DIY with Local Pine Cones ~ Tussie Mussies

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Materials

*Approx. 20 pine cones from an Eastern Hemlock tree

Glue gun & sticks

Lace

Decorative paper

3 paper mache cylinders

Tacky glue

Pattern (optional)-see photo

Break the pine cone in half by twisting it with your hands.

Cut a little more than the end of each pine cone.

Begin gluing pine cones to the cylinder with your glue gun. You want them overlapping each other like fish scales. Trace the cylinder onto the decorative paper cylinder that goes inside the paper mache cylinder. Working with the paper and lace together, glue the cylinder as well as the lace down into the cone; I used the glue gun for the top edges and the tacky glue for other areas. You can be your own judge on this part.

This pattern should fill standard-size paper just as you see it, including edges.

Cut small strips of decorative paper and glue them to the top of the cone, then pull them off to create a lacey-cloth look. Do this all the way around the cone, with some of the effects inside and outside of the cone.

You can fill them with your favorite flowers, fall/spring/summer. Nice for weddings, ornaments, or decorating.

Have fun!

P.s-I plan on doing trees in the future like this, just by turning them upside down and using a twig as the tree base.

*I bake my pine cones using an old baking pan (one that I only use for baking pine cones). I heat the oven to 180 degrees and bake the pine cones for about 40 minutes. This gives them a nice glaze as well as removes any insects. You must never leave the pine cones in the oven unattended. You want to check their progress periodically to be sure you do not burn them... or the house. Your oven temperature may be slightly different than mine, so keep this in mind and adjust the temperature; play it safe, however, by lowering the temperature if you aren't sure. You do not have to bake them at all, however. You are the best judge of what's safest in your household. If you are unsure of the safety of baking them, I suggest not baking the pine cones at all.

Below are other natural items in which to consider for use in projects. All but one, the hydrangeas (unless you planted them) are found all over Marianna along roadways, fields, parks, yards, woods, and creeks.