I actually made a pinecone wreath in the same way about 5-6 years ago when I was back in Canada. I had always intended to make it snowy but chickened out. See, I was worried that I was going to mess it up, and you can’t really go back once you start painting pinecones. It already looked nice just brown, so I ended up leaving it.

But this time, I was determined to get the snowy wreath I had pictured! And you know what? It turned out amazing!!!

I find that it’s rare when a craft turns out exactly as awesome as I intended it to be. I tend to have these grandiose ideas, which never execute quite as well as I hoped. I mean, they look good, just not exactly like my imagination. But not this wreath!! It’s almost better than I pictured it! But the bad part is that I have nowhere to store it!

I promised Richard (when I first started gathering pinecones) that we could throw it out at the end of the year (can you compost hot glue?!). But, now that it’s done… I am not sure I can bear the thought! Does anyone else want to give it a home once Christmas is over?!

Anyway, back to the tutorial!

This wreath is dead simple and just takes time. It’s also super cheap if you can get a good deal on hot glue sticks (it used a ton!).

Oh, and a tip for you – take a couple of large pinecones and remove the individual scales. Then, glue a line of these around the edges (inside and out) of your wreath before you start glueing down pinecones. Both times I made this wreath, I ended up with visible cardboard along the edge. I ended up glueing a combination of individual pine scales and tiny hemlock cones along both edges to fill the gap. But, if you wanted to do it first, it would definitely be easier. Up to you!

That’s the gap I was talking about above and below shows it filled in with hemlock cones and a few scales.

Oh, and the pinecones? Well the best time of year to gather them is actually the summer (weird, right?). That is when they are ripe and fall off the tree all nice and open. But who makes pinecone crafts in the summer?! So if, like me, you are hunting for them in fall or winter, here is a tip – bake them!

That’s right! To open up green pinecones (and get rid of sap and any little crawlies you may have picked up) you bake them in the oven at a low temp! Simply line a couple baking sheets/tins with foil and place your pinecones in a single layer. Then you bake them at 100-110°C (200-230°F) for about an hour. Depending on how many you have, and how open they are, it can take a bit more time.

I just went to the park one day and collected all different kinds of cones – pine, fir, cedar, hemlock, etc. The tiny hemlock ones were perfect for filling in the gaps later. I had about four oven trays worth for my wreath.

Warning, it’ll make your oven smell like pine for a bit, but it’ll fade pretty quick once you cook anything else. I haven’t noticed any lingering smell, and nothing I made after tasted like pine.

So, once you have a nice big bowl of pinecones ready, you can make this wreath!

Materials:

• Hot glue gun + glue sticks (I forgot to count how many I used, but would guess about 30 mini ones?)
• Stiff cardboard as big as your desired wreath
• Pinecones (lots!)
• White craft paint
• Clear-drying craft glue (I used some wood glue I had lying around)
• Cheap paint brush
• Fake snow
• Ribbon for hanging (I got mine on Etsy)

Directions:

1. Measure how large you want your wreath to be, and cut it out of some stiff cardboard. If your wreath isn’t strong enough, cut out two layers and hot glue together.
2. [Optional] Glue a line of pine scales along the inside and outside edge of your wreath.
3. Glue down a ring of similar-sized pinecones along the inside and outside edges, overhanging a bit.
4. Continue to fill the wreath with a variety of pinecones, adding depth.
5. Fill in any gaps along the edge or middle of the wreath with little cones, like hemlock.
6. Using a dry brush (with only a little paint), dab all over the pinecones to give them a frosted look. Let dry.
7. Figure out which way you want to hang the wreath so that you can add snow where it would naturally sit. Using the same brush, dab craft glue along the tops of some of the pinecones. Sprinkle over fake snow.
8. Add as much snow as you want, piling it on the ‘tops’ of the larger pinecones. Lift up the wreath and shake to remove excess. Warning – it’ll make a mess!
9. Add ribbon and hang.

You can see how light my paint application was above. The left shows without, and the right is with paint. Use a really dry brush, and stipple it on the tips of the cones.

Et voila! A gorgeous wintry wreath that’ll add a touch of snow to your Christmas, no matter where you live! I only wish that my door was outside (and prettier) so that more people could see it!

