DIY Cute & Colourful LED Pine Cone Christmas Tree
Every day, I walk the dog down our local park and the ground is covered with lovely pine cones. Sometimes I can’t help myself I pick a couple up and bring them home with the intention of creating something with them.
They just sit in a bucket in the fireplace.
However, the other day I was looking at the pine cones and it struck me that they look like mini Christmas tree. That’s when I got the idea to make my mini pine cone Christmas tree with lights ornaments.
One of my favourite things to recycle is tin cans. So I decided to use a tin can as my Christmas tree pot but also add colour to it by painting the can with a marbled effect.
Also what Christmas tree is complete without lights. I think these colourful mini pine cone Christmas tree looks really cute and make a lovely desktop Christmas decoration.
My kids want me to make them one each for their rooms, which I will do as I have a plentiful supply of pine cones.
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What you need to make Pine Cone Christmas Tree with Lights
- Pine cone – Medium sized is best
- Small tin can – the ones that are half the size of the normal tin cans
- Hot glue gun
- Stiff cardboard or foam
- Small piece of brown felt
- Green spray paint
- Cream spray paint
- Scissors
- Red nail polish – not the fast drying kind
- Battery operated copper string lights – You want the ones with a small 2 battery pack or micro battery operated.
How to make a mini pine cone Christmas tree
- Firstly wash and carefully dry the pine cone and then spray paint it green all over.
- Next spray paint the tin can cream.
- When the paint has dried on the tin can it is then ready for marbling. To do this in a tub of warm water add a few drops of nail varnish so that it forms a film on the surface of the water. If the varnish doesn’t spread out you can use a cocktail stick to help it spread across the surface of the water.
- Then carefully dip the outside edge of the tin can into the water. The varnish will cling to the tin can and as you roll the can cover it completely.
- Draw around the tin can onto the cardboard and felt and cut out a disc of each material to fit the top of the tin can. Glue the discs together and pierce a small hole through the disc to one side. Thread the copper string lights through this hole.
- Using a hot glue gun, glue the pine cone to the center of the felt disc. Then wrap the string lights around the pine cone Christmas tree.
- Place the battery pack inside the marble tin can and then place the tree on top as a lid.
Assembling the pine cone Christmas tree.
You might want to check out some of my other popular DIY Christmas decoration posts.
Tin Can Upcycled Advent Calendar
Upcycled Shuttlecock Angel
Upcycled Sweater Felt Garland
Sweater Upcycled Christmas Oranments
Or if your looking for more pine cone Christmas crafts there are a lot here on allfreeChristmas crafts.
CardioGod
Interesting idea! I’d decorate the pot in a more Christmas related style.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you 😊
Linda Casper
Thank you. I really like this!!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much.
moazzam sultan
very nice and cool.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you!
Kelly Lewis
I alwYs pick out a craft to make each Christmas and I love nature and especially pine cones. One year,as I was looking for my annual craft I found a folk tale about silver pine cones that I found really cute. So I made everyone silver pine cones, put them in really adorable gift boxes and included a copy of the folk tale. Quite a few of the people I made them for still have them over 8 years later, gift box, silver pine cone and folk tale!
Claire Armstrong
That sounds like a really lovely and thoughtful gift no wonder people kept them.
Ruth
Can you please post the folk tale?
Claire Armstrong
Sorry, I’m not sure what you mean?
Mother of 3
What a cute idea! We’ve used pine cones to make ornaments before but never to make the actual tree. Thanks for sharing this fun craft idea with us at the Virtual Refrigerator. Pinned.
Claire Armstrong
Pine cones are great for so many crafts.
Twochicksandamom/Donna
Hi. Two Chicks and a Mom featured your cute Christmas Tree at Party in Your PJs this week–hope you can stop by again!
https://twochicksandamom.blogspot.com/2017/11/thanksgiving-week-party-in-your-pjs.html
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much I look forward to seeing it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Michelle James
Wow! This is such a cool idea!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, Michelle.
Julie
This is such a clever idea. I love the marbling on the can too – I tried that a while back and it’s such fun isn’t it? I’m sure someone in our family has a tree with those tall thin pinecones on it, I’ll have to check, they could work really well for this idea.
