Decorating with pinecones is a cost effective and beautiful way to get your home ready for the holidays. Handmade items, like this DIY pinecone garland, are beautiful statement pieces that can last for years. In just a few easy steps, you can make your very own homemade pinecone garland.
How to Make This Stunning Pinecone Garland
I have had an obsession with pinecones lately. I love them! Pinecones are cheap, pretty and give a very natural look to your home when using them for decoration during the holiday season. I decided to try my hand at making my own homemade pinecone garland for decoration.
Preparing Your Pinecone for Crafting
Before you do anything with pinecones, please make sure they are baked! It’s easy to find and buy pre-baked pinecones online. However, if you forage pinecones, like I did, please make sure to bake them.
Pinecones are filled with mold and mildew. They are also home to many different bugs! You don’t want to find bugs crawling across your table!
For a more detailed tutorial on baking pinecones, Victoria at A Modern Homestead has a great post of it. Otherwise, remove all debris from the pinecones and place your pinecones on a baking sheet. Bake for 90 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely before working with them.
Gathering Your Materials
For this project, I used 4 different typed of pinecones. In the garland you will find: natural colored pre-baked pinecones, pinecones that have been bleached, white-washed pinecones and metallic cream painted pinecones.
I chose to use the 4 different colors to add a bit of pop and interest to the garland. Feel free to put this together with whatever colored pinecones you wish! It will be beautiful with any color. I used Country Chic Paint to paint the pine cones in this craft.
>>Check out this great tutorial on how to paint pinecones!
What You’ll Need for the Pinecone Garland
- 40 medium sized pinecones – foraged or store bought
- Jute Cord – You can find this at a local craft store or online
- Craft Scissors – I have my own set of craft scissors for projects such as this
Step One:
Simply tie a 6 inch piece of jute cord in between and around the bottom of each of your pinecones. You shouldn’t be able to see much of the jute cord because it will be tied within the pinecone. Do this for all 40 pinecones.
Step Two:
Cut a 5 foot long strand of jute cord – this will be the length of the garland. Tie each pinecone to the 5 ft long jute cord.
Note: You can make it longer or shorter depending on the size of garland you want or need.
I tied the natural pinecones on first and spaced them out evenly. I then added the bleached pinecones in between the natural colored pinecones.
Next added were the white-washed pinecones, and last, I added the copper painted pinecones. There were about 8 white pinecones and 5 copper pinecones. The rest was an even mix of bleached and natural. I thought that having just a few painted pinecones would add some interest!
Step Three:
When completing the garland, be sure to cut off any extra jute cord from the tied off pinecones. Tie loops at the end of each part of the jute cord garland for hanging. Hang this garland above a fireplace or wherever else you’d like.
Note: the pinecone garland is very heavy. You can always add more pinecones if you would like a fuller look. However, the more pinecones added, the heavier the garland will be. Please make sure to take that into account when hanging the garland and be certain that it is anchored accordingly.
The Finished Pinecone Garland
I’m very happy with how this turned out. This homemade pinecone garland is beautiful and rustic. It’s understated but can definitely be dressed up.
The best part is that the garland was so cheap! I foraged the pinecones in my back yard. The jute cord was less than 5 dollars, and I had the paint on hand!
This would also look gorgeous with some lights and used as a table runner or across and entry table! Be creative and customize it to fit your needs!
Want More Pinecone crafts? Be sure to check out this great tutorial on making a Pinecone Wreath. You may also want to check out these beautiful Pinecone Ornaments too!
PIN THIS FOR LATER
Jennifer Velasquez says
Can this be hung outside around a patio fence?
Also, how does that mold and mildew do in the oven? Will the spores spread to the oven itself or things I bake in there in the future? I really like the low cost of this craft and using i
Elizabeth says
You can hang them outside, that shouldn’t be a problem. However, mold and mildew may come back if left outside. Mold won’t bother the oven as the heat from the oven kills the spores. If you feel uneasy about it, you can always turn your oven to self-clean or 500 degree for a bit and that will kill off pretty much anything.