You've probably seen a lot of pine cones in your day. Maybe for you, they're reminders of nature and its beauty. They're cute and fascinating things, and they're perfect little souvenirs of the outdoors.
Maybe you've used them to decorate holiday trees and wreaths, or smeared them with peanut butter and birdseed for a DIY bird feeder. Maybe you've even made an adorable little owl pal out of one. But we bet you never thought of them as fashion!
Luckily, Instructables user CsiGiRe is here to show you how to turn a pine cone into a striking accessory that will add instant flair to any outfit. And it's really easy — you could definitely try this yourself!
If you want to try it, make sure to use a dry pine cone that's free of any sap. It's best to find fallen ones and leave them in a sunny window for a few days to dry them out. You can also personalize them any way you like, but we're going to show you how CsiGiRe made hers.
Check out the steps below and see what you can come up with!
[H/T: Instructables]
To begin her pine cone transformation, the first thing to do was remove the scales from the pine cones.
Next, CsiGiRe selected this plain canvas fabric for the backings, and cut them to shape. She made a rectangle and a triangle.
After figuring out how to place the pine cone scales in a pleasing pattern, she began attaching them to the fabric with hot glue, creating this layered look, which she likens to shingles or roof tiles.
And she continued stacking and gluing until the fabric was filled.
She then glued a strip of leather over the top of the fabric so that it made a loop. This hides the canvas and the uneven inner edges of the pine cone scales.
Then a piece of jewelry wire that had been bent into loops at the end was slipped through the leather loop.
She also added some decorative flair to the leather band.
On the triangle, she cut smaller triangle notches, and on the rectangle, she added a few rows of scale-shaped leather pieces that mimic the pine cone scales.
To make necklaces, she threaded leather cord through the wire loops, doubling it so that any knots or clasps would be hidden behind the wearer's neck.
The triangle got a hair clip back, which can be glued on. You can also use a pin back if you'd like to make a brooch.
And then it's ready to wear! It adds an earthy note to any outfit.
And depending on the length of the cord, the necklace can have different looks.
It's a really unexpected way to accessorize an outfit.
And because it's a neutral brown, it can pair with just about any outfit. And of course you can embellish it any way you'd like if you want more pizazz, or leave it as is.
It also makes for a great hair accessory!
Check out CsiGiRe's other jewelry tutorials on Instructables, and see if you can't come up with a new way to make a fashion statement yourself!
While you're at it, SHARE this with anyone who loves fashion and crafts!
