So I had a hankering, a hankering to rig up a craft with some pine cones. I scoured the park and found a handful, took them home and tried to dry them out in front of my cast iron rads. Of course, they are still damp and soft which sure makes it hard to drill a hole in them! Needless to say, I ended up buying a big bag of very dry cones.
After brain storming, I decided I wanted to use them in a warm, rustic way. I have also been in the market for some garlands to string in my doorways. Ta-dahhhh, inspiration!! Here is what I did.....
- I picked up a little hand drill, the kind you use for bead and leather work; easily found at craft stores for less than five dollars. I also picked up some twine and some jump rings (also found in the bead aisle at most craft stores).
- Using the little drill, I drilled small holes in the tops of my pine cones (some in the leaflets, some in the stems...what ever seemed the sturdiest!).
- I then looped the jump rings through the holes and closed them tight with needle-nose pliers.
- For my own ease, I used cheap metal ornament hooks attached to the jump rings. This allowed me to dip them in the paint of my choice. I used trim paint from my house because it was the perfect creamy white I was dreaming of (not to mention I had a gallon of it laying around). If dipping 'cones is not your thang, the ornament hooks may be a good place to stop...you will have rustic ornaments for your mantle and tree without the mess. You can also skip the dipping and continue along to make garland!
- Next, I dipped those cones and tried my best to let all of the excess run off before I hooked them onto an old dish rack I had in my basement (I knew it would come in handy some day!).
- I let them dry for almost 48 hours. At the 24 hour mark they were still just a little damp.
- When dry and hardened, I removed the hooks and cut a piece of twine two feet longer then the length I wanted the garland to be.
- Next I threaded the cones on one at a time, knotting the twine at the jump ring so they didn't slide around on the twine. I left two and a half inches between my cones.
- Ta-dahhhh!!! Your garland is finished and ready to be hung! I strung mine up in both of the entry ways in my living room . I finished them off with some gold berries and I must say, I am thrilled with how they turned out!
-m
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