Glittered Pinecone Wreath

While I had the glitter out I put together a couple of pine cone wreaths. I spent a bundle on glitter and you better believe I'm going to use it!  Ballard Designs has a pine cone wreath that I really like. It took some trial and error to get the results I was looking for, but it finally worked! 

When searching for how the heck to attach pine cones to things I ran across the blog Casa Haus English, via Centsational Girl's Ornament Party link. Casa Haus English made her pine cone wreath using a coat hanger!  I think her wreath looks just like Ballard Designs. Perfect! Exactly what I was searching for! The coat hanger works wonderfully. My first attempt involved the use of a wire wreath form and was a bit tricky. 

To decorate the pine cones, I wiped silver craft paint on each pine cone with a brush. While the paint was still wet, I sprinkled on Martha Stewart's White Gold glitter. 

The wire lets the pine cones toss side to side, letting you adjust where needed.

The smaller pine cones that were too small for the wreath were tossed into a glass bowl.

I found a super sale on pine cones, that smell yummy too.  Michaels was clearing out their Thanksgiving pine cones to make room for Christmas pine cones.  Nicole said I should have gathered some up from her backyard.  I still may do that! :)

I tried some as ornaments too. 

 

I have to explain where I was stumped.  I don't know why it took me so long to figure out how to hook them using something stronger than hot glue.  In Target, I picked up a pine cone ornament and realized that they drilled into the pine cone.  I can do that!?

After drilling I used eye hooks on the flat back pine cones, and made longer wire hooks with the fluffier backed pine cones.  Then I added a dab of hot glue into the hole and stuck the wire in.  Magic!

 I'm sure it's been done before, but I thought it was pretty cool!

If you use eye hooks, make sure that they will fit around whatever wire form you are using.

Here's the wire hook for the "fluffy" backed pine cones.

Then you just slide them onto your coat hanger.  I used a heavier coat hanger and it was a beast to straighten.

Once all the pine cones are on, you have to tweak them to fit snugly.  I was so pleased that the wire backs held solid while adjusting. I tell ya, silly things make me happy! 

Here's the  first pine cone wreath attempt, before I learned how to drill.  I thought I would show you just in case you all are better at wiring than me.

On this wreath I used a wire wreath form, found at Hobby Lobby. 

 First I coated the pine cones with Snow Tex.  Have any of you used that stuff?  Very cool texture.  You can water it down until you get the consistency you desire.

Then, I added glue with a brush, (after the Snow Tex dried) and sprinkled Diamond Dust all over each pine cone.  I found Diamond Dust at Michael's.  It's a clear glass glitter.  Sharp, so don't let little toes walk around in it.

If you could see the wreath in person, the glitter makes it look like it has real snow crystals on it. 

Next, I began tediously wiring each pine cone on, by wrapping wire around the back edges and then wiring to the wreath form.  The coat hanger is SO much easier. 

I really love them both.  I had good intentions of selling these at the boutiques, that's why I went a little nutty over making them. 

 They were too much work to sell. I will just have to keep them!  Shucks!