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Today I am sharing how to make an easy pinecone wreath on a wire frame without glue or wire. It’s so easy you won’t believe it.
Pinecone Wreath
Have you seen the beautiful pinecone wreaths at your favorite home decor stores? They are a great way to add natural elements to your holiday decor. But they are expensive. I cannot believe one of my favorite shops has them for $300, on sale this week for $198. Today I am going to show you how to make the easiest and most beautiful(I think) pinecone wreath, without wire or glue and the best part is, it is costs $1.25 plus tax.
Crafty is not my middle name. But after pining after a pinecone wreath for years(no pun intended) I was determined to make my own. I have now made three. I am covered in sap but it was worth it because my pinecone wreaths are beautiful and even better they were made with 2 things, pinecones and a wire wreath form. No glue, no wire.
How to Make a Pinecone Wreath on a Wire Frame Without Glue and Wire
For this wreath you need skinny pinecones, not the cute squatty round ones. Save those to make ornaments, garland and to use as cinnamon pinecone bowl fillers. I used pinecones from Eastern white pine trees, which I scavenged from a tree near my house. These trees grow all over the Eastern portion of North America, and if you cannot find them where you live you can purchase them on Etsy. Coincidentally the Eastern white pine is also a traditional choice for a Christmas tree.
Materials Needed to Make Pinecone Wreath
1 12″ wire wreath form, with 3 slots (not 2 as shown). I purchased mine at The Dollar Tree but you can find them at any craft store or on Amazon.
Approximately 100-110 pinecones depending upon the size of cones and wreath form. It is always best to gather or buy extra.
Pail or bucket(s) of water
Instructions to Make a Pinecone Wreath
1.First, gather your supplies, pinecones, wire form, 3 buckets, water.
2. If you are foraging for your pinecones you need to clean the critters and dirt off the cones, you can follow this easy tutorial to bake them. If you purchase them they should be clean but check with the vendor or inspect them before you make the wreath.
3. After the pinecones have been cleaned and baked sort them into 3 piles, small, medium and large.
4. Soak the pinecones in water for 30 minutes minimum and make sure that they are fully submerged. Obviously the cones above are not submerged, I had them weighed down with a plate but took it off so that you could see the cones.
After about 30 minutes the pinecones will close up. Now for the fun part.
5. Take your largest pinecones and stick them into the outer edge of the ring. You want to stick at least 3 -4 scales into the wreath form, this helps anchor the cones as they dry and expand. For my 12″ wreath form each section took about 6 pinecones, as you get the edge of each section squish the pinecones together and jam in another pinecone. You repeat this process until the entire outer ring is filled.
Then you take the medium pinecones and fill up the middle ring the same way and finally take the smaller cones and fill up the inner most ring.
As you are placing the pinecones they will be standing straight up and down, don’t worry they will flatten out a bit once they dry. You can also help them a little by pushing them flat over the few days they will take to dry.
Note: I like to sort the cones before I soak them and I used three large Tupperware containers to soak them and I placed another Tupperware bucket on top to weight the cones down. You can soak all of your cones at once if you prefer and then sort them after they have their water bath.
This image is for a wreath with only 2 rings, I accidentally deleted the images of this step with the 3 ring form.
You want the pinecones to be as closes as possible so that when the pinecones start to dry they open up and they intertwine with one another and hold each other into place.
Once you have the entire wreath stuffed with pinecones take it to a cool, dry place and leave it to dry for a week. Over the course of the first few days while the pinecones are still damp you can move them a bit to fill in small blank spots.
I also like to push the cones from the outer and mild ring out and a little more flat from their original standing position.
Once the wreath is fully dry, attach a piece of wire to the back to hang it. You can also add springs of berries, greens or a bow. You could spray paint it to match your decor or Christmas theme. I personally like it plain.
Can you believe how easy this pinecone wreath is to make? The best part is the cost, it is practically free. All it takes is a little of your time scavenging for the pinecones and putting it together.
FAQ
How Many Pinecones Do you Need To Make a Wreath?
Depending on the size of your pinecones and your wreath form you need between 100-110 pinecones.
How Long Will a Pinecone Wreath Last?
A natural pinecone wreath properly stored can last for years.
Do You Need to Bake and Clean Pine Cones for Crafting?
Yes! Pinecones are home to little critters and you do not want them coming into your house. The easiest way to clean your pinecones is to bake them, you can find directions in this post.
What Do You Put on A Pinecone Wreath?
You can dress your pinecone wreath with glitter, paint the tips white, add colorful red berries or simply tie a beautiful ribbon on it and let the beauty of nature shine through.
