop in the middle, worked between the top layers of the cone, and tucked in with pliers so no sharp ends stick out. Each wired cone is then knotted onto jute twine at a measured spacing.
She used small hemlock cones spaced about 10 cm apart, but any cone works if you adjust the spacing to its size.
Credit: Mary Jane Howie — Pinecone Garland at Home for the Harvest
7. Pinecone snowman ornaments
Craft Ideas paints just the tips of each scale white, top and bottom, so the brown shadows in the middle of the cone stay visible and the snow effect looks real. The head is a 1.5 inch foam ball on a bamboo skewer, with the skewer tip coloured orange for a carrot nose and the face drawn on with a marker. Pipe cleaner earmuffs, a ribbon scarf and twig arms finish the figure.
A printable template for a black cardstock top hat is included in the tutorial, and a twisted red and white pipe cleaner makes a tiny candy cane for the snowman to hold.
Credit: Craft Ideas — DIY Pinecone Snowman Ornaments at Craft Ideas
8. Pinecone owl for kids
Life Over C’s fills the gaps of a pinecone with torn pieces of cotton ball, which gives the owl a soft, snowy body without any paint. Felt wings are cut as two layered teardrops, googly eyes are glued onto a felt hourglass shape, and a folded orange pipe cleaner becomes the beak. Tan pipe cleaners, cut and twisted, make talon feet.
The steps are simple enough for preschoolers with help. Collect cones on a nature walk first and the whole project costs almost nothing.
Credit: Life Over C’s — Easy Pinecone Owl Craft for Kids at Life Over C’s
9. Pinecone angel with pressed-flower wings
Kathleen Ballos paints a small cone white, glues a 1 inch wooden bead on top for the head, and paints hair and closed eyes onto the bead. The wings are the distinctive part: a printable template traced onto brown cardstock or recycled cereal-box cardboard, folded down the centre, then covered with pressed flowers sealed under Mod Podge. A twisted gold pipe cleaner makes the halo.
No pressed flowers saved from summer? Stickers, sequins, glitter or paint on the wings work just as well. Tie a string loop through the bead hole with hot glue and the angel hangs straight on a branch.
Credit: Kathleen Ballos — Pine Cone Angel at The Best Ideas for Kids
10. Pinecone bird feeder
The classic, and still one of the best uses for a cone. Mom Wife Busy Life spreads peanut butter over and between the scales of a large open cone, rolls it in birdseed on a paper plate, presses the seed in gently, and ties string round the top for hanging. She suggests hanging it where children can watch from a window.
Use plain peanut butter with no xylitol, and check the feeder regularly, removing it if the food gets wet or mouldy.
Credit: Mom Wife Busy Life — How to Make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder at Mom Wife Busy Life
11. Cinnamon-scented pinecones
Tiffany Pelkey’s version needs only cones, cinnamon essential oil and a zip-top bag. Clean, dry cones go in the bag with about 20 drops of oil for 8 to 12 cones, the bag is sealed and shaken, and the cones rest for one to two days while the scent settles in. Longer resting gives a stronger smell.
Try cinnamon with clove, or cinnamon with sweet orange, for a different blend. Keep freshly scented cones away from children and pets, and never use scented cones as fire starters.
Credit: Tiffany Pelkey — DIY Cinnamon-Scented Pinecones at The Coconut Mama
12. Pinecone fire starters
Country Hill Cottage wraps each cone in cotton candlewick, melts soy wax in a glass jug set in simmering water, and dips the cone holding the wick, two or three coats for a thick layer. Essential oils and wax dye are optional, and a sprinkle of Epsom salt while the wax is warm gives a frosted finish.
These are for fireplaces, stoves, fire pits and grills, not candles, and should never be left burning unattended. Stored cool and dry in a lidded box, they keep for up to two years.
Credit: Country Hill Cottage — Pinecone Fire Starters at Country Hill Cottage
13. Pinecone candle holders
Craftberry Bush turns the cone itself into the holder. Diagonal cutting pliers pull scales out of the top of each cone until a candle can sit in the hollow, with extra scale tips glued round as a grasp where the top is too flat. Scales tucked into the bottom layers level out any cone that will not stand steady.
