Many people use seasonal things to make seasonal table accents, decorations, and similar things. For example, when leaves begin to turn colors, and fall off of the trees, lots of people use those leaves to make wreaths and other fall-theme decorations. But there are many more crafts you can make from seasonal things; more than just things that go along with that season’s holiday or theme. Take, for instance, pine cones. They don’t have to be used only for things related to fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. You can make a beautiful set of swans which are suitable for displaying all year long.
It’s easy to find pine cones in assorted sizes, when you take a walk in the woods, visit a park, or search your own backyard. Another choice is to just buy pine cones at a craft store. That way, you don’t have to clean them and you can purchase the sizes you want.
It’s up to you if you want to paint the pine cones or use them as they are. Make sure pine cones you’ve gathered have been cleaned with a paintbrush, toothbrush, or other stiff brush. You can make something that looks more like an ugly duckling – although it’s still quite adorable – or you can paint a pinecone and make the more beautiful swan.
Use a whole, white pipe cleaner for a large pinecone and half of that for a smaller swan. The amount of pipe cleaner you use can be adjusted, depending on the size of pinecone you have. At one end of the pipe cleaner, curve it, again and again, to create a curly-q which will become the head. At the other end, turn the pipe cleaner into a circular shape which will nestle the pinecone.
Set the pinecone on the half-circle end of the pipe cleaner and glue it in place. At the curled end, glue a wiggly eye on each side. These will have to be very small. For a beak, paint or color the end of a toothpick orange, then cut it off, and glue it to the pipe cleaner.
Attach white feathers on the sides and back of the pinecone to give the swan – or ugly duckling – it’s finished look.
Do variations, if you want. For instance, use a brown pipe cleaner, brown pinecone, and brown feathers to make a duck. The finished swans or ducks look great on a windowsill, aligned on a shelf, or displayed on top of a frame-less, circular mirror.
Pinecone Swans