Have a ton of pinecones lying around needing a new occupation? Well, how about creating a beautiful centerpiece for your holiday table? Create a Pinecone Christmas Tree from Dollar Store items and pinecones for just pennies!
So with the abundance of Georgia pinecones, it seemed that I needed to find other uses for them. There is nothing better than free craft supplies and the pinecone has a beautiful rustic look that goes well with my decor. I showed you last week how to clean and scent them*. This week, I’m going to show you how to make them into an awesome lighted Christmas tree centerpiece. Over the years, I’ve made quite a few of these trees as gifts, and they are always very well received. And cost just pennies to make.
For this project I used:
One sheet of black poster board
Tape
Cleaned Pinecones (About 40 in various sizes)
Hot Glue
One 15″ Straw Wreath (for the base)
Assorted Christmas picks or decorations
Assorted Wide wired ribbon, and narrow ribbons
One string of battery operated white christmas lights (set of 20)
Make the posterboard into a cone by folding it from the middle of the long side, and twisting both sides to create a cone. Tape it in several places to stay, and then trim the bottom so that the cone stands upright. This will create a cone that is approximately 18″ tall.
Use the point of your scissors to puncture 20 holes in the cone. From the inside of the cone, push your christmas lights through each hole.
Set your lighted cone on top of the straw wreath, and you are now ready to make a pinecone tree.
Starting at the bottom, with your biggest pinecones, use your hot glue to attach them to the cone, butting them up as closely as possible to each other. Be sure to allow the lights to show between them. You will use a lot of hot glue here, so be prepared. Work your way up to the top of the cone, arranging your pinecones to leave as little space as possible between them, while being careful not to cover up the lights.
Once the entire cone is covered, you can decorate with small christmas ornaments, picks and greenery. I take the picks apart and glue the pieces on separately.
Decorate how you like. Sometimes, I go with certain color combinations.
I’ve made a blue and silver one, a multi-colored one, and here a red and gold tree.
I hot glued lengths of wide and narrow ribbon to the top of the tree, and finished by looping some of the larger ribbon in a loose bow and hot glueing it to the top of the tree.
It makes a beautiful centerpiece for your table. Simply change the batteries from underneath when needed. The straw wreath serves not only as a base, but will protect your tabletop from the roughness of the pinecones.
* If you would like to scent your pinecones, I would wait until after you have glued them to the cone and then spray them down with cinnamon scented essential oil. The oil may cause the glue not to stick as well if you scent them beforehand. (Scenting them is totally optional).
I am an artist, crafter and humor writer living in Atlanta, GA. I attended the Atlanta College of Art, and have a background in fine arts, graphic design, and photography. I like to specialize in vintage and recycled crafts such as quilling, Ukrainian Egg Dying, batik and quilting.
17 Comments
LOVE this tree!! Beautiful! I will also take Susan’s idea and make a Thanksgiving one for the hostess. I’ll make a larger one for the Christmas dinner for which I’ll be the hostess. I love the lights inside the cone idea of yours. BRILLIANT!!! Thanks so much!
This would be a fantastic idea to give the person who is hosting your dinner. Especially a centerpiece for Thanksgiving in Fall colors.
I have my cones drying, can’t wait to start.
This is the prettiest Christmas tree ever. Just beautiful! We have lots of pine cones on 18 acres in Alabama and my sweet husband has already collected the pine cones for me.
I hope mine will be half as beautiful as your’s. Looking forward to getting started.
Thank you for sharing,
Elizabeth
What a great creation. I would never guess you used paper behind the pine cones. Love the light idea too. Jamie http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
BRILLIANT!! I love how you made this – with the lights underneath! sneaky!
Hi Suzy! Oh, I love your pinecone tree! Love how you've added things too. Thanks for the tutorial. I've just got to learn how to make a cone! 🙂 Be a sweetie, Shelia 😉
This tree so great! Thank you for sharing!
This is so darn cute! Thanks for sharing how to make this tree and for the "how-tos" of cleaning and scenting the pinecones. You have a great blog, & I'm your newest follower! CAS
Love this idea. I plan to wrap the wreath form in matching ribbon.
This is such a great idea, the tree looks wonderful! I'd never thought of scenting pine cones, genius! Thanks for sharing!
This is so awesome! Thank you for the great idea!
Love Love Love this!!! I guess I will be looking for more pinecones. The neighbor said I could have all I wanted when I went in search of ones to dry and scent with cinnamon oil. But I think I did a booboo, my cinnamon didn't say essential oil. I think what I bought needs heat to activate the smell so another trip to Hobby Lobby is in order too.
This is fantastic. When I first looked at it, I was wondering where you got a huge Styrofoam cone for pennies ;o) The poster board tip is brilliant! Love-love your lighted pine cone centerpiece. xo
very lovely tree !!!!!! Paula
Oh I just love this. We have oddles of pinecones that drop each year. I shall have to gather some and give this a whirl.
Karan
this is so cool!
Lovely! And I love the scented idea, too. I might just take the dog for a walk and pick myself up a bagfull. Thank you for the card cone idea too, cheaper than foam!
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LOVE this tree!! Beautiful! I will also take Susan’s idea and make a Thanksgiving one for the hostess. I’ll make a larger one for the Christmas dinner for which I’ll be the hostess. I love the lights inside the cone idea of yours. BRILLIANT!!! Thanks so much!
This would be a fantastic idea to give the person who is hosting your dinner. Especially a centerpiece for Thanksgiving in Fall colors.
I have my cones drying, can’t wait to start.
This is the prettiest Christmas tree ever. Just beautiful! We have lots of pine cones on 18 acres in Alabama and my sweet husband has already collected the pine cones for me.
I hope mine will be half as beautiful as your’s. Looking forward to getting started.
Thank you for sharing,
Elizabeth
What a great creation. I would never guess you used paper behind the pine cones. Love the light idea too.
Jamie
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
BRILLIANT!! I love how you made this – with the lights underneath! sneaky!
Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
Hi Suzy! Oh, I love your pinecone tree! Love how you've added things too. Thanks for the tutorial. I've just got to learn how to make a cone! 🙂
Be a sweetie,
Shelia 😉
This tree so great! Thank you for sharing!
This is so darn cute! Thanks for sharing how to make this tree and for the "how-tos" of cleaning and scenting the pinecones. You have a great blog, & I'm your newest follower!
CAS
Love this idea. I plan to wrap the wreath form in matching ribbon.
This is such a great idea, the tree looks wonderful! I'd never thought of scenting pine cones, genius! Thanks for sharing!
This is so awesome! Thank you for the great idea!
Love Love Love this!!! I guess I will be looking for more pinecones. The neighbor said I could have all I wanted when I went in search of ones to dry and scent with cinnamon oil. But I think I did a booboo, my cinnamon didn't say essential oil. I think what I bought needs heat to activate the smell so another trip to Hobby Lobby is in order too.
This is fantastic. When I first looked at it, I was wondering where you got a huge Styrofoam cone for pennies ;o) The poster board tip is brilliant! Love-love your lighted pine cone centerpiece.
xo
very lovely tree !!!!!!
Paula
Oh I just love this. We have oddles of pinecones that drop each year. I shall have to gather some and give this a whirl.
Karan
this is so cool!
Lovely! And I love the scented idea, too. I might just take the dog for a walk and pick myself up a bagfull. Thank you for the card cone idea too, cheaper than foam!