Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Simple Pinecone Decor

Just like bottle brush trees, I think just about every conceivable thing has been done with tree cones for holiday decor. But because cones come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and intricate designs, you don't need to be creative to decorate with them. Just a simple display allows for their natural beauty to accent a space. 


I am fortunate enough to live in Oregon, where conifers are plentiful. Since my love of treasure-hunting includes nature's treasures, I sometimes accumulate a decent stash of cones. Earlier this year, while house sitting, I was luckily there at the right time, to collect a variety of beautiful cones from their backyard. (And no, they didn't mind me taking them. For every nature-loving Oregonian such as myself, there is another who could care less and considers fallen cones as something for the yard debris bin.) After filling 2 garbage bags full, I didn't realize how abundant my collection was, until I started filling baskets with them. Oy! So I thought I'd show a few examples of instant centerpieces for your holiday decor, if you want to acknowledge the season, but aren't exceedingly creative, or short on time.


Well it doesn't get any easier than this. Simple, understated Mid Century style with this heavy-duty salad bowl overflowing with compact pine cones.



Here's a more unique way to display cones, 
and is truly a conversation piece.
I acquired this globe in two pieces, so no, I didn't ruin it. 
Since it already has an axis hole, 
I used it to screw the hemisphere to a candlestick. 
I used large, long pine cones to contrast with the globe shape.





These Spruce cones are stunning on their own, 
but just for fun, I felt like painting them. 
Most people save themselves a lot of time and effort 
by spraying-painting or dipping their cones. I chose to hand-paint them with a brush, to cover the majority, but still let a little of the natural color come through for definition. The really cool, happy accident is that painted in red, pale green, and aqua, they remind me of hyacinths, making this basket an apropos vessel to display them in.



Using spruce cones in their natural color, they look elegant and delicate in this vintage basket purse with bamboo handle. I dry-brushed the basket in aqua paint, and tied a vintage cloth tape measure around the handle. I love these juniper sprigs, and I can't believe they're artificial.

So if you're in a hurry for a centerpiece, 
shop your house, your yard, or a park, 
and you're sure to find something worthy 
of filling an empty space. 

Join Me on Instagram


2 comments:

  1. Beautful, Creative Maria. If I had to choose a favorite, I think it would be the last one but only becuase I'm partial to a little aqua. The measuring tape accent is perfecto!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yeah Amy, I've got it bad for aqua, so you don't have to twist my arm....:)

    ReplyDelete

What say you?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...