CHRISTMAS WREATH

I’ve decided this morning, that we need a wreath for our upcoming Christmas Dinner.

I remembered I saw a wreath made out of pinecones somewhere in an old magazine once.

I took the kids and we went searching for pinecones and other dried seed pods. We found a big variety once we start looking around, and once we got home, I grouped them together and started the building process by layering them like a cake.

What I used:

A hot glue gun
Copper and Silver spray paint
Gold wax crayons (available from craft shops)
Red craft paint and a small paint brush, but you could also use red spray paint
A thick carton box or a wooden circle cut to the size you want the wreath to be
Craft knife

Instructions

First I traced a circle using a big serving plate, and then a smaller plate for the inner circle.

Then I spray painted some of the smaller seed pods copper. I used small seed pods from a eucalyptus tree. There is no shortage of eucalyptus trees in Australia. You can search for different seed pods or even berries.

I also sprayed some of the smaller pinecones in Chrome. But Silver will also work, and once the paint is dry you will not really see the difference.

I found some seed pods under a tree, and they reminded me of a rose, so I knew I wanted to add them to my wreath. I used a bright red craft paint and small paint brush to cover these rose like pods. Once they were dry, I took my gold wax crayon and just highlighted some of the areas, and used my fingers to smooth them out a bit. I did a few like this, and then used my chrome spray to lightly touch the tops of some.

Now, you can start adding your medium size pinecones to your ring. I used the longer thinner ones for this first layer. Once you’re happy with your layout, squirt a good amount of hot glue where you want it to stick. Carefully, without burning your fingertips, stick it in place. I stuck mine down in a zig zag pattern. One pointing up, and the other pointing down.

Then I added smaller pinecones where the box underneath was still visible.

After that I used the pinecones I had left from last year. They have flat bottoms and are lighter in colour from laying outside. Again, after you are satisfied with the position you want them, just glue them in place with a good amount of glue.

Once you happy with your first two layers, you can start adding the copper seedpods. I stuck mine down in areas where you could still see the box. Some are pointing outwards and the others are pointing inwards. Then add your small silver pinecones in between.

Finally, I decided where I want my red pods to be. You can spread them all around, or group some together. Once you start adding things, you will realise where you need to place them to cover any box still visible.

Finally, I added a red ribbon bow on the bottom. I tied a ribbon to the top, simply by looping it around the box ring at the back. Decide what way it will look best hanging on the wall before you glue the red bow in place.

Merry Christmas