Slow and Simple Pine Cone Craft

This slow and simple pinecone craft is inexpensive, eco-friendly and approachable, with many of the ingredients likely available in or around your home. The finished pinecones can be strung to create a wall art display, tied as an embellishment on a winter wreath or swag, used to decorate your holiday tree, or tied with ribbon in place of a bow as a gift topper.

 You Will Need

• pinecones
• 1" eyelet screws
• jute twine
• moss
• fresh or dried botanicals *
• hot glue and hot glue gun
• stick or branch (if making a wall piece)

* I used silver bells, dried strawflower heads, fresh eucalyptus leaves, and stars of anise to top my pinecones. Other ideas include cinnamon sticks, dried orange or apple slices, bay leaves, red or snow berries, or a small ribbon bow. This is a great way to use silver bells or small bunches of berries that may have fallen off their stems during wreath-making.

Visit my Botanical Crafting Supplies page on Amazon for direct links to all my favorite tools and supplies.

To Make

1. At the base of your pinecone, find the stem. If there is a piece of stem remaining, clip it off with a pair of shears. Otherwise, there will be a small hole perfect for screwing in your eyelet. Screw the eyelet securely into the hole, applying pressure until it’s secure. If it is loose (sometimes the inside of the pinecone is hallowed), use a dab of hot glue directly into the hole before screwing the eyelet in.
2. Cut a strand of twine to the desired length (shorter for creating a holiday tree ornament or longer if it will be part of a wall art piece) and string it through the eyelet. Close with a double knot. (This step can be done at any point in the process, but I've found it easiest to do before the embellishments are added.)
3. Use hot glue to secure a small handful of moss to the top, ensuring that your twine is visible and not hidden underneath.
4. Use hot glue to secure other botanical embellishments of choice. I added most of the embellishments on top of the moss, but then glued my stars of anise to the twine a couple inches above the finished pinecone.

If you are making a wall piece, choose an odd number of pinecones in various sizes and slide them onto the branch, spaced across evenly, as shown in my sample. (I find odd numbers to be most visually appealing in-home decor.) Tie one last long piece of twine to either end of the branch to act as a hanger.

Enjoy your embellished pine cones well into the new year.

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This article was originally published on December 6, 2023 and revised on October 17, 2024.