DIY topiary made from pine cones. Master class with photos

What do you associate with crafts made from pine cones? For the older generation, most likely, it will be school times and the insanely popular “cone men”. However, cones can be used not only for wonderful people who have already become something ordinary. For example, you can make a topiary (or as it is otherwise called, “the tree of happiness”). It is perfect for those who do not like to care for house plants, and they, in turn, pay in return. Moreover, topiary is an excellent craft for a school competition or just a good way to have fun, spend time together and usefully. Just look what beautiful trees you can make with a little imagination and patience!

And now we present to you a master class on making topiary from cones and acorns, which can serve as both a decor for your apartment and an unusual gift for friends and family!

We will make such a wonderful and even, one might say, fluffy tree.

Materials for work

1. Pine cones;

2. Thermal gun;

3. Hot melt adhesive;

4. Newspaper (you can use plastic balls, but making a hole in them for the topiary trunk is very inconvenient);

5. Plaster (or alabaster);

7. Pine branch;

8. Paint;

Topiary from pine cones: master class

1. Form a ball from newsprint.

2. Wrap the ball with thread so that it retains its ball shape.

3. Apply glue to the pine cone.

4. Glue the cones onto the ball as close to each other as possible.

5. Form the pine cones into a round shape.

6. Let's sharpen the pine branch.

7. Let's make a hole in the bottom of the ball.

8. Insert a pine branch into the hole and fix it with glue.

9. Paint the ball with silver paint.

10. We spread plaster (or alabaster) in the flowerpot, leaving 4 cm from the edge of the flowerpot. The consistency should resemble sour cream.

11. Insert the barrel with the crown into the solution and fix it until it dries completely.

12. Decorate the base of the topiary with small cones, as in the photo.

13. Final chord - coat the product with varnish.

Pine cone topiary is both a simple and laconic idea for creating a decoration for the New Year with your own hands. And if you also believe those needlewomen who have been making topiary for many years, such a “symbol” brings happiness and good luck to all family members. And to make it you will only need a few large cones, a pot, crushed stone, sand, wire, a hot glue gun, as well as any other decorations, beads, and Swarovski stones. Naturally, creating topiary from pine cones can also be done with children.

Topiary from cones is made in the same way as the usual “tree of happiness”. That is, everything should start with a base, which is a flower pot (which can also be made from scrap materials, for example, an old music record) and a wire frame.

It is advisable to make it from wire - it does not rot over time, does not dry out and perfectly retains its given shape. What form should I use? And this depends only on the imagination of the master. It can be familiar to a tree, or it can be for a fictitious one. There is nothing wrong with being guided by photos of other topiary plants.

It is better to attach the wire to the pot firmly, for example, by puncturing it and tightening it from the back side. You can simply fill the entire bottom with glue or sanitary sealant, only the wire there is twisted into several rings so that the base is as strong as possible. Next, you need to prepare your own cones to decorate the “tree”. Spruce is best, although pine will not be worse. The main thing is their size. The bigger, the better. First, all the cones need to be dried and “rolled” so that seeds do not fall out of them later.

To prevent the cones themselves from drying out, you need to:

• Pour boiling water over them several times before drying.
• Keep them warm for 15-20 days.
• Treat with copper sulfate (just spray with a spray bottle so that the solution gets into all the cracks).

After “harvesting” the cones and pot, you can proceed directly to creating the topiary.

Topiary from pine cones: how to make a tree of happiness step by step

So, after preparing the base, you can directly glue the topiary. The first step is to make a mold for the crown, and then attach all the crafts to it. The same wire will be suitable for this, with any fabric wound on top of it. The more you get this craft, the better. It is advisable to make it hard and not soft, like a toy. The base must be strong and withstand a fairly large weight load.

To prevent the fabric from unwinding, it is better to sew it, although you can get by with the most common staples or even glue. And it is not necessary to make a completely even crown shape. It can be a triangle, a pyramid, or without any obvious shape at all. The main thing is that the master likes the end result.

After crowning, you can start decorating the topiary. It is better to attach the cones with hot glue - this will be both strong and durable. On top they can be decorated with sawdust, sparkles or herbarium - as you like.

To make all this look attractive in the future, you need:

• Spray everything with hairspray (maximum hold).
• Treat the tops of the cones with clear nail polish.
• Carefully shake out all the seeds (some of the cone scales will fall off - this is normal).

