How to Make an Easy 1-Hour DIY Pinecone Wreath for Cozy Winter Decor
Learn how to make a DIY pinecone wreath in just one hour. This lovely wreath is perfect for winter and the holidays and the fairy lights make it extra magical.
You’ll also want to try your hand at this One-Hour DIY Fresh Evergreen Swag for your porch, our favorite easy paper Christmas decorations and ornaments, and these fan-favorite vintage Christmas printables. See all our Christmas crafts and ideas here.
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Pine Cone Wreaths: A Classic Winter Decor Choice
Pine cone wreaths are a classic winter decor choice to adorn your front door from when the first snow flies, right up until it melts! That’s from Thanksgiving through Christmas and right up until Valentine’s Day here in my area.
The texture and natural material of a pinecone wreath makes it a great option for a farmhouse Christmas wreath, but the pine cones will be right at home if your style is more classic, modern, or mid-century, too!
SHOP PINECONE WREATHS
How do you make a simple DIY pine cone wreath? It’s just 3 layers of pine cones, a wreath form, and some glue.
What really sets this easy DIY pinecone wreath apart is the additional natural elements: picks of red berries and extra sprigs of evergreen pine from the Christmas tree! Plus the fairy lights woven in make the whole thing magical and extra welcoming on dark winter evenings.
Use this easy tutorial to make a pinecone wreath for your front door, as a table centerpiece, or as a gift for a holiday party or a hostess gift.
How to Make a Pinecone Wreath
by Ananda from A Piece Of Rainbow
This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. See our full disclosure policy here.
Pinecone Wreath Materials and Tools
- 55-65 pine cones, sorted into 3 size groups (small, medium, large) of about the same number in each grouping
- 12″ wire wreath form
- hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
- optional: battery-operated LED fairy lights
- optional: evergreen branches, real or synthetic
- optional: berry sprigs
DIY Pinecone Wreath Video Tutorial
Watch the video below or on the Remodelaholic YouTube channel, and please subscribe so you’ll see all our future videos, too!
Step by Step Pinecone Wreath Easy Tutorial
Step 1: Glue medium pinecones to inner wires
Start with the inner ring of the wire wreath form. Take cones from the medium size group, add a dab of hot glue on each of the two inner rings, and quickly place the first pine cone onto the hot glue.
Repeat the step until you have glued an entire circle of pine cones like shown below, to fill the inner ring of the wreath frame.
Space the pinecones as evenly as possible, but don’t worry too much about gaps — that’s where the evergreen sprigs and other fillers come into play!
Step 2: Glue large pine cones to the outer wires
Using the largest pinecones from the biggest size group, glue a whole circle of pine cones onto the two outer wires of the metal frame.
The process is the same as in Step 1. Fill the outer ring with large pine cones.
Step 3: Glue small pine cones to the middle
Using pine cones from the smallest size group, glue them to cover all the middle gaps.
These cones are a little trickier to glue than the first two groups, but just find a spot where it rests securely on the cones below. Use a lot of hot glue on the bottom of the small cones to stick them securely.
Vary the direction of the cones a bit to make it look more natural.
Now you have a basic pinecone wreath!
There are many ways to decorate this wreath, such as ribbons, green foliage, colorful berries, small ornaments… Just have fun!
Step 4: Decorate with greenery and berries
I took some evergreen cuttings and sprigs of berries, and tucked them in between the pine cones.
How easy is that?
You can secure with a bit of glue as needed.
Step 5: Add fairy lights
Of course we can get more festive and add some LED fairy lights!
These lights operate on small battery packs that are easy to hide. Simply twine the lights around the pinecones and/or the wire form until it looks good to you.
I can also see these wreaths being used as centerpieces on a table. Just add a large hurricane glass and candle in the center, and boom, a festive Christmas centerpiece.
Considering how easy one is to make, why not make a few and use them on the door and on the table?
