Pinecone gnomes are an easy Christmas craft that will add a natural element to your holiday decorating. They look great on a mantle, in a centerpiece or hung from your tree! You can make several gnomes in about 15 minutes!
You’ll need a small pinecone, a piece of felt and a wood bead. Start by printing the free hat template and cutting it out. Then, roll the felt into a cone shape. Apply glue along one long edge and overlap it to secure. Next, attach a pompom to the opening at the top of the hat.
The hat pattern is a bit big, so you’ll need to make it smaller by adding length and width all around evenly (start with a 1/2 inch). You can also cut the pattern down to fit a smaller pinecone. You can even use patterned paper for the hat.
You can make a beard with yarn to go with the pinecone gnome. Tikkido shows you how to make a pine cone beard, but there are plenty of other ways to do it too!
Another option is to paint a pinecone white and then cut out a section to look like a beard. You can do that on any size pinecone, so you don’t have to get really tiny ones if you don’t want to.
Alternatively, you could use fabric scraps and a pipe cleaner for the beard. You can find these supplies at any craft store. The only difference is that you’ll need a hot glue gun instead of a needle and thread.
If you’re looking for a more traditional gnome, you can make some using pine cones and pine branches from the yard or garden. The best part is, these will last for years to come!
You can also turn a pine cone into a reindeer: Just add googly eyes, pom poms, antlers and ears to it. If you want to hang it from your tree, run an ornament hook through its hat.
Antlers, ears and eyes are also a great idea for pine cone flowers: They’ll look nice on a table or in a vase. To do this, you’ll need yellow acrylic paint and green construction paper.
Pom poms and googly eyes can also be added to the tips of pine cone scales for some extra holiday cheer. You can even spray a bit of snow onto them to give them an ice-covered effect!
Gnomes are also a great way to get kids involved in the arts and crafts process. This project can be adapted for kids of all ages, with just a few minor changes to the instructions and tools needed.
The pinecone hat can be used on any size pinecone and the felt is available in many different colors, so you can easily match your pinecones to the rest of your decor.
You can also add a little bit of a festive touch to a pinecone by wrapping it in a red or green scarf. You can make several of these and add them to a table or shelf for a festive woodland scene!