Topiary from pine cones: master- decor class

Naturally, you won’t be able to get by with pine cones alone. They also need to be embellished, but what to use for this is up to each individual to decide. All decorations can be attached again with glue, paper clips, or simply sewn on. If the tree is made on the eve of the New Year, then all New Year's decor will be needed for decoration.

And yet, what can be used as decoration?

Suitable for these purposes:

• Their acorn caps.
• Rowan berries.
• “bouquets” of chestnuts.
• Needles from pine or spruce.
• Beads.
• Foil.
• Herbarium.
• Fabric patches (better known as patchwork).

Naturally, this is the shortest list of what can be used for decoration. Some even use autumn moss and tree leaves. The master class itself will have to be demonstrated by combining all of these things in one “tree of happiness”. But most importantly, there are no rules in this regard. It is allowed to combine even seemingly incompatible compositions. And it’s not necessary that anyone like them. The “Tree of Happiness” is made for yourself!

Autumn topiary made of pine cones and leaves

The most unusual decor for topiary are leaf decorations. But which ones are suitable for this and how to use them correctly? After all, the dried leaves themselves are very brittle and crumble at the slightest physical impact. Ordinary nail polish (colorless) or turning varnish, which is used for final finishing of furniture, can help correct this. That is, the composition of leaves is made in several stages.

The varnish should be applied using a brush. The thinner the layer, the better. Or you can cheat and do without painting at all, but for this you will need the most ordinary adhesive tape (preferably wide).

The sheet is glued to the tape, after which it is glued on the reverse side in the same way. In this case, the entire piece of paper should be covered in tape, without protruding parts. Excess pieces of adhesive tape can be cut off.

You can attach this decor to topiary:

• Using hot glue (you need to be careful - the base will melt).
• On paper clips (if the base is woven, it will be just right).
• Pressing it with cones (tying up its protruding scales).

How to make winter topiary from pine cones (video)

There are no rules for how to prepare such topiary step by step. The main thing is a reliable basis and a sketch worked out in advance. And since topiary from cones is made on the eve of the New Year, it should also be decorated with artificial snow. Or other “New Year’s” toys, be it serpentine, “rain” or even a real garland. By the way, if you use the latter, then only LED - for fire safety purposes.

Examples of topiary from cones (photo)

DIY pine cone tree

We invite you to make a beautiful and unusual New Year tree from pine cones. In floristry, an artificial tree is usually called topiary, which is relevant and popular. Such a “Christmas tree” will take up little space, and it can be made from the simplest materials.

To create a tree from cones you will need:

Pine cones + Christmas tree decorations (beads, toys, balls, tinsel)

Several sheets of newspaper for the base,
- padding polyester,
- sewing threads,
- glue gun/glue "Moment-Crystal",
- sisal (can be purchased at florist shops, used to decorate bouquets)
- building gypsum/cement
- a stick for the trunk (can be made from wire and thread/found in a park or forest)
- flower pot/large yogurt cup + fabric for covering
- ribbons, cords for decorating a glass

Cone tree step by step:

First of all, we will make the base for the tree, for which we take newspaper sheets and crumple them to make them soft (Fig. 2). Then crumple the newspaper sheet into a ball, which needs to be wrapped in another 1-2 sheets of newspaper (Figure 3). The base ball should be quite tight. Also, instead of newspaper, you can use ready-made plastic or foam balls (pick flowers or paint).

To fix the shape, the ball must be wrapped with threads (Fig. 4). After that, the ball will need to be covered with padding polyester and glued to it - this way, toys and cones will be more reliably glued to the ball.

Start gluing cones on the surface of the ball, first mark a place for the trunk (Fig. 6). If there are not enough pine cones, you can also add Christmas tree decorations, nuts, and artificial fruits (Fig. 7).

Take scissors and use them to make a hole in the ball for the barrel, insert a stick and fix it with glue. The shelf can be pre-painted in silver or gold, and also braided with threads.

Take a plastic flower pot or yogurt cup and drape it with fabric and decorate it however you like.

Next, add gypsum to the prepared pot (approximately 3/4 of the volume of a glass), dilute with water to the consistency of sour cream. Immediately insert the tree trunk and hold it for a couple of minutes until the plaster sets.

All that remains is to decorate the finished tree from cones. Why take sisal fibers and fill the gaps between the cones with it (Fig. 8). Glue beads (Fig. 10), garland and other decor at your discretion.

The pine cone tree is ready!

When creating your tree, do not forget that nuts and cones are a symbol of prosperity and abundance. Happy Holidays!

A topiary made from pine cones is considered a stylish and fashionable decoration for the home.