Electric candles are essential here: real flames next to dry cones and glue are a fire risk. A watered-down white chalk paint wash at the end gives the cones a weathered look.
Credit: Craftberry Bush — DIY Pinecone Candle Holder at Craftberry Bush
14. Pinecone kissing ball
South Lumina Style covers a 3.8 inch foam ball entirely with small white-painted cones. The useful discovery in the tutorial is to snap cones in half so they lie flat and cover the foam with far fewer gaps. Ribbon is glued round the ball first, with a loop at the top for hanging, and a small bow finishes it.
Leave wider gaps between larger cones and tuck faux greenery in for a softer look, or pack small cones tight for a dense, snowy ball.
Credit: South Lumina Style — DIY Pinecone Kissing Ball at South Lumina Style
15. Lighted pinecone Christmas tree centrepiece
Suzy builds a tree from about 40 cones of mixed sizes, glued over an 18 inch poster-board cone set on a 15 inch straw wreath. Twenty battery fairy lights are poked through holes in the board from the inside before gluing starts, so the lights show between the cones. Largest cones go at the bottom, smallest at the top, with ribbon lengths and a bow at the peak.
She has made the same tree in blue and silver, multi-coloured and red and gold versions, and the straw wreath base protects the table from the rough cones.
Credit: Suzy — Pinecone Christmas Tree Tutorial at Suzy’s Artsy Craftsy Sitcom
16. Beaded pinecone star ornament
Five cones, points out, glued at their rounded ends, make a flat star. DIYnCrafts brushes white paint over the outside for snow, then glues beads into the gaps between the scales, a few per cone, placed at random but kept neat. A loop of lace ribbon threaded through the centre is the hanger.
Pink beads were used in the original, but red, green, gold, silver or blue suit a traditional tree just as well.
Credit: DIYnCrafts — Sparkling Beaded Pinecone Star Ornament at DIYnCrafts
17. Pinecone penguin
Amanda’s penguin starts a whole pinecone village, and it is easy to see why. The cone is painted black, orange felt feet and a white felt oval belly are glued on, black felt wings go on the sides, and a foam ball painted black on top becomes the head, with two marker dots for eyes and an orange felt triangle for a beak. Green felt makes the scarf, and a pipe cleaner with pom-poms at each end makes earmuffs.
Cut two layers of white felt for the belly, as one layer shows the dark cone through it.
Credit: Amanda — Pine-Guin! A Pine Cone Penguin Kids Craft at Manda Panda Projects
Choosing cones, and keeping finished pieces
Most of these projects share the same starting point: dry, open cones, a hot glue gun, and a surface you do not mind getting glue on.
Finished ornaments keep best in a dry box with tissue between layers, away from damp. Wreaths and garlands last longer indoors or on a covered porch.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to bake pinecones before crafting?
For cones gathered outdoors, yes, it is worth it. Baking at a low temperature dries the cones, opens closed scales and removes insects and sap. Pine sap can catch fire, so never leave the oven unattended. Store-bought cones are usually clean already.
What glue works best on pinecones?
A hot glue gun holds fastest and strongest for cones, felt, ribbon and beads, which is why most of the tutorials linked here use one. Tacky craft glue works for lighter joins but needs longer drying time.
Are pinecone crafts safe for young children?
Many of these are fine for children with an adult handling the hot glue gun and any oven work. Painting, gluing with tacky glue and threading beads are good jobs for small hands.
Can I use pinecones straight from my yard?
Yes, if they are dry, fully open and free of mould or damage. Shake out dirt, bake them as described above, and discard any that smell musty or crumble.
How long will a pinecone wreath or garland last?
Indoors, a glued wreath or garland should last the season and often several years if stored dry. A wire-built garland tends to outlast a glued one.
Start with one cone
If the full list feels like a lot, start with the single-cone tree or the reindeer. Both need one cone and a few minutes, and both show how far a pinecone goes with almost no supplies. Then work up to the wreath, the garland or the lighted tree once you have a bag of cones ready. For wreaths in other materials, from fresh evergreen to felt and deco mesh, see 20 DIY Christmas Wreaths to Make This Year.
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