Ours is hanging on a wall in the hallway and we love it!
We’d love to see your pinecone wreath — drop us a photo here or tag #imaremodelaholic on Instagram — and be sure to check out all our other Creative Christmas series projects, and holiday printables. Be sure to follow along over on Facebook, Instagram , and YouTube with #CreativeChristmas so you won’t miss any of our Christmas tutorials, recipes, and printables!
If you love wreaths made from nature findings, you would enjoy this dollar store hack: how to make wreaths super fast.
If you love festive lighting, try these simple mason jar oil lanterns, or these dreamy paper lanterns!
Wishing you a beautiful holiday season! Happy creating!
DIY Pine Cone Wreath Variations
There are so many ways you can customize a DIY pine cone wreath to fit just the style you’d like and add a festive touch to match your decor.
Paint or bleach the pinecones
For a snowy pinecone look, you can bleach pine cones to remove some of the color — or it’s even simpler to paint them. Flat white spray paint or watered down white paint applied by dipping or brushing will both give your pinecones a bleached look without any bleach needed.
If you’d like a more colorful pinecone wreath, you can also spray paint the pinecones in various holiday colors before assembling the wreath. For a more transparent color, take a note from our favorite colorwashing wood stain trick – just water down the paint, then brush it on or dip the pinecones right in the thinned paint.
Bonus: Ananda shows you how to make snowy pinecones in 3 minutes!
Make glitter pinecones
To make glitter pinecones, just paint a bit of ModPodge or glue on the tips of the pine cones, then roll them in fine glitter and let dry. Silver or white glitter will look like snow, while colored or gold glitter adds a bit of holiday glam.
You can also use spray glitter to make it even easier.
The added glitter will look amazing when the lights are turned on!
Use other greenery
Pine and berries are classic — you can add any other greenery that you can find in your yard or at the Christmas tree lot! Fir tree clippings, cedar sprigs, eucalyptus branches, even some additional bare twigs for texture. Real or faux greenery will look great with the pinecone backdrop and add natural elements.
Add other accessories
Add a ribbon bow to the wreath, or tuck in ribbon to form loops (like we do to decorate the Christmas tree).
You could also add pom poms (here’s how we make bunch fast), small Christmas ornaments, Christmas flowers, or a decorative red cardinal or other bird, too.
DIY Pinecone Wreath FAQs
How long do pinecone wreaths last?
Pinecone wreaths will last for years! Be sure to use a good quality glue (see below) and hang the wreath in a covered area where it won’t be exposed to the weather. Store the wreath in a safe, dry place when not on display, and you’ll have this pinecone wreath to enjoy year after year!
Can you use real pine cones on a wreath?
Yes! Real pine cones are very durable and easy to use for crafting. Gather them yourself from your own trees, or with permission from the property owner, and prep them following the steps below.
Where can I get pinecones for crafting?
Pinecones can be gathered after they’ve fallen from your local trees (with permission from property owners, of course) or you can make it quick and order pine cones for crafts in bulk online. Be sure to get a variety of sizes to help fill in the wreath. You’ll need
How do I prep and preserve real pine cones for crafts?
When you gather your own pinecones, it’s important to prepare them for crafting to ensure there aren’t bugs in the pinecones, and to preserve the pinecones so they’ll last for years.
There are 2 main methods to prep and preserve pine cones: vinegar water and baking.
- Spritz or soak pinecones in a 50-50 vinegar water mix for about 30 minutes.
- After the pinecones have marinated, you can air dry the pinecones or bake them.
- Bake pine cones in a low oven (250 degrees) for 1-2 hours.
Baking helps thoroughly dry the pine cones and also helps to get rid of the sticky sap by melting it into the fibers of the pine cones.
If you’d like to add some extra protection and shine to the pinecones, you can spray them with a matte clear acrylic spray (or hairspray can work, too).
