Have you seen those giant Christmas wreaths?  Like the ones with Christmas ornaments?  I love the idea of making a giant Christmas wreath, but I wanted to make a wreath using things that I already had.  Instead of making a giant wreath with ornaments, I made this giant pine cone Christmas wreath using pine cones I picked up in our neighborhood.

 

This was one of the least expensive wreaths I have ever made.  Similar to the DIY Magnolia wreath I made a few years ago, I only paid for the wreath form.  Part of the fun of making this wreath is picking the pine cones.  My mom happened to be visiting, so we took the boys to the park in our neighborhood and filled our wagon with pine cones.

Prep Work

Once you have picked up pine cones off the the ground it is imperative to bake the pine cones to kill off any bugs living inside the pine cones.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!  You do not want little pests crawling out of your pine cones once it is up on your wall.  Baking also helps dry out the sap that is in the pine cones.

Bake the pine cones for 40 minutes at 250 degrees on a foil-lined cookie sheets.  Make sure you stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on your pine cones.  Ovens vary and you may need to adjust the temperature or the length of time you bake your pine cones.  You don’t want them to burn!

I used this same method of baking the pine cones when I made my natural fall wreath with magnolia leaves and pine cones. 

Once the pine cones are cooled, separate them by size.  I made groupings of small, medium and large.  After you are all organized, it is time to begin assembling the wreath.

How to Make a Pine Cone Christmas Wreath

If you want to skip the next two paragraphs, check out the video!

Starting with the outside of the wreath form, use the largest pine cones and attach them with floral wire.  You will want to attach them from the base of the cone so that the pine cone is sticking straight up.  Work your way around the entire outer-rim of the wreath form.

Next, using the smallest pine cones, attach them to the inner part of the wreath using the floral wire.  I laid my pine cones on their side and attached them to give the wreath a fuller look.  Once the inner and outer parts of the wreath are complete, use the medium sized pine cones to fill in the middle.  For this part, use hot glue to hold them in place. Layer pine cones as needed to make your giant pine cone Christmas wreath as full as you’d like.

I would not suggest hanging this outside and exposed to the elements.  I have always hung mine inside my house.  This Christmas wreath is one of my favorites.  It is natural and stunning!  It goes with any Christmas decor and is a classic wreath that will last for years.

Make sure you store it somewhere safe.  I would not suggest storing this in a garage or attic where rodents might get to it.  I have a large box in my basement where I keep this wreath for the majority of the year.  The other good thing about this giant wreath is that is can go up in the fall.  Since pine cones and Christmas are not mutually exclusive, this wreath is perfectly appropriate for fall and winter as well.  I put mine up in October and leave it up through February!

Make sure to pin this for later!

Happy pine cone collecting!