More Information About Pinecones
10 reasons why you should be foraging for pine needles.
Pin Me for Later
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
I hope that you enjoyed my diy pinecone wreath, if you make one take a photo and email it to me! Have a great day friends and thank you for spending part of it with me.
You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. And last but not least, if you like Pinecones & Acorns share it with a friend!
Have you checked out My Holiday Shop? Wreaths, stockings, tabletop deco and more.
This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Leslie Watkins says
What a genius idea! I would have never thought of that!❤️
Regina Jenkins says
Love this! Editing my post to include yours
Elizabeth says
Regina thank you! Your wreath is so beautiful!
Taste of France says
I swore off DIY but this wreath is so beautiful! And what a brilliant method to make it.
Elizabeth says
I am not a diyer in any sense of the word, I have done some but I am not always the best at it and frankly I have zero patience. But this is the easiest thing I have ever made and I love it!
Cindy says
This great! when I get more from my neighbors I will make one with no glue.
I just made one and add hazelnuts in the shell to it and I love it
It went really fast and the hot glue behaved
Paula@SweetPea says
Your wreath is beautiful and it is wonderful that you made it without wire or glue.
Crystal Ratzlaff says
What a great wreath and so nice that you could do it without glue
Juliet says
Gorgeous wreath, Elizabeth! The best pinecone wreath I’ve seen … and no glue gun. I’m with you when it comes to glue guns … I don’t even own one. I know it would mean certain disaster. But you … you’re DIYer after all! xo
Elizabeth says
Juliet, it is so easy and it is such a beautiful wreath, honestly I cannot believe it turned out so well. As for the glue gun, I hate mine, it is horrible but then again I do not use it very often.
Have a wonderful week. xo
Lynn says
This is really amazing and my kind of craft. Do you know about how many pine ones you needed to fill the ring? I’m going to order them today.
Elizabeth says
Hi Lynn, I used about 120 pinecones for this wreath. I think you will love it, it is so easy!
William Kendall says
Very creative.
Elizabeth says
Thank you William
Marieza says
Your wreath is gorgeous! I love anything with pinecones.
Rosemary Palmer says
I love this. I have always wanted a pine cone wreath for after Christmas, a more winter look. Now to find 100 pine cones.
Elizabeth says
Rosemary let me know if you cannot find enough or any. I will try to find some more.
Betsy Smith says
Elizabeth…you always find The most beautiful products…..it’s always an enjoyment to visit your posts! Wishing you a lovely Thanksgiving!
Elizabeth says
Thank you Betsy!
Sim @ Sim's Life says
I love this idea! How beautiful and seemingly so simple too… though I am sure I would mess it up! Great to know wreaths can be made without glue or wire, I’m like you with forever getting burned! Sim x #TrafficJamWeekend
PS. 22 type of chili?! I’m not a fan so you are very brave in my eyes!
Elizabeth says
Thank you Sim, I am sure that you would not mess it up it is the easiest thing I have ever made.
Calypso in the Country says
Such a great project – and it came out beautiful! I’m with you on the glue gun…I almost always burn myself! By the way, I included a link to this post in my latest blog post about decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Have a great week!
Cheers!
Shelley
Elizabeth says
Thank you Shelley! I appreciate you sharing my project!
Carol Karl | Living a Real Life says
This is wonderful. I love that you did this with no glue. Hot glue and me don’t really mix – burned fingers! Thanks for sharing this.
Cindy@CountyRoad407 says
I’ve always wanted to make one of these and we have a plethora of young pinecones around the farmhouse. Thank you for linking up to Farmhouse Friday. We are featuring it tomorrow. Hope you link up again soon. pinned
Elizabeth says
Cindy, I hope that you make one! I would love to see it. Thank you for the feature!
Richella J Parham says
What a beautiful wreath! I have a pinecone wreath that a friend made for me 30 years ago. Our yard has lots of pine trees, so a few years ago I bought some chicken wire, planning to make more wreaths. Uh. . .NO! That was an exercise in frustration. Your method looks very doable!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
Elizabeth says
Richella, thank you so much for the feature! I appreciate it. I feel the same way that you do, I could never make a wreath out of chicken wire! This is about all I have the patience for.
Cindy Rust says
What a beautiful wreath Elizabeth!! I have those same pinecones in my yard!! Pinned
Elizabeth says
Cindy, you need to make one! They are so easy.
Renae Frey says
Gorgeous! What a clever idea.
Elizabeth says
Thank you Renae.