Love your pine cones

[Old Goat]

We are surrounded by pines of course so I’d rather put them to use when I have to rake them up. So some of the things I do with them are:

Make stealth bobbers for fishing. Simply find an open pine cone the dryer rounder ones do best, attach your line and this replaces those annoying red and white bobbers.

Stealth fire starters, this works well  around the holidays. You take your dried pine cones, warm some wax and add soft winter dye colors such as pale blue to the wax, twine a bit of mop fiber or if you have spare wicks into the pine cone with a bit out at the top, lay out some wax paper, aluminum foil or just a piece of card board. Once the wick is in place dip the pine cone in the wax and swirl around don’t over do it. It is best to do several coats and not to heavy. Place them on the wax paper or what ever between layers, the color will be stronger with more layers. after they have cooled you can put them in nice baskets on the mantle or throw a ribbon on the basket and give them to your prepper friends as fire starters. Most people will think they are seasonal decorations.

Don’t forget you pine cone wreathes either, instead of glue use wire or wood pins, natural burlap and grape vines to create a wreathe that can be used in an emergency as a fire starter if you are having trouble getting your hard woods to catch.

Don’t use green pine cones in fire places or as bobbers. I collect my cones in the spring and let them dry out all summer.

There are droves of neat ways to hide your fire starters in plain sight LOL. Cute owls with papers eyes, toilet roll elves filled with lint and junk mail, you can pretty much find a year round craft ideas that can be adapted as fire starters that your guest will never know their true purpose in life.

 

[Daisy]

These are really great ideas. I love finding ways to use things that most people dispose of!

[Peppy P]

Great ideas.

 

[OldMt Woman]

‘Tis the time of year when tons of different types of pine cones roll down these STEEP hillsides…right into the barnyard area where I have to walk.  Have whole hillsides full of cone-bearing trees –  throwing them down at me!  I have enough trouble without those rolling things under foot!

However, some are great specimens – symmetrical/opened.  I like the cord-wrapped/dipped idea.

OldMtWoman

[Old Goat]

I hear you Old MT Woman sound like you have too much of a good thing, need to sell those pesky pine cones LOL

[namelus]

The big  ponderosa cones separate into 3 piles spray paint 1 silver 1 gold one shellac then make wreaths with cheap ribbon from dollar store and thrift shop they sell well at winter craft fairs, add some cedar trim and holly garnish.

 

Ask a big city florist and craft shop they will buy cones by the garbage bag along with cedar and pine boughs.

 

With big fires there will be a demand for pine and cedar seeds for replanting. ask tree planters  where they get the seedlings frop

 

[Old Goat]

Yeah, Namelus never thought about selling the seeds. Good Idea some seeds require heat such as a forest fire to pop open to begin with. Made pine cone Christmas trees for people with small spaces and painted them. Painted the wreaths and trees would create another income source for homesteaders.

[Wolphene Howlett]

I’ve used larger open pinecones as winter bird feeders. Mix wildbird seed with softened suet and pack that into the gaps of the cone scales. Tie a loop of ribbon to the tip of the cone and hang outside in the branches of trees. Then watch the birdies go nuts having discovered a new treat made just for them. they even get territorial against each other, defending their cone!

[Old Goat]

Yes Wolphene sorry this took so long to get back to you. The kids love doing that because they can watch from the window while the birds and squirrels argue over them.

So many good uses for pine cones!

[Author]

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