Pine cones dot the landscape wherever you find conifer trees. It is easy to pick pines cones up from under their branches when you go for a nature walk. Pine cones are easily one of nature's most versatile craft supplies.
If you live in an area that does not have conifer or evergreen trees, you can purchase pine cones at a craft store for next to nothing. Here's a fun and beautiful project to turn a pine cone into an angel.
This project can be adjusted to fit a variety of ages, so even the toddlers can have fun participating. Perhaps your family can create a family of pine cone angels to become natural play toys, or a lovely display to grace your table.
Supplies Needed
- Medium-sized pine cone
- Acorn
- White spray paint or acrylic paint and medium paintbrush
- Black and red acrylic paint and small paintbrush
- Silver or gold glitter
- Glue
- White card stock
- Pencil
- Doll hair or yarn
- Silver chenille stem
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Newspaper (to cover your work area
Directions to Make a Pine Cone Angel
- If you are using a pine cone that you found outdoors, you may want to bake it in order to kill any bugs inside and dry up the sap in them. To do this, place your cone on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Once the pine cone has cooled, paint it with the spray paint or acrylic paint and paintbrush. Sprinkle lightly with glitter while still wet. Let dry completely.
- While waiting for the pine cone to dry, paint a face on the acorn. Turn it upside down and use black for the eyes and nose, and red for the mouth and cheeks. Let dry.
- Glue the acorn head onto the pine cone body, with the pointed side of the pine cone up.
- Draw a wing shape on the piece of card stock, and cut it out. Trace the shape onto the scrap of card stock, and cut it out as well. Turn one wing over so that they are facing in opposite directions.
- Using the glue, trace along the inside of each wing. You might also want to make some markings inside the wings. When you're done, sprinkle the wings with glitter, tap off the excess, and let dry completely.
- Glue the wings onto the angel's back. Let dry.
- Place some doll hair or yarn in a hair color on the angel's head. Glue into place. Then form the chenille stem into a circle that will fit on top of the head for a halo. Glue into place and let dry.
- Cut a piece of ribbon about 6 inches long. Form it into a loop and glue the ends to the back of the angel to make a hanger. Let dry completely before hanging up.
Tips
- If you don't like working with loose glitter, try using a tube of glitter glue. Dot some onto the painted pine cone here and there, and draw the details on the wings with it.
- If you prefer, you could use a piece of wide lace to make the wings. Gather the lace in the middle, secure with a piece of chenille stem, and glue to the back of the angel.
- For a more natural looking angel, skip the paint and/or the glitter.
- Try coming up with other characters to make your pine cones into.. perhaps you can create a family of them, or even start a village of pine cone people.
- A simpler pine cone person could skip the acorn.