So this year, after having a taste of proper eggnog back in Canada, I decided to make my own. The nice thing about homemade eggnog is that you can control the calories and spices. Use full-fat milk, cream, or skim… whatever your heart desires! Add rum, or no rum: star anise, cloves, or just nutmeg. I like mine with lots of spice and a hint of rum; which also happens to be spiced!

Most recipes I found online, said to use three parts whole milk, to one part cream. I wanted to make mine a bit healthier and use only whole milk, but it’s not as thick as normal eggnog. Use single, double, half + half… whatever your heart desires! I also found recipes that said to whip the egg whites separately, and then add in just before serving. I imagine this would give it a bit of a frothier/thicker texture, but it felt like a wasted effort for me.

The flavor will get stronger if you leave it overnight, so long as you keep the spices in. And if you want a festive punch, rather than just classic eggnog, add some 7-Up (or similar) and scoops of vanilla ice cream before serving. Perfection!

Even if you’re in North America, and have access to store-bought stuff, give homemade eggnog a try. It’s really quite delicious!

Buuuut… I’m cheap, and thought I could make my own! First up on my list were Anthropologie’s Budding Monogram ornaments. I loved how they looked like branches, and figured I could make them out of clay!

My first thought was that I didn’t want to make the flowers and leaves out of clay, as they would probably break off too easily. As I knew that I was going to spray paint it gold in the end, I figured I could use flowers from another material and no one would know. I wanted to buy some tiny fabric ones, but Hobbycraft came up empty. If you’re in North America, check Michaels as they have much larger stocks and probably have something perfect. In the end, I cut the leaves and flowers out of a thin sheet of foam.

My second thought was to make a wire shape, and then build the clay around it. Great in theory, but the air-dry clay is too dry for that – it doesn’t stick to the wire. Instead, I just used the wire to make hooks, and the shapes are 100% clay.

So if you’re thinking of making some branching letter ornaments of your own, why not try this tutorial?

Materials:

• Air-dry clay (I used this one)
• wire + cutters/pliers
• thin foam sheet or fabric flowers/leaves
• scissors
• gold spray paint (I used this one)
• super glue
• ribbon to hang ornament

Step 1. Roll clay into a long rope, and shape into letter form. Add some little branching points using small pieces of clay. Using a knife or other tool, carve grain into the clay.

Step 2. Twist a small section of wire into a loop and insert into the top of the ornament. Allow clay to dry completely.

Step 3. Cut out flower and leaf shapes from the foam (if not using fabric ones) and super glue to the letter as desired.

Step 4. Spray paint ornament in light layers, until completely covered.

And that’s it! While they aren’t perfect, I think they actually turned out better than I thought! I finally saw the real ones in store the other day, and they are much larger than mine! However, I am perfectly content with the size, as some ornaments these days are too big and heavy – they weigh down the branches too much. For our little tree, the scale is perfect!

So what about you? Any handmade ornaments this year?

Richard and I have similar tastes in lots of areas, but we don’t agree on everything. Recently, we had a hard time agreeing on what kind of Christmas tree to buy. One thing that I have always loved is a flocked Christmas tree! I’m not talking about those all-white needle ones without any green, but the real trees that tree farms spray with faux snow… although you can also get artificial flocked trees. Do you know who isn’t down with flocked trees? Richard.

I get it. They’re kind of dated in a way, and obviously artificial (since when is there snow indoors?)… but they are so so beautiful! My favorite thing when it snows is how the snow-laden branches look, all thick and coated with white. And since there isn’t that much snow happening in London over Christmas, why not bring that look indoors? I’ve looked into it, and there are really good tutorials online that show you how to recreate the look at home. That being said, it seems to be a little harder to find the right flocking material over here in the UK, than in the US.

Buuut… despite my DIY suggestions, Richard would rather just stick to a classic tree. However, I’m still trying to get him to promise me that we can do one someday :). Now until that someday comes around (or he changes his mind), I’ll just have to look at all these beautiful pictures of flocked trees!

gorgeous flocked Christmas tree via comoorganizarlacasa

flocked gold Christmas tree via 11MagnloiaLane

flocked tree via Craftberry Bush

very white flocked tree via MonikaHibbs

Thoughts? (Aren’t they beautiful?!) Would you get a flocked tree this Christmas?