As you are washing and baking the pinecones, be sure to keep an eye on them so you don’t over do it! The pinecone petals will bloom and open up as they are wet and then cooked, so you don’t want them too open — just a bit for your crafts.
My pinecones are falling off the wreath. How do I get them to stick to the wire form?
Use high quality high-temp hot glue sticks to help. (Low temp is so nice for not burning fingers, but since it cools so much more quickly, I find that it doesn’t adhere quite as well.)
Since the pinecones are fairly large and stiff and the wire frame is thin, sometimes even good hot glue isn’t quite enough to get them to stick long-term.
To help the pinecones stick to the wreath form better, you can:
- Cover the wire wreath form with string (like this rope wreath).
- Use a foam wreath form instead, covered with fabric or ribbon so the glue will stick.
- Tie the pinecones on with floral wire.
Pin this to save and share!
More beautiful winter wreaths:
- “Welcome Santa” handpainted sign + wreath
- how to make a scented pine wreath
- scrap wood wreath
- felt snowman wreath
- burlap and snowflakes winter wreath
- easy paper curl wreath
- plus 25 more winter wreaths
How to Make a Pinecone Wreath
Ingredients
- 55-65 pine cones sorted into 3 size groups (small, medium, large) of about the same number in each grouping
- 12" wire wreath form
- hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
- optional: LED fairy lights
- optional: evergreen branches real or synthetic
- optional: berry sprigs.
Instructions
Step 1: Glue medium pinecones to inner wires
- Start with the inner ring of the wire wreath form. Take cones from the medium size group, add a dab of hot glue on each of the two inner rings, and quickly place the first pine cone onto the hot glue.
- Repeat the step until you have glued an entire circle of pine cones like shown below, to fill the inner ring of the wreath frame.
- Space the pinecones as evenly as possible, but don’t worry too much about gaps — that’s where the evergreen sprigs and other fillers come into play!
Step 2: Glue large pine cones to the outer wires
- Using the largest pinecones from the biggest size group, glue a whole circle of pine cones onto the two outer wires of the metal frame.
- The process is the same as in Step 1. Fill the outer ring with large pine cones.
Step 3: Glue small pine cones to the middle
- Using pine cones from the smallest size group, glue them to cover all the middle gaps.
- These cones are a little trickier to glue than the first two groups, but just find a spot where it rests securely on the cones below. Use a lot of hot glue on the bottom of the small cones to stick them securely.
- Vary the direction of the cones a bit to make it look more natural.
- Now you have a basic pinecone wreath!
Step 4: Decorate with greenery and berries
- There are many ways to decorate this wreath, such as ribbons, green foliage, colorful berries, small ornaments… Just have fun!
- I took some evergreen cuttings and sprigs of berries, and tucked them in between the pine cones. How easy is that? You can secure with a bit of glue as needed.
Step 5: Add fairy lights
- Of course we can get more festive and add some LED fairy lights!
- These lights operate on small battery packs that are easy to hide. Simply twine the lights around the pinecones and/or the wire form until it looks good to you.
Notes
Where to Get Pine Cones
If you don’t have the time and opportunity to gather your own pinecones, you can check out some options to purchase pinecones on Amazon or Etsy.DIY Pine Cone Wreath Variations
There are so many ways you can customize a DIY pine cone wreath to fit just the style you’d like and add a festive touch to match your decor.Paint or bleach the pinecones
For a snowy pinecone look, you can bleach pine cones to remove some of the color — or it’s even simpler to paint them. Flat white spray paint or watered down white paint applied by dipping or brushing will both give your pinecones a bleached look without any bleach needed. If you’d like a more colorful pinecone wreath, you can also spray paint the pinecones in various holiday colors before assembling the wreath. For a more transparent color, take a note from our favorite colorwashing wood stain trick – just water down the paint, then brush it on or dip the pinecones right in the thinned paint.Make glitter pinecones
To make glitter pinecones, just paint a bit of ModPodge or glue on the tips of the pine cones, then roll them in fine glitter and let dry. You can also use spray glitter to make it even easier. The added glitter will look amazing when the lights are turned on!Use other greenery
Pine and berries are classic — you can add any other greenery that you can find in your yard or at the Christmas tree lot! Fir tree clippings, cedar sprigs, eucalyptus branches, even some additional bare twigs for texture. Real or faux greenery will look great with the pinecone backdrop and add natural elements. Add other accessories Add a ribbon bow to the wreath, or tuck in ribbon to form loops (like we do to decorate the Christmas tree). You could also add pom poms (here’s how we make bunch fast), small Christmas ornaments, Christmas flowers, or a decorative red cardinal or other bird, too.Pin this to save and share!
