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DIY Painted Pinecone Wreath

Here is a fun twist on a holiday classic, a pinecone wreath. This is a great Christmas present idea, and so much fun to make. The bright colors and unique use of pinecones make this a cheery addition to your holiday decor!

Materials & Tools

  • Pine Cones: you will need 50 – 60 pinecones for this wreath. Sort them into 3 groups, small, medium, & large. Collect a few more small than large to help fill in the spaces. If you don’t feel like gathering your own click here.
  • 5 – 6 paint colors, we used rustoleum spray paint for the bases & waterproof acrylic for the centers…
  • A 12” wire wreath form, Click here to order one
  • Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
  • Rubber gloves, apron, piece of cardboard or drop cloth, newspaper for painting & gluing.
  • Small paintbrushes, or something to dab on the center color. Use the paintbrushes with the acrylic paint as it is washable.
  • Optional: jute rope, wire, or ribbon, etc. for hanging
    your finished wreath.

Step 1
Tie a small rope or what ever you picked out for the hanger to the back center, top. We used a jute rope and chain-stitched it to jazz it up.

Step 2
Pick off the first 2 or 3 rows from the top of the cones. This will make it look more like a flower. You can take some sharp scissors to trim the ends if they are too long. Clean any surface dirt off, so the paint will stick.

Step 3
Lay out your drop cloth outside (or somewhere with good ventilation), and put on your gloves. Sort your pinecones into groups for color. We varied the different sizes, and then holding each one by the bottom, spray-paint each one. Let them dry. If you want to paint the centers, put a little bit of acrylic paint into a cup and dab it on the middle with the small paintbrush when the bases are dry.

Step 4
Lay out some newspaper, to keep the hot glue from getting everywhere. Hot glue sticks to everything, so you will have to carefully clean little pieces of paper off the back of the wreath.

Step 5
This step is a little tricky. Design and lay out a 3 – 4 of your pinecones at a time on the wreath form. Keep the larger cones to the edges and the smaller ones in the middle. Using your glue gun apply a generous amount to the back of the cones and attach them to the frame. Make sure you glue down the edges first and the middle last. Push cones close together working quickly. Vary the directions of the cones to make it look more natural.

Step 6
Carefully remove the newspaper from the back of the wreath, re-glue cones where needed. Thread some Spanish moss through the back for finishing.