Art Projects Made From Pine Cones

You can create interesting art projects with pine cones that can be used as part of your home's décor. A wall hanging made from pine cones is a unique, three dimensional art piece. You can also create a beautiful, hand-painted floral arrangement with pine cone flowers.

Create a wall hanging with pine cone components, along with a dried tree branch and some colorful acrylic paints. You can paint the tips of your pine cones by rolling them in the paint or you could spray paint the entire cone.

To leave them natural, bake them in a 200 degree oven until the sap melts, usually 20 to 30 minutes. This will give the pine cones a nice sheen, not to mention that your house will gain an aromatic, woodsy scent while the pine cones are baking. If you choose to leave your branch natural, you can layer several coats of shellac over the surface to help keep it from rotting. This art project will not last forever, but your branch and pine cone picture will last a long time. You'll also need an artist's canvas so you can attach the branch and pine cones before you hang them as wall art.

Paint the face and the sides of the canvas with wavy stripes of acrylics in shades of a sunset, a blue skyline or a grayish cloudy day. Attach the branch to one side and let the top drape across the canvas, or place it in the center. Arrange the pine cones at the base of the branch as if they were lying on the ground. Strong craft glue like E-6000 will work to attach the cones and the wood.

A simple way to create painted pine cone flowers is to slice the cone crossways with a band saw or a Dremel. Cut the cone in half or in thirds, depending on the length of the pine cone. Cut away any rough edges and replace the scales as needed to shape the flower by re-attaching them with hot glue.

Drill a hole in the base of each flower so you can insert a wood skewer that will become your flower's stem. Spray paint the skewers green, let them dry and glue one onto each pine cone flower.

Hold the flowers by the stems and paint each petal separately with acrylic paint for a long lasting finish. Alternatively, you can spray paint the flowers on the top and the bottom before using acrylics to accentuate each scale with colorful tips. Sprinkle glitter onto the wet tips for a festive floral pine cone.

Finish by spraying acrylic over each flower to protect the finish. Arrange the painted pine cone flowers in a vase or planter with floral foam.