Originally published 11.2.2016 // Updated 10.17.2023
Ananda is an artist and garden designer. Her work in landscape architecture and art led to many creative diy ideas and projects that she shares here at Remodelaholics and at her popular blog, A Piece Of Rainbow.
These wreath’s are beautiful! I was just thinking about how I wanted to put up a wreath on our door. Definitely going to make my from scratch!
I have tried making pinecone wreaths from real cones I collected. I prepare them using the oven method . The pinecones keep breaking apart. Every time I touch them more of the cone falls out What am I doing wrong
How long are you baking them for? Sounds like you are baking them to long. Or the temperature is too high. Maybe 200-250 degrees. I never bake or soak my pine cones and have never had problems with bugs.
Help. What’s the secret in getting the pine cones to stick to the glue gun.
hi wendy, some hot glue is less strong than others. use a strong high heat one, and sand the the wreath form a little can also help! =)
I can’t get pine cones to stick to the wire ring. I have hot glued them some 3 times and they still fall off. Help
hi judy! some hot glue is less strong than others. use a strong high heat one, and sand the the wreath form a little can also help! =)
instead of hot glue i used floral wire and wired the cones on last longer and can take temp changes better
I also use floral wire and wire the cones onto the wreath as i store my wreaths in a barn after Christmas and the hot glue wouldn’t last and the cones would fall off.
Won’t he cold ,make the glue let lose?
Yes! I made a beautiful wreath glue and pinecones and in a couple of days it started to fall apart. I live in WI.
I am using floral wire to attach the pine cones to the wreath form. I’m sure I’ll use some type of glue–glue gun, contact cement (my personal favorite)–when I start attaching things. I half way there.
We’d love to see pictures when you finish, Carol!
Should we do anything to the pinecones that we find outside to prepare them prior to assembling the wreath? Thanks!
Some people bake them to kill bugs and spiders but i never do and have never have a problem. The pine cones i used didn’t have sap on them. Some people soak them but then they would close up and need to dry to open up again.
When making the pinecone wreath using glue to stick them to the metal wreath, do not put the wreath outside where it is cold. I had a beautiful wreath that I made this way and put it on the outside of the house. Well in a couple of days it started to fall apart. I live in Wisconsin.
Darn! I’ll add a note to the post. Thanks for the comment, Amy.
Hi Cassity… Is the wreath frame flat or bowed a bit?
Diana
Hi Diana, it is slightly curved — most wire wreath forms are. You could probably do this with a flat form, but the curve gives it some extra depth that is nice.
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly! One more question… Can you tell me where I can purchase the Fairy lights for the pinecone wreath and how long is the strand?
Diana (Massachusetts)
I am using floral wire to attach the pine cones to the wreath form. I’m sure I’ll use some type of glue–glue gun, contact cement (my personal favorite)–when I start attaching things. I half way there.
I absolutely love this tutorial! It is so my taste. I would like to let you know that the link to the LED fairy lights takes you to listings for glue sticks. Thank you for sharing this tutorial. It is beautiful and I’ll be making one this year.
Thanks for the kind words and for letting us know, Sarah — I’ve just fixed that link. We’d love to see pictures when you make yours!