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Traveling back in time to my kindergarten years today!
And so excited that I can finally talk about all things Christmas!
YESS!!
I have been waiting for this since last Christmas.
And yes, I am Christmas freak. If you hate Christmas, you should probably just look away now and come back tomorrow for good food. Today is all about Christmas stuff.
If you’ve been reading the blog this past week, then you know that we’ve already had our tree up since a week ago last Saturday. Normally we get our tree on Thanksgiving, or over Thanksgiving weekend. But this year, the girls in the family decided we couldn’t wait till the end of November. SO, we made Dad (with Mom and Asher in tow) go out and chop the family tree down. He was little resistant at first, but with age he’s become a huge softy, so we got him to agree.
I am not gonna lie, this is the smallest tree we’ve had in years, but it’s still super pretty.
I love a traditional tree filled with different ornaments. Nothing fancy.
When I was a kid, I’m thinking kindergarten? Our class made peanut butter pine cones that we covered in bird food and hung on the trees outside. This got me thinking, this could also be a cute idea for our indoor Christmas tree. I know that pine cone ornaments are nothing new. But it’s always nice to be reminded of simple, fun decorating ideas. I tried to put my own foodie spin on them because, well for me, all activities are better when they include a little sweetness.
For the snow, I used royal icing. I knew it would harden up and last practically a lifetime. It’s PERFECT, so pretty. I then sprinkled the cones with glitter to add a little glam. These frosty pine cones make for cheap, easy and “merry” Christmas tree ornaments.
These are super fun to make with kids… but be prepared for a giant mess. Asher, her friend and I, somehow managed to get glitter everywhere (you might want to contain this activity to one small area). I’m secretly loving it though because now the floors sparkle. It just feels like Christmas!
UGH. I am so cheesy. Sorry, but not really.
And the best part about these is that you don’t have to have a crafty bone in your body. No matter what, these snowy, sparkly pine cone ornaments will turn out cute. There’s nothing to them. You also don’t have to just hang them on your tree. They’re good for the fireplace mantle, hanging down from the top of a window or sticking in a strand of garland. My mom even stuck a few in the wreath on the front door. Our house kind of looks like Christmas exploded all over it. Loving it!
Homemade Holidays: Snowy, Sparkly Pine Cone Ornaments.
Ingredients
Frosting Snow
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/2 cup water
To Finish
- festive ribbon
- 15-20 pine cones
- glitter (I used red, green, silver and white)
Instructions
- To make the frosting, combine sugar and meringue powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mixing on low-speed, add a scant 1/2 cup water. Mix until icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle. Add the frosting to a gallon size Ziploc bag (or a piping bag).
- Tie the ribbon around the top of the pine cone to create a loop.
- Snip about 1/8 an inch off one corner of the frosting bag. Place small amounts of frostings all round the pine cones scales. Then, holding the cone over a bowl, spoon fine glitter over the scales. Make sure to sprinkle the glitter over the frosting within a minute or two of frosting, or the frosting with begin to harden.
- Allow the cones to dry one to two hours before hanging on the tree or around the house.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Happy decorating!
Thank you for the great idea! I made these last weekend with my four-year old and we loved them! Admittedly, they didn’t turn out quite as subtly beautiful as yours, but they are a sparkly addition to our Christmas tree. Easy enough for a 4-year old to do. We did the glitter part outside on the deck, for less cleanup!!
Hi Valerie! Aw how fun! I am sure they were so beautiful! Thanks for trying it out! xT
Funnnn!!! Such a smart idea to use royal icing!
Thanks Laura! Hope you had a great holiday weekend!
These are so pretty! I used to make a “bird tree” too when I was younger. Pine cones with PB and seeds. And string popcorn and dried fruit. It was fun and I loved watching the birds outside!
I did that too! It was the best! 🙂
Thanks LIz!
These are so cool! We put up our tree today, the first time we bought a tree over 4 feet. it’s 7.5 feet tall! egads. Anyways…. love this idea. Merry Christmas!
Trish
THAT IS AWESOME! I love big trees! 🙂
Thanks Trish and happy decorating!
These are too cute! The hubs and I are shopping for Christmas tree and I can’t wait to make these ornaments. Must be a fun project.
Thanks Linda! Hope you found a great tree!
These are so adorable and easy to make! At first I thought it was glue but I love these even more for the fact that you used royal icing 🙂
Thanks Christina!
I absolutely love these Tieghan!!
Thanks Dorothy!
Very, very cute Tiegs!! I love Christmas crafting, it’s such a great break from baking. I will toatlly have to give these a go!
Thanks Megan!
I love a little holiday sparkle, these are so fun!
Thanks Laura!
Oh my goodness, these are super cute! Do you think I could add a drop or two of Cinnamon Essential Oil to make them smell great too? Thanks for this easy Christmas craft (as I pretty much suck at being crafty).
Oh wow! What a great idea! I think that would work perfect!
What a cute idea! Pine cones smell so good, too!
OH my gosh, they smell so good! Thanks!
These are so pretty! I love homemade Christmas ornaments. They’re the best. 🙂
Thanks Beth!
Love this Tieghan! These look fantastic, what a fun project for Asher!
Thanks Kathy!
When I worked in kindergarten they made these using glue. They loved doing it. Yes, we want to see all of the tree. (-:
Haha! Thanks Charlotte! I will take a pic of the whole tree and post it on Instagram! 🙂
The first graders make bird seed pinecones to hang outside there classrooms–they also use grapefruit peels. But it doesn’t take long before the squirrels get to everything. Love the glitter of the pinecones. When will we see the whole tree– just curious–lol.
I made those too, with peanut butter and bird seeds! 🙂
Thanks Nancy!