10 December 2008

My Pine Cone is Bigger Than Yours

It's true! Each one is at least 13" long. They're pine cones on steroids. The pine cones that ate all of the other pine cones.



I saw these sugar pine cones in a magazine and I HAD to have some. There are a couple in my garland. Apparently, they grow on the sugar pine tree in Oregon and Northern California. Anyway, I searched all over and finally found an ebay seller with prices that I could swallow.

I've never been a huge glitter fan, but my friend Chris from Just a Girl is the glitter queen. She introduced me to Martha Stewart's glitter. It's fine and shiny and absolutely irresistible. My cones needed some Martha glitter.



I gathered up my supplies. The cone, Modge Podge, an eye-hook, paint brush and glitter. Soy sauce is entirely optional.



I screwed an eye-hook into the top of each one so I'd have a place to string a ribbon.



Then I used Modge Podge to coat each petal (is that what they're called?) of the cone and sprinkled the Martha glitter all over the glue.



A quick coat of glue to the underside of the petal (again with that word?) and more glitter to give it a finished look.



String them on a piece of ribbon and you have a GIANT sparkly pine cone tassel.

And if you're messy, like me, it will look like some teeny-tiny sparkle fairies had a rockin' party in your house. It's on the floor, the walls, the table, my face. Everywhere.

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68 comments {Click here to leave a comment}:

Lady of the Mote said...

they are wonderful,
glitter... it's a good thing.

Decor To Adore said...

So beautiful!

Darlene said...

Those are just GORGEOUS...I'm gonna have to try the Martha Stewart glitter!!!!

Shell in your Pocket said...

Very cute idea..love it!
-sandy toes

Unknown said...

They're huge!!! That's gonna take an awful lot of glitter! Rita

Ash said...

Wow! I've only seen pine cones that big in one other place - Pompeii, Italy. They were massive. My friend and I were trying to figure out all sorts of ways we could smuggle them through customs.

Sadly, they were left behind.

Yours are absolutely gorgeous - I'm a big fan of glitter! Difficult to appreciate with two little boys of my own.

Em

Jen - Balancing Beauty and Bedlam said...

Are you kidding...America's Top Models pay big bucks to have that glitter all over....flaunt it!!

Missy Wertz said...

they are huge and pretty!

Judy @ In His Grip said...

I grew up in southern California and we used to find these giant pinecones all over in the mountians. My mom has a huge bucket of them she uses at Christmas.

Anonymous said...

What a simple and gorgeous project for the holidays! Thank you for sharing.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

Misti of Studio M Designs said...

I have noticed those mammoth pine cones in magazines, and they just don't grow here in Georgia! I must have some too. Love the Martha glitter! Great job Kimba.

Natalia said...

The came out great.

I've drooled over the MS glitter at Micheal's several times but haven't bitten the bullet yet.

I don't know how much longer I can hold out.

Vanessa Greenway said...

So pretty!!! :) Vanessa

Suzann said...

Oh pretty! I was fortunate enough to get 2 baskets of pine cones from free-cycle, but I haven't done anything with them. I wanted to somehow make them smell awesome, but I didn't figure out how. They do look quite special sitting in their baskets near the front door, but perhaps I'll glitter them for next year!

Anonymous said...

Those are awesome!! We glittered pinecones from our backyard and strung them on the tree this year. 3 weeks ago. I'm still cleaning up glitter!

Pretty Organizer said...

They're in the mountains east of San Diego. My grandparents had cabin and we used to collect them for fall/Christmas decor. My mom would take them and put them in the oven (sorry, not sure what temp) and they would get hot and ooze sap... not too much but the effect was a natural glaze that shined up the outside and made them smell fresh! The sap hardend and wasn't sticky anymore when it cooled. They're beautiful. I guess I need to make a business selling them on ebay! I'll pick up a few boxes next time I go to San Diego. Beautiful tassels babe. Great post.

Astrid in Bristling Acres said...

I have a sugar pine cone too. It's massive!

southerninspiration said...

Looking good...that ebay seller is gonna LOVE you for publicizing their wares......they are gonna wonder where all these women are coming from going gaga over their cones!?!You should get a commission! And possibly from martha as well.......;)
Suzanne

Anonymous said...

HEY LOVELY PINE CONES . MY DAUGHTER [MONKEY GIGGLES] TOLD ME ABOUT YOU . I AM NEW WITH ALL OF THIS . BUT BOY DO I LOVE IT . YOU LADIES HAVE SO MANY IDEAS .THANK YOU FOR SHARING THEM . PUTS MY IDEAS TO SHAME .WELL I MIGHT HAVE ONE OR TWO GOOD ONES. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK .

Laura said...

How pretty - and I know what you mean about the glitter - it goes everywhere no matter what you do!

Unknown said...

Those pinecones are fantastic! I love the glitter on them and how they shimmer. I want some too! :)

jennifer said...

oooh! i was wondering what would be the best adhesive for something like glitter... thanks!

that, my friend, is why I LOVE Mod Podge. The best invention. Ever.

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

This is BEAUTIFUL! I love MS glitter and this is a great use for it! I'll be linking.

Amy @ Living Locurto said...

There is always glitter on my floor, I might as well make these! So cute. I'll have to use little ones, so yes... yours IS bigger than mine:-)

Cassie said...

These are lovely and HUGE! I ♥ them!

Inspired Kara said...

these are perfect.

Heathahlee said...

I LOVE decorating with pine cones! I would also LOVE to have those huge ones! I saw some like those that had been painted white and hung with pretty white satin ribbon and wondered where in the world those cones came from. Now I know.

