I saw Rachel of Smile and Wave dip pine cones in white paint via instagram and thought they would make an amazing rainbow garland for the holidays.
Reminiscent of those big bright strings of colorful Christmas lights, I love the final result! I think I prefer these more subtle + rustic alternatives to the bright lights I remember from my childhood.
Final images above by photographer Liz Daly
Here’s how I made them…
1. I started with a few pine cones I went foraging for in Golden Gate Park. I could have bought some at the craft store but a. I wanted mini pine cones and b. The craft store is 25 minutes away and Golden Gate Park is across the street
2. I was going to dip them, but because I lot of different colors I ended up just painting the color on instead, but trying to make it look dipped (i.e. heavy application).
3. Continue with the other colors and let dry
4. When dry, us a bit of hot glue to attach natural twine to the top of the pine cone. Make sure to leave a couple feet of twine at the beginning and end of the garland.
5. Space the colors about 2 inches apart and let dry completely before stringing along your fireplace or doorway.
These are so beautiful and such a simple idea! I shall be hunting pine cones on my walk today now 🙂
So lovely Liz!
I agree that these are reminiscent of those big rainbow bulbs my parents had. I really liked that. Maybe that’s what my tree is missing…hmmm
great idea of putting it on a tree!
Absolutely beautiful, these will definitely brighten up the holidays!
such a cute idea! i’m thinking about making some red and white ones and leaving them up through valentine’s day!
love that idea!
How cool and different! Love it! =)
Ergo – Blog
This is a really basic question, but what kind of paint did you use? Acrylic? I am new to DIY world!
You really could use a lot of different kinds of paints. I used washable paint from my son’s stash, but any kind of craft or acrylic paint would work great
One of my favorite ideas this season! Thanks for sharing.
thank you! i really love how it turned out as well 🙂
So pretty! A great alternative to the green garland too
This is just beautiful!! Wonderful idea, thank you!