Make a Pinecone Wreath

Pinecone wreaths are a festive decoration that you can make on your own for not much money. They are great to hang on your house, give as gifts, or sell at craft and hobby shows. Use some beads and a coat hanger for a cool wreath you may not have to spend any money on. Or buy a foam wreath form and glue pinecones to it, for another simple option. Customize either wreath with spray paint, ribbon, holly berries, or any other items you can come up with.

Steps

Creating a Coat Hanger Wreath

1. Choose your pinecones. Either gather pinecones from outside or buy a package from a craft store. Short, round pine cones work best for this wreath, but use what is available. You’ll need around 40-60 pinecones, depending on how tightly you bunch them on the hanger.
   • If you pick up pinecones from outdoors, it’s a good idea to bake them in the oven at 200℉ (93℃) for about 20 minutes. This kills bugs and crystallizes the pine tar, which reduces the mess of the wreath.
   • Break or cut stems from the bottom of the pinecones.
2. Glue a pony bead to the bottom of each pine cone. Buy a bag of pony beads that are commonly used for crafts. They can be multicolored, if you intend to spray paint the wreath, or plain white. Use a hot glue gun to attach one bead to the bottom of each pinecone.
   • When you glue the beads, make sure to glue the side of the bead to pinecone so the hole can be strung onto the coat hanger.
3. Bend a wire coat hanger into a circle. Grab a wire hanger from your closet, or find one at the thrift store. Bend the coat hanger so it forms a circle. You may need to use a pair of pliers to get the shape just right, but it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle.
   • Be sure to untwist the top part, as well, so you can add the pinecones.
4. String the beads onto the hanger. One at a time, stick the end of the hanger through the beads. Bunch the pinecones close together so they form a tight circle and the hanger is not visible. Alternate pinecones toward the center of the hanger and towards the outside of the hanger.
   • How many pinecones you have and the various sizes of them will determine how close they will fit together. Don’t be afraid to cram them a little bit so that the petals hook together.
   • Fitting the pinecones together so that they begin to look like a uniform wreath is a bit of an artform. Move them around as you go until the wreath looks the way you want it to.
5. Use pliers to twist the hanger back together. Once all of the pinecones have been strung onto the hanger, grab the pliers again. Use them to twist the ends of the hanger together as they were in the first place. Make sure the top still forms a hook so you can use it to hang the wreath.
   • If you don’t want to use the hook of the hanger to hang the wreath, use the pliers to bend it down so it is hidden behind the wreath. Then tie a ribbon or a piece of wire around the wreath to hang it.
6. Spray paint the wreath or add decorations. If you want to leave the pinecones with a natural look, you are all done with the wreath. If you want to spruce it up, spray the wreath with silver spray paint. Add holly, ribbons, or other embellishments to finish the wreath off any way you want.
   • Take a red ribbon and spiral it around the entire wreath. Then tie another ribbon in a bow and glue it to the top part of the wreath.
   • Snip some small sprigs from the pine tree and glue them around the wreath. Add a few flowers like baby's breath or poinsettias.

Making a Wreath With a Foam Form

1. Select short, round pinecones. If you have pine trees nearby, gather four or five dozen round pinecones. Long pinecones can be used, but they don’t fit the wreath shape as well. Look for ones that are not broken and are not totally covered in sap.
   • For a quicker solution, go to the hobby store and buy some pine cones which are used for crafts.
   • For pinecones from outdoors, baking them in the oven at 200℉ (93℃) for about 20 minutes kills any bugs they may house and crystallizes the pine tar for a shiny look.
2. Paint the foam form with brown metallic paint. Buy a circular foam wreath form from the craft store or your local big-box store. Use brown or copper metallic craft paint or spray paint to cover the entire surface of the foam. This keeps the white of the foam from showing through.
   • If you don’t mind seeing the foam, or you want to spray paint the entire wreath after assembly, you don’t have to paint it now.
   • Be sure to lay down newspaper and spray paint outside to avoid getting paint on anything in your house.
3. Remove all of the stems from the pinecones. Sort through the pinecones and look for any that still have small stems attached to the bottom. Break or cut the stems off of the pinecones so that the bottom of the pinecone is mostly flat. This makes it easier to glue them to the wreath form.
4. Place a dot of hot glue on the bottom of the pinecone. Plug in your hot glue gun and insert a stick of glue. Give the gun a few minutes to warm up. Be sure to set the gun on a covered surface so you don’t get drops of glue on anything.
   • The exact shape of the bottom of each cone will determine how much glue you need to use. If the bottom is dipped in, place a ring of glue around the dip rather than filling the dip.
   • If the bottom of the pinecone is slightly pointy, you may need to cut it a bit so that it becomes flat.
5. Attach the pinecones around the foam wreath form. Lay the form flat on the table and glue a ring of pinecones onto it. Then glue some more pinecones more toward the inside of the wreath form, and another ring toward the outside of the form. Place them tightly together and fill any bare spots with extra pinecones.
   • As you go, make sure that each pinecone stays attached. You may need to add more glue or hold the pinecone in place for 5-10 seconds to make sure it sticks.
6. Add another layer of pinecones. If you finish three rows of pinecones but the wreath still seems a little sparse, start gluing more pinecones on top of the first layer. Do this sparingly, only filling in the spots that seem to need more pinecones.
7. Decorate the wreath. Use whatever extras you want to make the wreath all your own. Spray it with white or silver spray paint to give it a shiny, festive look. Add bunches of fake cranberries, sprigs of holly, or pieces of evergreen. Wrap a ribbon in a spiral around the wreath or tie a big bow and glue it to the top.
   • Use some white paint to put little dots all over the tips of the pinecones to imitate snowfall.
   • Gather a small assortment of fake flowers and sprinkle them around the wreath. The bright colors of the flowers will provide contrast with the brown of the pinecones.

Things You’ll Need

Coat Hanger Wreath

• Pinecones
• Coat hanger
• Beads
• Hot glue, hot glue gun
• Pliers (if needed)
• Spray paint, ribbon, holly (optional)

Foam Form Wreath

• Pinecones
• Circular foam wreath
• Hot glue, hot glue gun
• Brown or copper metallic paint (optional)
• Spray paint, ribbon, holly/cranberries/evergreen (optional)

Sources and Citations

See also

• Create a Festive Holiday Wreath
• Make a Burlap Wreath
• Make a Bow for a Christmas Tree Topper
• Make an Evergreen Wreath
• Make a Wreath
• Create a Christmas Wreath