You can make it yourself, which means you can give part of your soul to creating comfort.

The round shape of topiary has been known since the creation of the Gardens of Babylon, where shrubs and trees were given fancy round shapes. The development of gardeners' art continued in the gardens of Japan and Versailles.

What does topiary consist of?

Nowadays, the European tree or tree of happiness is made from various materials of natural and artificial origin. These can be coffee beans, acorns, chestnuts, pasta, nuts, cinnamon sticks and others. Regarding the shape, it depends on the imagination of the manufacturer. The most common option is a ball, but not far from it is a cone, a heart, a number.

Topiary made from cones is considered one of the simplest and most effective. Material for creating a decorative element can be found in any city, even a metropolis. Even talented children can cope with the production scheme. And the structure of the cone turns the decoration into an original design step. The topiary trunk is made of branches, thick wire, tubes or a combination of different materials.

Decorative topiary is an artificial low tree, according to popular belief, capable of bringing comfort, warmth and well-being into the home. The classic version of decoration consists of five main elements:

• The base ball on which the crown of the product is attached. It is made from newspapers, polyurethane foam, balloon or polystyrene foam. In handicraft stores you can buy ready-made plastic blanks.
• Crown, which is considered the main element of topiary. The choice of materials depends on the imagination of the needlewoman. These can be coffee beans, cones, acorns, Christmas balls and even candy.
• Trunk. You can also make it yourself from cardboard, a pencil, or a twig. The main thing is that it looks like a tree.
• Potty. The tree of happiness must be secured in a flowerpot, glass or jar so that it does not fall. Here, too, everything depends on the imagination of the master. Even an ordinary plastic cup can be turned into a work of art.
• Decorative elements. To hide the gaps between the main materials and decorate the craft, use original, beautiful decor. For example, the trunk can be decorated with ribbons, and beads, flowers, and leaves can be added to the ball.

Topiary needs care, like any interior element. If we create it with our own hands, it is especially precious to us, so follow the operating instructions:

• keep from mechanical damage (do not let the child play, do not drop);
• hide from direct sunlight so that the product does not fade or lose its color;
• regularly clean from dust using a soft brush or hair dryer (not high power);
• do not wet, otherwise the glue will no longer hold the decorative elements;
• if coffee beans are used in the design, you can wipe the base ball with a damp cloth to reveal the wonderful aroma;
• Do not store near heating devices, so as not to overdry the product, which leads to its fragility.

This decorative element will add comfort to your home.

Advice! The crown of the tree of happiness can be made from any materials, from paper flowers, Christmas tree decorations, to money, threads and natural materials. Don't be afraid to experiment to create a unique, original composition.

Preparatory work

On the eve of the New Year holidays, it is important to decorate the house not only with Christmas tree decorations, but also with fresh fragrant pine cones. When choosing material for crafts, pay attention to the fruits of pine, spruce, and cedar. However, products from other coniferous trees will also be an excellent interior decoration.

To make a tree of happiness you need the following materials:

• cones of any coniferous tree;
• heat gun equipped with silicone glue sticks;
• foam for the base (ball);
• old newspapers;
• decorations for the trunk, pot and ball (ribbons, beads, buttons, moss, artificial or dried flowers);
• plaster or alabaster (the second takes longer to dry);
• ceramic dishes;
• materials for creating a trunk (wooden stick up to 45 cm);
• spray paint;
• threads

To make the tree of happiness neat, you should sort the cones so that only the same size remains. Also, do not forget to rinse freshly picked cones in water and dry them well in the oven for 10–15 minutes.

The oven temperature should be 350 degrees. Check for insects. They should not be in fruits.

If you use foam as the base for the European tree ball, make sure that the trunk is tightly attached to it. But it's better to choose old newspapers or papier-mâché. The paper needs to be crushed, placed in hot water and added with shavings of laundry soap. After the material swells, it is easy to form a ball out of it. True, you need to dry it well before decorating.

For a base that fully supports the finished structure, it is recommended to choose one of the mounting mixtures. This can be cement-sand mortar, gypsum, alabaster or putty. Floral foam or polystyrene foam is also suitable. The best option is alabaster, as it does not crack, is installed quickly and easily and is available in every hardware store.

To fill one medium pot with alabaster, you need to thoroughly mix 1 kg of the mixture with three glasses of water. When you get the consistency of thick sour cream, the mixture needs to be poured into the pot. The barrel is installed immediately; it must be kept in one position for 2–3 minutes. The substance dries in 12–24 hours. Only after this can you decorate the pot with fabric, beads and other available materials.