I am itching to use my red Martha Stewart glitter! Hopefully I'll be brave enough to have my project done by your open house date! Ooh, I just thought of something...I wonder what those birds would look like in red glitter? Hee hee!

Mom in High Heels said...

OMG Kimba, you kill me! You're so funny. The pine cones that ate all the other pine cones. Hilarious. They look beautiful.

Laurie and Chris said...

What cute idea! I will have remember it for next year when we are on our nature walks I can pick them up.

Chris said...

OH MY! I love it, of course. I never would have thought to look on Ebay for these. Brilliant. However, I think I might try the soy sauce when I make these. Could make all the difference. :)

Bee said...

Oooh, pretty! Simple elegance with a little glizt.

Ann said...

What lovely cones you have! I have a very funny but long story about that comment and he wasn't talking about my pine cones.

I do get very large pine cones in my area but not that large , WOW.

Mrs. Gray's Class said...

Those really are the biggest pine cones I've ever seen - they're beautiful. I still haven't allowed myself to play with any glitter - I'm so afraid of the mess!

Wendy said...

I love them! And I'm messy like you...whenever I use glitter it gets EVERYWHERE! But the end results are worth it!

Dot O said...

They are so simple yet so elegant!!! I love that idea, only we have puny cones here...

K and/or K said...

Your cones are YUGE! Love it. Anything with glitter on it impresses me!

Kristen, pajama mama said...

love this idea...but it does seem like the cone have to be pretty massive for the full effect! great job, Kimba!

-kristen

Jane In The Jungle said...

LOVE this, my grandparents lived in south Georgia when I was little and they had massive pincones there. We would always take them and do wild kid stuff to them! They never looked that good, LOL!!

Jen~ Lipstick and Laundry said...

LOVE them! I live in Northern CA and I still can't come across them... SO ebay was the way to go!

Valarie Lea said...

Love this idea! I am off to hunt down some pinecones in the woods. Ok its really the front yard, but it sounded better the other way.

Caren said...

Super cute Kimba! I used the Martha glitter at Halloween and glittered just about anything black that I could. It was awesome.

Julia @ Hooked on Houses said...

Love these! I can't believe how big they are.

Anonymous said...

Wow! They turned out great. My husband laughs that he'll never have to buy me jewelry again...just let me loose in the Martha Stewart aisle in Michaels.

Linda said...

Yowza....THESE ARE BIG 'UNS. You made them look so pretty!!

Ashley said...

This is why I'm scared to work with glitter.... I just hate that it gets everywhere. But it is definitely worth the cleaning for that!!

Southern Charm said...

Beautiful!! I love the ones on the door.

Carrie's Minnesota-nICE said...

What a great idea!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Cute, Kimba! I did some glitter pinecones last year, but haven't tried the Martha glitter. Glitter is SO messy, but what a beautiful look. I'm loving my pinecones & acorns this year too.

Holly said...

That is so simple and clever. ELEGANT!! What a great idea.

Anonymous said...

Those babies are huge!!! I love em"

megan said...

I love those!!! And amen to glitter everywhere. I unrolled some ribbon that was glittery the other day and it ended up all over my entryway...glitter attacks once again!
Blessings,
Megan

Mrs. Dunbar said...

This girl is unbelievable!! i love you Kimba... I'm off to order Arnold Schwarzenager pine cones... my husband is going to freak out....

Lulu and Co. said...

Your pine cones are HUGE, I needed yours for my window, I had to glue 2 puny pine cones together to get them remotely big! Love them!!

Unknown said...

Those look adorable, but the first thing I thought when I read this was, "I wish I lived in Oregon or Northern California so that I could pick pinecones and sell them for big bucks on ebay." Seriously.

Elyse said...

very nice! martha stewart also has great glue pens! i just got a set of glass glitter from tinsel trading as a b'day present. hooray for glitter!

Rachael Black said...

You know...I've been hearing about Martha's glitter a lot lately. Thanks for sharing you ginormous pine cone tassel! I think it looks great. I bet you could spray the finished product with some kind of clear coat to keep the glitter from getting everywhere. :) Just an idea.

Gina said...

man those are big! they look great, and you're not the only one to be decked out in glitter all the time-it's a standard for me this time of year! I cannot avoid it.

And it just breaks my heart that my hubby saw your picture and said, "hey-I saw a huge pile of these at the dump not that long ago! I guess I should have snagged them?" Yikes-yes he should have!

Unknown said...

Really pretty!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful idea for pine cones, and, in this case, two large ones are ideal for hanging on a door. I love the ribbon you chose because of its simplicity. And thanks so much for sharing your step-by-step photographs with us!

Teresa said...

I'm so glad I stopped by- I have mega pine cones all around my place- Now I have a fabulous thing to do with them....thanks to you!

Unknown said...

I've seen Martha make these too; yours came out great!

SmilingSally said...

What a spectacular decoration! I wish they made a sealer to prevent the sparkles from traveling.

jill said...

Love these! They make a lovely decorative display. Thanks for sharing!

april may and june said...

gorgeous.. i love these. i might actually have to try to make these. they look so easy to make but they turned out so beautiful. you are full of wonderful ideas.

j said...

I am pretty sure that I will be copying this idea:)

DairyQueen said...

very petty! I'm going to have to try that one!

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

I had some of those great big pines at our other home, but when we moved, my dh decided to throw them away!!!! Oh, what I could have done with them...

Jenifer said...

I wish I had known you wanted some of these! I have a box full that I brought back a few years ago from Chester CA. in northern California. My mother-inlaw is from there and we were visiting one summer and I couldn't resist them. They were everywhere!