DIY Glittered Pinecones (+ How to Use Them in Your Holiday Home!)

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 Elmer’s white glue or Mod Podge and a brush…instead, 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 only has a few easy steps, but it’s seriously messy! So my #1 trick is to take 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, large plastic bowls, and large trays or cookie sheets will allow you to easily catch excess glitter to pour back into the original container for future crafting projects.

Step 1: Spray Paint the Pinecones

Lay out your pinecones on your work surface with several inches of space between them. Spray all the pinecones with metallic 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.

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, including on the undersides of the scales.

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.

Step 3: Glitter the Pinecone

Now for the fun part!

With your pine cone fully saturated with adhesive, move to your glittering station and then liberally shake 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!

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.

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

You can also make glittery pine cone ornaments with your craft haul. Use a hot glue gun or strong craft glue to attach a pretty bows or a big loop of ribbon to the base of the pine cones; 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 or boxwood 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.