Advice! To correct the shape of a sloppy newspaper ball, wrap it with thread.

Decorating a topiary with pine cones

When the preparation process is completed and all materials have been collected, you can begin to design the topiary. If you follow the instructions, you can highlight the following steps for completing a decorative element:

1. Make a trunk out of a wooden stick. You need to cut off the height you want, taking into account the size of the pot and the diameter of the ball. It can be painted, wrapped in ribbons, or left as a tree.
2. The barrel must be inserted into the ball and secured tightly with glue. If the base of the ball is foam, then the hole for the barrel must be made in advance.
3. Paint the ball with dark brown paint to mask the gaps between the cones.
4. The pot is filled with alabaster so that it does not reach 2–2.5 cm from the top edge of the container.
5. The trunk should be placed in the center of the pot. If there is alabaster inside, wait until it dries. If there is floral foam, much less time is spent.
6. Warm up the heat gun, apply a small drop of glue to the pine cone and quickly glue it onto the previously prepared ball.
7. Consistently repeat the procedure and carefully attach cone to cone to the base. Try to ensure that there are no empty spaces and the glue is not visible under the cones. If they are different sizes, try to secure the large cones first, then the medium and small ones. In the case of the same size, it is best to place the cones according to the honeycomb principle.
8. The base in which the barrel of the product is attached should be decorated. Dry moss is great for this. To keep it in place, use hot glue.
9. Decorate the topiary. You can use ribbons, beads, spray paint and other accessories.

The procedure for making topiary with your own hands will not take much time. But you will decorate the interior of your home with a unique designer item. Therefore, feel free to go to the nearest park for pine cones.

Advice!As a stand for topiary, you can use a glass jar, cup or regular glass, decorated with fabric.

Autumn decor: original ideas

In the fall, you can use many natural materials for crafts and decorations that you can make yourself. The most popular are pine cones, acorns and seasonal dried berries. To bring some warmth into your home during the cold season, create your own autumn topiary. To do this, follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. Prepare materials for work. You will need a straight branch for the trunk, twine, beads, a glue gun, a stand and bronze paint. The main details are acorns with caps and cones.
2. Make a tree ball out of foam or newsprint.
3. To make a trunk, wrap a dry branch with twine.
4. Connect the finished newspaper ball and the barrel. Place the structure on the stand.
5. Start decorating the tree crown. To do this, glue beautiful cones and whole acorns onto a pre-prepared ball.
6. After the glue has dried, treat the decorated ball with bronze paint.
7. Place crepe paper in between the acorns and pine cones.
8. You can add beads, decorative fruits and autumn berries to the composition.
9. You can decorate the top of the pot with dry moss or a beautiful fabric.

Remember that topiary is called the tree of happiness. It brings peace and prosperity to the home. Therefore, when creating it there should be only bright, good thoughts. A positive attitude charges the jewelry and gives it special power.

Advice! When using acorns to decorate your topiary, be careful not to dry them out. In this case, they will crack and the fake will deteriorate.

New Year's topiary is the best home decoration

When choosing a gift for your loved ones for the New Year, do not forget that things made with your own hands are most valued. They preserve the warmth and tenderness with which we create. Cone topiary is no exception. It can be decorated with Christmas tree needles, rain, New Year's balls and other elements that give a festive mood.

To create a New Year's topiary, prepare in advance a flower pot, unnecessary newspapers, threads, and a plastic tube. There should be two types of glue: PVA and Super (if there is no pistol glue). To secure the structure, choose gypsum plaster or alabaster. To decorate the composition, do not forget to collect pine cones, prepare white and golden water-dispersion paint, sisal, organza, padding polyester, large pearl beads, toothpicks, scissors, an awl and a brush.

Cones are a convenient natural material that awakens imagination. Both children and adults can work with it. A few touches - and a hedgehog runs across the table, a bouquet blooms in a vase, and a tree grows in the room.

The cones have their own secrets: when warm, the scales open up.

To fix or change the original shape, you need to follow simple procedures:

1. in the first case, immerse the cones in wood glue for 30 seconds and dry thoroughly;
2. in the second, soak it in water, tie it with thread or rope, giving it the shape needed for the craft. Dry.

If you need “fluffy” buds, then the opening process is accelerated by half an hour of cooking and subsequent drying on a radiator.

Discoloration is achieved by soaking in water with bleach (1:1 ratio) for 5 hours. After the procedure, the cones must be rinsed with running water and dried.

