This is my absolute favorite time of year. It also tends to be the craziest. With work, preparing for the holidays, and now that weather is a factor… it’s a whole thing. So flying down to Virginia for Thanksgiving was a real treat. Outside of all the great food and times with Alex’s family, I was able to spend some time in nature. During one of the small hikes we went on, I stumbled upon the cutest little pinecone still attached to a fallen branch. I immediately knew it’d be perfect for an easy holiday craft. See below for my pinecone ornament DIY!
I found the pinecone on some trails behind the College of William & Mary. I don’t usually take bits of nature with me– only when it’s inspiring or can be repurposed.
Once we got back to the house and I told Alex’s folks about my souvenir (and accompanying grand plans), Alex’s dad mentioned that he already had paint primer and gold spray paint (you can find it here
The pinecone dried after a single coat of primer. Using primer saves so much time and spray paint, especially on something with such an uneven texture.
One coat of gold is all I needed! I chose to leave the end of the branch a natural color, with a gradation into the gold. Just so that it still looked real. 🙂
I loved this detail shot from the drying, now golden, pinecone. Notice how there are a few webs going between the cone edges– they also turned gold.
When I left for NYC, I packed the pinecone very carefully. Amazingly, it stayed intact until I got home. So I went ahead and finished the process of turning this piece into an ornament.
I took a piece of pink twine (from Anthropologie) and tied it into a knot, leaving enough room to hang nicely from a Christmas tree branch. After tying, I cut off the extra string.
Then, with my Quickie Glue pen (an oldie but a goodie), I drew a line on the branch where I wanted the string to go.
Holding the twine tightly for about 20-30 seconds should be enough time for the string to adhere to the branch.
Ta-daah! This ornament fits perfectly amongst the branches of my fraiser fur, and within my ornament collection.
I hope you enjoyed this pinecone ornament DIY! I have a similar (nature-based) DIY in the works, so stay tuned…
xo,
T
2 Comments
That turned out beautifully, Tara!
That’s adorable!!!