How to Make a Simple and Beautiful DIY Pinecone Wreath

Spruce up your front door with this beautiful wreath made from painted pine cones. This lovely DIY pinecone wreath is easy to make using natural elements and can be completed with just a bit of time.

Making your own pine cone wreath is a fun project to do each year. This is a great way to decorate for the fall season without a lot of extra cost. Most of the supplies you might already have one hand. 

pine cone wreath easy tutorial

Fall is a great time for crafting. Making your own fall home decor is a great way to celebrate the season. Using natural decorations like pinecones brings fall to the indoors. This easy tutorial will help you to get your fall decorating started. You will love how easy it is to assemble and how gorgeous it will look on your front or your back door.

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This post is sponsored by Dixie Belle. All opinions are my own!

pine cone wreath step-by-step

step one: gather the pine cones

The first step is to gather a variety of pinecones. I used several sizes of my own pinecones. Eastern white pine trees are among the most common pine trees in our area here in Delaware. We bought this one years ago for our Christmas tree. I love the medium pinecones it makes.

They have a slight curve and are long a slender. They also get sap on the ends of the pine cone petals which turns white. Try to find pinecones with open spaces to separate the pinecone flowers and to paint them easily.

​Last year I collected a bunch of pine cones and they stayed in our garage until now so I didn’t need to worry about bugs. If you are concerned, then place your pinecones in a warm oven.

To do this, preheat your oven to 170* and then turn it off. Put the pinecones on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper and allow the pinecones to stay in the oven for 45-60 minutes. That should take care of any critters that might be hanging out within the pinecones petals!

step two: cut the pine cone flowers

The next step is to cut the pinecones into flowers. I’ve done this so many times and it is still so much fun! 

Using the floral snips and stick the pointed end between the pinecone petals and clip at the stem of the pine cone. Some of the petals will fall off but for the most part, the pine cone flowers will stay intact.

I can usually get 3-4 flowers from the largest pinecones and then 2-3 from the medium pinecones. The small pine cones can be hard to clip so they can be saved for the pinecone clusters on this fall wreath.

Cut a bunch of these pinecone flowers. It’s best to cut more than you think you will need so that you make the mess once and then clean it up! Ask me how I know this to be true!

step three: paint the pine cone flowers

Do you love to paint projects? It’s always the best part of any DIY project in my opinion! Grab the small craft brush and start painting using fall colors. I will have the chalk paint colors I used listed below. I also used white paint to add interest to the entire wreath.

When painting the pinecone petals, use a small craft brush to get into the individual petals. Don’t worry about complete coverage. Allowing some of the natural beauty of the pinecones to show will only add to the look of this lovely wreath!

Paint as many as you think you will need for your wire frame. I chose a large wire frame – 18″. Choose the size metal frame that will work best for your home.

Paint colors for fall DIY projects:

• Barn Red
• Colonel Mustard
• Drop Cloth
• Collard Greens
• Evergreen
• Daisy Yellow
• Aubergine

I mixed Barn Red and Colonel Mustard to create the orange color you see below.

step four: assemble the DIY fall wreath

Wrap the raffia around the circle of the wire frame and secure it with a piece of floral wire. I like the floral wire that is covered in brown paper because it disappears into the pine cones. 

Cut enough of the wire to have excess for attaching the pinecones. Then space out the areas you will attach the raffia to the frame. 

Think of the numbers on a clock face and that should help you to space the brown floral wire. Don’t be too fussy with this part! It should not be perfectly spaced 🙂

Use the long pieces of wire to attach clusters of pinecones to the raffia-covered wire frame. Simply wrap the wire through and around the pinecones and twist it here and there to secure it. Then grab another pinecone and do the same with the other tail end of the craft wire. The last pinecone in each cluster is a small pinecone so I used hot glue to attach it.

Next glue on clusters of the painted pinecone flowers between the clusters of large pinecones. Try to include some of each of the colors you paint the pinecone flowers but don’t be too concerned about perfection here! This is meant to be one of your favorite pine cone crafts and you don’t want to spoil it with perfection, my friend!

I also added these adorable mini pine cones that had not opened. Aren’t they adorable?? A little bit of hot glue was all they needed to join the wreath-making party!

The last addition is faux fall-colored greenery leftover from another project. I just stuck the ends into the wire that secured the raffia. You could use pine evergreen cuttings from the same pine tree that you gathered the pine cones from. 

The last step is to cut a long piece of brown craft wire to create a wire hanger long enough to hang the wreath at the perfect spot on our front door.

easy DIY pinecone wreath

Wasn’t that an easy way to make a new wreath to make for fall decor? Here are some options to consider when making your holiday wreaths:

• use a 12″ wire frame if you want to hang the wreath indoors in your dining room
• use the larger wreaths to create a table centerpiece  and place a riser (or a DIY cake riser) in the center of the wreath with a candle
• add a festive touch to the pinecone wreath by adding battery-powered twinkle lights
• change the colors to coordinate with your Christmas decorations and then use it all winter long
• make several wreaths and give them away as a handmade gift
• search your local thrift stores and craft stores for supplies on sale

FAQs

what kind of pine cones make the best wreath?

The best pine cones for wreath making are the free ones! Gather them from your yard, or your neighbor’s yard or put out a call on your Facebook page! Use pinecones that are open so that you can easily cut the pine cone flowers.

how long will a pinecone wreath last?

A pinecone wreath will last for years as long as you store it properly. Avoid storing it in the attic because of extreme temperature changes. Store in a wreath container under a bed or somewhere it won’t be damaged.

how do you get bugs out of pine cones for crafts?

​Place pine cones in a preheated 170* oven for 30-40 minutes after turning the oven off. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper to catch any debris or sap that may come from the pine cones.

how to clean pine cones for crafts

Fill a large bucket with water and add a cup of vinegar. Submerge the pine cones in the water for 30-40 minutes. Lay out in the sun to dry thoroughly

how to bleach pine cones for crafts

Fill a large 5-gallon bucket with water and add a couple of cups of bleach to the water. Stir well then add the pine cones and allow to soak for at least 24 hours. Remove and allow the pinecones to dry in the sun. My friend Michele from Vintage Home Designs has a great tutorial about this process!

beautiful DIY pinecone wreath

Let me know what you think of this gorgeous DIY fall wreath! Would you use the same colors for fall decorating? Maybe you are more of a neutral color kind of person – wouldn’t this be so pretty in shades of white, burlap, beige, and brown? It sounds amazing!

I’m already thinking about Christmas – wouldn’t this pinecone wreath be lovely in bright white pine cones with diamond dust glass glitter creating sparkly pinecones? Omgoodness it would be so pretty!

Or if you like color – reds and greens with a gorgeous plaid red ribbon would be so festive! Add a string of battery-powered white lights for an additional touch of twinkly to your holiday decor!

DIY pine cone wreath video tutorial

​Here is a video tutorial of this project that I am sure you will enjoy! Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel while you are there. It is totally free and I upload a new video each week!

Just tap the image below to watch!

how to make pine cone wreaths

Here is a printable version of this DIY pine cone wreath. Print it out for yourself or for your friends! 

Links to my other pine cone projects:

How to Make DIY Pine Cone Flowers

Make a Twig Wreath with Sparkly Pinecones

DIY Pinecone Wreath with Acorns

Simple Gift Wrapping Ideas with Pinecones

Cheap DIY Christmas Ornaments with Pinecones

one more fall wreath idea!

One of my blogging buddies made a gorgeous wreath for fall using wheat! I’m sure you will enjoy her project!