Trees with a round crown

For crafts you will need:

• cones with open scales;
• container where the structure will be attached - flower pots, cups, vases;
• blank for the crown: ready-made plastic balls, rubber balls. You can make a sphere with your own hands from paper or papier-mâché;
• trunk;
• earth or sand for filling the base, gypsum for pouring;
• paints. Coating each scale with a brush is a labor-intensive process, so it is more convenient to use aerosol cans;
• transparent, durable adhesive;
• accessories for decorating crafts.

Master class “Festive tree”

Materials:

• pine cones;
• a thick branch will become a trunk;
• crown blank - plastic ball;
• burlap or other material convenient for decorating the crown and base (cup);
• acrylic paints in brown shades;
• gypsum;
• PVA glue;
• decorations.

Step-by-step instruction

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Master class “Tree with leaves”

Before starting work, prepare:

• open cones;
• Christmas tree toy - crown mold;
• branch - for the trunk;
• cup - the craft will be installed in it;
• aerosol paints;
• sequins – leaves, stickers;
• earth and sand to fill the base.

The structure is fixed using a glue gun. Painted.

The shapes of trees made from cones with your own hands can be presented in all their diversity - as far as the imagination of the master and the intention of nature allow.

Master class “Decorative wood”

The craft is based on pine cones and strong, flexible wire.

1. The wire is cut into several long pieces.
2. The upper part of the segment is wrapped around the cone between the scales and secured to the base. A whole “bouquet” is made in a similar way.
   
   
3. A branch is assembled from several wires with “leaves” and wrapped with electrical tape or pieces of cloth so that the roots remain.
   
   
4. The branches are connected to each other. The lower part of the barrel is wrapped in polyethylene and secured with insulating tape.
   
   
5. The pot is also decorated with polyethylene and wrapped with tape.
   
   
6. The finished tree is placed in a container, the roots are distributed evenly. The base is filled with gypsum mixture. The mixture is applied in a thin layer to the trunk.
   
   
7. After drying, the craft is painted with aerosol paints.

Do-it-yourself “double tree”

For this craft you will need two branches or one forked.

On New Year's Eve, it is customary to decorate the Christmas tree - at home and at work. Pine cones are an excellent material for creating a holiday tree!

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"Herringbone"

The entire structure is fixed on a cardboard cone-shaped base with a bottom. In order for the barrel to withstand the weight of the “needles,” the internal cavity is filled with crumpled paper.

The cone is painted in the color of the future Christmas tree (so that the gaps are not “conspicuous”) and fixed on a hard surface.

The cones are sorted by size - the largest and “fluffiest” are attached to the lower tiers, the smallest - towards the top. Fixation is done using a heat gun.

These Christmas trees will set the mood for any holiday! The sizes and decorations are chosen by the master himself. If you plan to create a large floor-standing Christmas tree, then stability is achieved by filling the internal cavity of the trunk with construction foam.

Do you want to make a craft, but your supply of pine cones is small? This is not a reason to despair and give up on your dreams. The cones are so beautiful and ideal in shape that even just one can turn into a unique creation.

If you fix an unopened pine cone on a stable surface and cover it with branches woven from beads, you will get a southern palm.

And the fluffy cone will turn into a Christmas tree if it is painted green, “drifts” are applied to the paws, and decorated with small glass toys and tinsel or plasticine balls.

If several small cones are attached to branches using wire loops and placed in a vase, then an autumn or spring tree will delight the eye.

In crafts, not only whole cones are used, but also individual sections and scales.

DIY “Christmas tree made of scales”

• the structure is fixed;
• The Christmas tree is installed in a festive pot with your own hands.

"Lilac"

An unusual solution is a lilac bush made from gifts of spruce and thuja.

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The work uses:

• several small thuja cones;
• one spruce – increased elasticity;
• twigs, newspapers, threads, paints, glue gun, varnish.

1. The twigs are freed from the bark, burned over a gas burner and dried.
   
2. The cone-shaped crown blank is made of paper, pulled together with threads or yarn.
   
3. The treated branches are connected to the cones using glue.
4. The thuja cones are disassembled and the scales are sorted by size. The largest ones are fixed along the diameter of the base of the cone, the smallest ones - at the top.
   
   
5. The fir cone is carefully disassembled (with pliers) into leaves.
   
   
6. Inflorescences and leaves are colored. Gathered into a single whole.
   
   
7. The finished craft is varnished. Installed in a vase.

Sections and scales are also used to create paintings or panels.