Making a tree from cones

Autumn gives lovers of handicrafts an abundance of natural materials. Cones are perfect for making wood, which will become a unique decoration for home decor and create a winter holiday atmosphere. Such a composition will allow you to create a corner of wildlife at home. Inspired by the ready-made options for execution, you can start the creative process.

The size of a tree is determined by the number of cones available. To build a homemade structure, you will need material of different sizes. Large bumps are needed in order to fill the outer contour with them, and smaller ones are needed to insert into the gaps. You will also need glue and a cardboard sheet. So that the gaps are not noticeable, it is worth painting the base brown.

First you need to cut a circle out of cardboard, then you can start gluing cones to it. They are glued one after another in a row so that the diameter narrows towards the top. The middle is filled with the remaining instances. The action is repeated until the cone is completely closed. After completing the formation of the structure, you can proceed to decorating the craft, which is done at your own discretion.

Pine cones will be used as the main material. Having collected a sufficient amount in the park in the fall, it is preferable to sort the material into 3 groups, depending on the size. Fir cones can also be used to create an unusual winter composition.

To make a beautiful topiary, you will need:

• bulky pine cones;
• thuja branches;
• beads;
• foam ball;
• satin ribbon;
• gilded thread;
• scissors;
• spoke;
• white acrylic paint;
• sponge;
• hot glue;
• bamboo sticks;
• thickened thread of light tone;
• cement mixture and sisal.

You can use birch bark, broken into small pieces, to glue the cone. Rowan berries, juniper branches, dried flowers and dry moss are also taken as forest decorations. With the leaves, you can create a natural design style that symbolizes the arrival of autumn. For a spectacular look, the crown of the tree can be sprayed with a bronze or gold spray paint.

Another option for making pine cones is to use a cardboard cone. Such a craft can be taken to a kindergarten or school, having made it with your own hands. Flexible cardboard and cones will be used as the main material. You will also need additional materials: an unnecessary newspaper, a base for a round cake, scotch tape, a glue gun. Execution in various instructions varies slightly, only the shape and methods of fixing the decor change.

To get a beautiful and original tree, you should follow these sequential steps.

1. Build a cardboard base by folding it into a cone and flattening the bottom. Put a crumpled newspaper inside the structure, attaching it to the base with tape. Close the top in a similar way.
2. Glue the cones to the round base, moving from the bottom. It should be checked that there are no gaps between adjacent copies. In order for the configuration to be obtained without gaps, it is necessary to alternate the directions of the cones.
3. Moving towards the top of the cone, you need to fill in all the free spaces. If they still remain, you can stick dried berries in these places.
4. Now the assembled tapered structure is ready. You can decorate it with beads or ribbons. The result depends on the imagination of the author and the materials at hand.

The base of such a decorative tree made of natural materials is fixed in a pot. The stylish composition has gained increased popularity in recent years. You can decorate the interior with it in any season of the year. Following your imagination, you can vary the shape of the crown and craft a "tree of happiness" with the desired shapes.

A foam ball can be purchased at any creative supermarket or stationery. Starting to create a craft, you need to take a universal "Dragon" or hot glue to paste over a spherical figure with it, attaching bumps. A foam sphere can be replaced with newspapers by crumpling them into a ball-shaped ball and wrapping them in white sheets. To fix the resulting figure, wrap it with white thread.

From pine cones, it is worth choosing those specimens that are approximately the same in size in order to obtain minimal gaps. If you wish, you can make a combination with acorns or chestnuts. Fresh acorns are soft and can be strung with toothpicks.

A golden thread is required to securely fix decorative ornaments. With it, you can wrap the ball in a chaotic manner. A kitchen sponge is needed if you want to make a New Year's version of the topiary. Cutting off a small piece from it, you should dip it in white acrylic paint or gouache. Then, gently apply a layer to the ends of the pine cones.

With small twigs of thuja, you can easily close the formed gaps at the top of the topiary. For this, it is recommended to use a gypsy needle. The beads must be glued to the cones. Moreover, they must be evenly distributed over the area of ​​the ball. To make the topiary play with paints, you can decorate the tree with multi-colored beads.

For the final assembly, you need to put together 6 or 7 bamboo sticks, and then rewind them with a thick white thread. Sharp tips within 4-5 cm should be left intact. Instead of bamboo sticks, you can use a thick twig. Using a sharpened object, you need to make a hole in the ball. Having lubricated the ends of the skewers with glue, you will need to firmly insert the barrel into the main structure.

Next, you need a cement mixture. You can take a ready-made version or mix the material with water yourself. Having inserted the tree of happiness into the pot, it is necessary to fill the vessel with the stirred cement, fixing the trunk by means of improvised means. Then you need to let the solution harden. An alternative to cement can be gypsum, putty or alabaster, diluted in the required proportion in water. It is permissible to use any other assembly mixture.

The instructions for diluting the solution are indicated on the package. For example, to fill a pot with alabaster mixture, you will need 1 kg of material and 3 glasses of water. The solution should be stirred until a consistency is formed that resembles thick sour cream. The thickened alabaster is poured into a pot, then the tree trunk is installed and held, holding exactly for about 2-3 minutes. It takes less than a day for the mixture to dry completely. A substitute for mounting materials can be floristic foam sold in flower stalls. On top of the curing coating, you can put dried grass, shells or beads on the bottom of the pot.

After that, you can start decorating the pot using sisal, which allows you to simulate grass. Besides, the vessel can be decorated with a satin ribbon, which will be in harmony with the color of the beads. At your discretion, you can paint the container with paint or give it an artificially aged design style. The autumn version of the topiary is ready, but if you want to turn the craft into a New Year's decoration at home, you can hang small Christmas tree decorations on it or put on tinsel.

There are many master classes on how to make a tree yourself. Each option may require different natural materials, decorative elements and auxiliary tools. To form a visual representation, it is recommended to watch the training videos.

The buds should be open and plump. It is recommended to rinse them under running water before use. If they are closed, it is recommended to keep them in a heated place or place them in a slightly preheated oven. Chestnuts and acorns should be free of cracks as insects can inhabit them.

The main thing in the assembled composition is the strength of the structure. The trunk must support the decorated crown. The shelf life of the crafts depends on the materials used.

Before you start creative work, you should have patience, free time, everything you need, and also think over the concept of the product in detail. The finished craft is rather fragile, so you should avoid direct sunlight and moisture, and it is also unacceptable to put the tree next to heating devices. If you follow the simple rules of manufacturing and operation, the aesthetics of a man-made product can be preserved for a long time.

A detailed master class on making a tree from cones can be found in the following video.