Claire Armstrong
Thanks, Julie. Lucky for me there is a park at the end of my road full of trees with pinecones in different shapes and sizes.
Mary
Claire this is really original. Why had I never thought that the pinecones looked like little trees? You did a great job and I imagine they must look awesome all lit up.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you Mary. They are kind of sweet, a great decoration for the desk
Carrie @ Carrie's Home Cooking
This is so creative! I love homemade holiday decorations! Thank you so much for sharing on Whisk It Wednesday. I hope to see you there again soon! Have a wonderful week. Carrie @ Carrie’s Home Cooking
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much for hosting.
Caro | The Twinkle Diaries
SUCH a clever idea Claire!! Love them — I reckon my littles would like to make something similar… perhaps not quite as technical — the marbling with nail varnish is a fab trick!! — but they’d love to make some little trees! Thanks so much for sharing!! Cx #HomeEtc
Claire Armstrong
The kids could decorate them with those bags of tiny pompoms you get in the pound shops and perhaps some glitter on the tips.
Amber Harrop
This is amazingly cute Claire I love it
Claire Armstrong
Ahh, thank you Amber 😊
Anne Marie
This is so cute, I never thought of pine cones in this way but they do look like mini Christmas trees 😁 #homeetc
Claire Armstrong
Thank you Anne Marie. Not only do they look like mini Christmas trees but they come in all different shapes and sizes. I’ve just spotted some really cute dinky cones in the park that I want to make something with.
STEPHANIE ABBOTT
You always make simple things look so beautiful! Love it. Pinned. Thanks for sharing with our link party!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much!
Leanna
This is really cute. I am fixated on all sorts of uses for those mini lights, love your idea.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much.
Debrashoppeno5
What an adorable idea. This can be tucked in so many places around the house.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, yes this one is actually in the kitchen at the moment.
Kelly
What a cute and creative idea! And you make it look so simple, too!
Best,
Kelly
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, it is simple Kelly.
Toni | Small Home Soul
This is so creative Claire! I love the dipping effect on the tin and adding tiny LED lights to the pinecone is perfect.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much Toni. I’m really into the marbling effect now.
Wendy
Claire you are so clever. This is adorable! How do you think of these things?
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, Wendy. My head is just stuff full of craft which is dying to come out. I don’t have the time unfortunately to make all the things I want to make.
Victoria @DazzleWhileFrazzled
Very cute idea! Would look super as place settings or on a mantel. Visiting from Remodelaholic.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, Victoria. I think I will be putting a few of these on the mantle.
Jennifer Priest
So clever! …and cute too!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you Jennifer and thanks for organising the blog hop.
Cecilia
So cute! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you 😊
Sue D
I like these cute pinecone trees and that you added lights.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, I like my Christmas lights.
Allison
This is so cute! I’ve got my mom collecting pine cones for Christmas crafts, I’ll have to ask her to snag a few more for me 🙂
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, I’m lucky there are loads of pine cones in the park at the end of my road.
Kimberley | Oh Just My Little Blog
Eek this is just too cute! We’re in the middle of a huge home renovation at the moment so might not have space for a big tree this year, I might be making lots of these instead! x #HomeEtc
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much. They are really easy to make.
Sam - Raggedy Bits
Super cute project Claire! I can see a few of these in a row as a centrepiece for a table without it being too bulky!! Great idea!
Claire Armstrong
Thanks Sam, I like the centrepiece idea.
Lynn Spencer
Claire, you always have such fun and cheerful ideas. Thanks for the bit of whimsy.
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, Lynn. I believe crafting should be fun, colourful and make you smile.
Julie
I’m living and traveling full-time in my RV and this would be the perfect Christmas tree for us!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, yes this is definitely a portable Christmas tree. Living and traveling in the RV sounds interesting.
Susanne
HELLO!!! That is the cutest little thing I have ever seen!!! How crafty you are 🙂
Claire Armstrong
Thank you Susanne 💙😊
Dana Tatar
Super cute project! I love how you colored the can. Thanks for sharing!
Claire Armstrong
Thank you so much!
Christene A Holder
This is so cute! I love the marbling effect. These would make great stocking stuffers too!
>> Christene
Keys to Inspiration
Claire Armstrong
Thank you, I’m into marling at the moment.