How to make paint dipped pine cones - tutorial

Today I'm going to teach you how to make your own paint dipped pine cones!

This is a really simple craft that even the kids can get involved in. If you have all the bits already like I did then it's also a free craft!

What you need:
Pine cones (obviously!)  I picked up mine for free from the local park.
Emulsion paint - a 1.25 litre can that is more than half full will do.
Broom handles or bamboo canes.
Craft wire - fine gauge.
Large piece of cardboard to catch drips.
2 Chairs to balance your wood across.
Scissors or wire cutters
Optional wooden skewer


1) Set up your workspace

It's a good idea to do this outside - especially if you live in a rented property with cream carpets like I do!
Balance your brooms across the chairs. This is going to be your hanging point to dry the pine cones.
If you have a wooden skewer, use it to stir your paint. The skewer is also handy for pushing your cones into the paint.

2) Prepare the pine cones

Using lengths of the wire (approx 20cm) wrap them around the pine cones between the 'leaves.'
You could also use small screw hooks into the end of the pine cone and attach the wire through the screw - this would be handy if you wanted to make a garland out of your cones. Another way is to make a small hole in one of the 'leaves' using a drawing pin and then you can thread the wire through the hole.

In hindsight, I would buy the screw hooks and use that method as it's quite tricky to untie the wire without taking off some of the thicker paint that hides in the grooves. You live and learn!

3) Start dipping!

Now for the fun part....... submerge your pine cone into the paint until it is fully coated. I used the skewer to push it under. Hold it above the paint can for a minute or two so that the excess paint can drip off before tying the top of your wire around the broom sticks.

4) Leave to dry

It's quite sunny today so mine have dried pretty quickly. I'm going to leave them for an hour or two just to make sure though! (Top tip: when you think they are dry, leave them for yet another hour! The paint is really thick underneath...)

5) Marvel at your creation!

I used some really bright, orange paint as my lounge is really bland. This is a great way to introduce colour to a rented house without losing your deposit!

There are so many variations you can do for this project:

White cones for Christmas and then painted with glitter varnish
Ombre effect cones or two tone dipped cones
Pastel cones for an ice cream effect
Acid brights and neon cones for a trendy house
Shades of grey for a monochrome scheme
Make a garland in different colours to go over the fireplace

Some more inspiration from around the net:

Pastel, dipped and bright pine cones

Pine cone garlands and ombre pinecones

I hope you enjoyed reading about this as much as I enjoyed making them!

P.s Thanks to various people on the net for the pictures above. Sorry that I'm too short of time to credit you!

Fun on a budget

Evening! Yes, I'm still poor. I don't get paid until Thursday and it has been SUCH a long month.  So here is what I've been doing to have fun on a budget.

Up cycled footstool:
I work right next door to a charity shop and I spotted a cute little foot stool sitting outside their back door one morning. I waited until the end of the day to see if the would put it up for sale but it was still there when I finished work.....so I nabbed it and took it home!

To start with it was covered in a grey, furry fabric and looked a bit unloved. In the spirit of "not spending" I found a good supply of Ikea fabric in my stash, hunted out a stapler and some tacks and set about transforming it.

In the beginning it looked like this:

And with only about 10mins effort it now looks like this:



If I had had a proper staple gun, it might have been easier but hey ho. That corner is not quite as mis-shapen as it looks btw.

I had been looking for a second hand foot stool to go with the vintage rocking chair that I picked up in Wales whilst visiting my mum. Unfortunately, as there is no room in my current house it will be staying at my mum's until I sell and move.

I can't wait to finally sit in it again. Luckily, I have had a few viewings on my house already so fingers crossed! 

What else? I got a cute little glass for my bathroom from Ikea. I had cracked the other one a while ago and this one was under £2.



Cut glass from Ikea

I've also been buying plants for the garden from Tesco. I got two hanging baskets for £5 each and an Acer for £10. Serious bargains.

And finally, my lovely boyfriend bought me Mollie Makes magazine as there was a free wedding magazine with it and I needed  it! It has some lovely pictures of my new obsession - brooch bouquets. I've already found some tutorials on the net and instructed my mum to hunt for cheap brooches at boot sales....



Brooch bouquet from Mollie Makes magazine



One last thing....I made another tissue paper pom pom the other day but this time I dip dyed the ends with some undiluted blackcurrant squash. It was really effective!

I hope this inspires you to think twice before splashing the cash! There is still a recession on, you know!

Any plans for the Jubilee weekend? I'll be working and hanging with my mum :)