DIY Glittered Pinecones (+ Ideas for Using Them in Your Holiday Home!)

If you can believe it, today’s super simple Christmas craft is one of the most popular on my site! Although messy, these DIY glittered pinecones are quick, easy, and inexpensive to make…and can be can be used all over your holiday home to add a whimsical touch of nature to a variety of surfaces. From ornaments and wreaths to vase fillers and garlands, the possibilities really are endless. So head on outside to collect some pinecones and then stock up on some chunky glitter…because once you make one batch, you’ll probably want to make lots more!

Glittered pinecones are commonly seen in the floral section of craft stores, home decor magazines, and fancy ornament collections. However, making your own isn’t just cheaper than store-bought versions; it also allows you to customize them to your particular decor scheme!

Once you get the process down (and embrace the mess!), these are really easy to make in bulk. So whether you need a few for a single vase or a bunch for a large wreath, you can easily pull them together in a single winter afternoon!

Supplies Needed

Here is what you need to make a set of glittered pinecones:

1. Metallic Spray Paint – The pinecones will look more sparkly if they are painted first. I recommend matching your base spray paint to your glitter color (if possible). If you don’t want to load up on tons of spray paint, a good metallic silver works great for most glitter colors.
2. Spray Adhesive – Don’t even bother with glue…spray adhesive is the quickest and easiest way to get pinecones super sticky and ready for lots of glitter.
3. Glitter – Skip the fine stuff and go for good ol’ “classroom glitter.” While fine powder is lovely on small projects, I found that chunkier craft glitter gives off much more shimmer!
4. Pinecones – I am fortunate enough to have pine trees all around me, so a couple trips to the park with some buckets provided ample pinecones for crafting. However, you can also purchase pinecones in bulk at the craft store or from Amazon HERE.

Set Up Stations

Glittering pinecones is really simple, but seriously messy! So I highly recommend taking this project outside. Start by setting up an outdoor work space with two different stations:

• Station 1: Paint and Glue – You can use a table or tarp; I usually spray paint on top of a scrap sheet of plywood since the paint doesn’t stick to the wood.
• Station 2: Glitter – You can certainly use a glittering tray like this one; but when working in bulk, you might want something bigger. Plastic box lids or cookie sheets are nice and big, and also allow you to easily catch excess glitter to pour back into the original container.

Step 1: Spray Paint the Pinecones

Lay out your pinecones with several inches of space between them. Spray all the pinecones with metallic spray paint from every direction. It’s really hard (and not worth it) to get every nook and cranny of the pinecones coated in paint. Just focus on giving them a nice base coat; you don’t even need to let them dry before flipping them over.

TIP! I recommend spray painting the pinecones all at one time in big batches.

Step 2: Cover In Spray Adhesive

At least in my experience, spray paint alone is not sufficient to hold glitter on the pinecone. You will need to use spray adhesive on top of the spray paint; however, you don’t need to let the paint dry before moving on to gluing and glittering.

Unlike the spray paint…when applying the spray adhesive, rotate the pinecone around to get into every spot possible. The more glue = the more glitter = the more sparkly the result. This gets messy quickly, so I had the best luck using a plastic-gloved hand to hold one pinecone at a time and moving it all around as I sprayed.

TIP! Be sure to spray the adhesive far away or in the opposite direction of your glittering station. This will keep the glitter glue-free, and you will be able to pour excess back into the containers.

TIP! Although you can spray paint all the pinecones at one time, I recommend glueing and then glittering one pinecone at a time. In order for the glitter to stick, you need the spray adhesive to be super sticky. If you spray too many pinecones at once, there’s a chance the adhesive will dry before you get to the glittering step.

Step 3: Glitter the Pinecone

With your pine cone fully saturated with adhesive, move to your glittering station and then liberally dump glitter all over it, turning as you work to get it covered on all sides. Be forewarned…this gets pretty messy and you’ll end up with a ton of adhesive and glitter on your fingers. I don’t think it can really be avoided, so just embrace your inner child and have fun!

TIP! Give the pinecone a few good shakes before letting it dry. This will remove a lot of the excess glitter and prevent it from making a complete disaster of your house!

Step 4: Repeat

Keep repeating Steps 3 and 4 until all your pinecones are glittered. I recommend working in color “batches,” glueing and then glittering all the silver, then all the gold, then all the blue (or whatever colors you’re using). This keeps your glitter from getting mixed, which allows you to pour the excess back into the bottle to re-use it.

Ideas For Using Glittered Pinecones in Your Christmas Decor

Okay – so this is a super simple and inexpensive Christmas craft project, but what can you do with all these beautiful glittered pinecones once they’re done?!? Here are a bunch of ideas I’ve used over the years!

Fillers for Glass Jars & Bowls

The easiest and quickest way to use the glittered pinecones is as “fillers” for any clear container around your home. From large bowls and trays, to apothecary jars and vases, just load them up to add a touch of sparkle to any surface in your home. These clear vessels can be used on buffets, console tables, bookcases, dining hutches, or even as centerpieces to your holiday meal.

Pinecone Christmas Ornaments

Once glittered, you can easily make DIY pinecone ornaments. Use hot glue to attach a pretty ribbon to the top of each pinecone; then hang them on the branches of your Christmas tree!

Christmas Tree Fillers

Similarly, secure pinecones to floral picks (or just use floral wire) to insert them deep into Christmas trees in order to fill them out and add a rustic touch among the pine needles.

Fireplace Mantel Decor

If you have a mantel or console table, consider displaying a long stretch of glittered pinecones down the entire surface. Create a visually interesting combination of textures by tucking in candles, round ornaments, or greenery.

Pinecone Garland

If you like to use fresh greenery around your home, glittered pinecones are an excellent way to add in some sparkle to your banister, railings, or mantel. Like with the tree, use floral wire or floral picks to insert to the pinecones alongside ornaments and bows to break up the green.

Pine Cone Wreath

If you glitter lots (and lots) of small pinecones, consider transforming them into a gorgeous pinecone wreath! Hot glueing them to a wreath form is one option, but my floral wire technique can also be used to add different sizes of pinecones to fresh wreaths!

Pinecone Christmas Tree

Similarly, consider transforming glittered pinecones into a gorgeous tabletop tree! By combining a styrofoam tree base with floral picks, you can instantly create stunning centerpieces for just a few dollars. Here’s a great tutorial to follow.

Years and years ago, I made a whole batch of these gorgeous glittered pinecones. And each season, I always find fun and creative ways to use them throughout our holiday decorations. So rest assured…not only are these pinecone holiday decorations easy, inexpensive, and oh-so-beautiful, but they have true staying power too! I hope you give this fun Christmas craft a try!