When winter hits, I look for any excuse to get creative indoors—especially with my son. Last year, we tackled two crafts that turned out so cute, I couldn’t not share them. First, we made simple mini Christmas trees out of pinecones. Then, we used some of those to build a cozy winter arrangement with a rustic twist, featuring a piece of driftwood as the base.
These crafts were easy, fun, and looked surprisingly cute by the end. Perfect for adding a little winter magic to your home décor.
Mini Pinecone Christmas Trees
My son loves turning random finds into projects (thankfully, no rocks this time), so we figured we’d turn them into little trees. Here’s how we did it—and how you can too.
Supplies You’ll Need:
- A few good pinecones (sturdy, not falling apart)
- Green acrylic paint
- White paint for a snow effect
- Wine corks for stands
- A hot glue gun or any strong glue
- Paintbrushes (small ones work best)
- Paint the pinecones green. Instead of covering the whole pinecone, we only painted the tips of the scales. It gave a natural, festive look—like branches peeking through a dusting of snow. My son had a blast here, though I’ll admit paint still ended up everywhere—worth it! Mixing different greens also works well to create some imperfections.
- Add the snowy touch. Once the green dried (it dries quickly, so no hairdryer needed), we brushed white paint lightly over the tips using a dry brushing technique. This faux snowy effect looked so natural! If you want an even more rustic vibe, try dabbing the paint on with a foam sponge.
- Make them stand. Gluing the pinecones onto corks as tree trunks was a bit finicky. You really have to choose the right spot to glue them so they’re balanced and don’t fall over. Once placed, hold them steady for a few seconds to let the glue set.
When we lined them up on a shelf, they looked like a little enchanted forest. Although we made them as a part of our winter table arrangement later. These simple trees are perfect for mantels, tabletops, or adding to a cozy centerpiece.
Winter Pinecone Arrangement with Driftwood
We did’t glued all our pinecone trees. We wanted to take them up a notch, so we built them into a full winter scene. Driftwood became the star here—it gave our arrangement that natural, rustic vibe that feels straight out of a woodland cabin.
- We found a beautiful piece of driftwood—it looked weathered and perfect. If you don’t have driftwood, any log or wood slice would work just as well.
- We painted its top in green but covered it with white later. It looks like snow on a grass field. My son really enjoyed the process.
- Using hot glue, we placed the pinecone trees on the driftwood, spacing them out to make it look balanced.
- To make the trees extra festive, we cut little stars from glitter foam. The red sparkle against the green and white was the perfect finishing touch. We glued them carefully on top of the pinecones—they instantly transformed into mini Christmas trees. That’s our driftwood piece that we used as a focal point in our winter arrangement in a tray.
- Besides it, we used some of our tress on corks, ball ornaments, pine branches and faux berries. Adding depth and texture? That was definitely my cup of tea, not my son’s. He lost interest here, so I got to enjoy this part solo.
- Finish with a candle. Once lit, it brought the whole arrangement to life with a cozy, flickering glow. Although use LED ones if you want to make it safe.
Final Tips
Go natural. Don’t overdecorate. The charm of these crafts is their simplicity—natural wood, snow-tipped trees, and subtle accents like berries go a long way. Mix and match larger and smaller pinecones for a more dynamic look, especially if you’re creating a full arrangement.
You don’t really need to prep pinecones as everybody recommends. It’s a simple craft so why bother. Most likely, you won’t see critters crawling out later. Don’t be afraid to layer the green and white paint for a more natural look. Besides, it’s so fun for kids.
Crafting these mini pinecone trees and the winter arrangement was more than just a fun way to pass a chilly afternoon—it was a chance to create something beautiful with my son. These little trees aren’t just decorations; they’re memories. Now, every year, I take them out and remember the paint-covered hands, the hunt for the “perfect” pinecone, and that moment of triumph when we finally got them to stand upright. Btw, these aren’t only mini Christmas tree we made. This year it was a turn of wood slices and toilet paper rolls.