Thinking Green? Creative Pine Cone Projects AmeriClean Newsletter - November 2008
No one can deny that festive occasions call for festive decorations. After all, it’s time to give thanks—and home décor can help set the right mood, to be sure.
This year, why not use pine cones, pine boughs, and other natural materials to decorate your home?
Many Web sites offer ideas, including diynetwork.com, which offers an easy idea for a centerpiece: simply place a few pine branches on the table and add strategically placed pine cones you’ve gathered. Other ideas include painting pine cones gold to add color, making pine cone ornaments by attaching a ribbon to one end of each pine cone, or even making a pine cone wreath.
About.com suggests adding fall twigs and leaves, too, for an early fall centerpiece. If you choose that option, you can save the pine cones and use them for a new arrangement once the other materials are ready to be discarded.
Children can help gather pine cones, of course—who wouldn’t want to go on a pine cone discovery mission? Talkingchild.com lists a variety of pine cone crafts, including glitter pine cones and even a pine cone bird feeder.
If you choose to do a simple arrangement, even young children (with supervision, of course) can help decide where to place the pine cones and other items---you may want to add small animal figurines or holiday ornaments. Then, if you wish, you can use a hot glue gun or floral wire later to help the arrangement last longer.
Pine cone centerpieces can be elegant and fun at the same time. Your arrangement can be as simple as a basket filled with pine cones and tied with a ribbon—or as challenging as making a pine cone tree with a dowel rod, chicken wire, and moistened pine cones (see diynetwork.com for ideas).
Even if you choose a simple glass plate and arrange pine cones and pillar candles on it, as bluesuitmom.com suggests, you’ll have an arrangement that is festive and inexpensive.
