Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Glittery Pinecone Ornaments


I'm in a glitter kind of mood this Christmas. Maybe I've been listening to too much 70s glam rock and funk lately. I have visions of Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Gary Glitter (no pun intended), David Bowie, and T. Rex running around in my brain, and now I've got glitter on my pinecones. There's definitely a connection here. I even put up a silver tree this year. That's so unlike me.

In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm listening to a fabulous rendition of Lou Reed's I'm Waiting For The Man as performed by David Bowie on Bowie on the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Radio Sessions 68-72. What an excellent version of Mr. Reed's song!


Let's get back to work here, Liz. When it comes to music, I can easily get distracted. These pinecones look lovely with a good dose of vibrant colors and lots of glitter.

If you want to follow along, these pinecone ornaments are very easy to make.


Materials

* Assorted pinecones
* Americana acrylic paint by DecoArt in the suggested colors: Indian Turquoise (top photo), Winter Blue (in the three step-by-step pictures), Country Red, Avocado Dip, and Hauser Light Green
* American Painter #5 round (series 4000)
* Glitter, of course, in assorted colors
* Black, 26-gauge craft wire

 Tools

* Wire cutters
* Chain-nose pliers


Instructions

1) Paint the tips of the pinecone with paint as shown above. Work quickly because you want the paint to remain wet.



2) While the paint is still wet, sprinkle lots of glitter on the pinecone. Let dry completely.


3) Use 9 inches of wire, and bend it in half to form a loop.  Take the loose ends, and gently twist a few times to secure the loop. Now wrap the loose ends around the pinecone's stem. Push down any loose ends with your chain-nose pliers. 


4) Hang on your Christmas tree!


Here's to a very glitter-filled Christmas! I hope you enjoyed this music-infused tutorial.

Note: I'm a stickler when it comes to grammar and spelling. Blogger highlighted the word pinecone when I  checked my spelling. I checked two dictionaries, and pinecone is one word. Sorry, Blogger, but the dictionaries win.

1 comment:

Lisa said...

Well now I get it! I tried to glitter some pine cones only to make a fine mess! They turned out horrible. If only I had some time I'd start over! Maybe jump start for next year.
Liz, have a Merry Christmas, and thank you for your friendship. May the blessings of all you want and wish for come to you and yours.
xoxoxo Lisa