DIY Pine Cone Natural Display

If you live on a property with evergreen trees or have access to a location where you can collect pine cones you have a lovely resource to create beautiful natural displays. I happen to have a Hemlock tree in my front yard that has the most adorable little miniature pine cones.  My toddler simply loves to collect them so I thought I'd put all her hoarding skills to good use and do something with them all. Today I'm going to share an absolutely simple DIY you can do to turn pine cones such as these into a lovely, stylish natural filler for candle displays and other decor ideas (they also work to fill bowls, charger trays, vases and more)

What you need:

  • Pine cones (any size really)
  • Clear Lacquer
  • Silver or gold glitter
  • Silver or Gold spray paint

 

Lay out all your pine cones in a flat tray.  (I found a big empty pizza box worked best) Sprinkle the pine cones with the glitter.  Then lightly spray with your silver or gold paint but only cover lightly with a mist so as to not completely cover the pine cones.  Gently toss the pine cones around in the box or tray to distribute the glitter and paint on all sides.  Allow to dry slightly then coat the pine cones with the clear lacquer to seal. You may wish to repeat this process a few times to get the desired consistency of "sparkle" you want. 

Once dry the pine cones can be used surrounding a candle on a charger plate (shown) or use them to fill a vase or bowl.  If putting around a candle, I'd recommend making sure the candle is in a glass jar and not alone so as to not allow dripping wax to fall on the pine cones. 

 

It makes a lovely and VERY inexpensive natural display.