Eco-friendly pinecones are a natural choice for Christmas tree decorations.
Pine cones are a natural choice for economical "green-living" decorations. Every variety of pine tree produces its own unique size and shape of cone and only your imagination limits what you can create with them. Whether you're transforming pine cones into a Thanksgiving turkey, a winter wreath or an easy Christmas tree ornament, these versatile symbols of winter holidays are inexpensive and easy to work with while yielding satisfying results.
Instructions
1. Rinse dusty pine cones in warm water. Cover a cookie sheet with tinfoil and arrange the cones on it in a single layer.
2. Bake the pine cones in a 200-degree-F oven until the sap melts and any closed cones open. Time will vary depending on the amount of sap, but plan on approximately 30 to 40 minutes of baking time. The melted sap will cool and create a nice glaze on the cones, and prevent bits of sap from sticking to your fingers or other objects.
3. Remove the cones from the foil-lined cookie sheet and let them cool on a cooling rack.
4. Arrange the cooled pine cones in pairs, positioning them on your work surface so that the stem ends touch and the cones lay at an approximately 30- to 40-degree angle from each other, similar to how they would grow naturally on the tree.
5. Apply a dab of hot glue to one of the cones in a pair and press the two together until the glue cools enough to hold.
6. Cut a 20-inch length of ribbon and a 3-inch piece as well. Form the 3-inch piece of ribbon into a loop. Hot glue this loop to the pine cone pair at the back of the spot where they join.
7. Tie the longer piece of ribbon in a nice bow, and hot glue it to the front side of the joint where you glued the loop. This hides the loop and any glue that might show where you joined the pine cones.
8. Let the hot glue thoroughly cool. Attach an ornament hanger to the ribbon loop, and you're ready to hang the pine cone ornament on your tree or wrap it up for a present.
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