DIY: Fun Faux Pinecones

This adorable decoration doesn't require many materials. You'll need pipe cleaners, a hole punch, a spray bottle of water, and scraps of tooling leather. Peterson used a few oak-tanned leather pieces in this example. Try a local leather or craft store for scraps, or look on eBay.

To cut out the shapes needed for this project, you'll need a template from Freshly Picked. You'll also need spacers — very small pieces of leather, plastic, or cardboard that you'll place in between each piece of leather when you put the pine cone together. You'll want each spacer to be about 1/8 inch thick, with a hole punched out of the middle.

First, wet the entire piece of leather you're using with a spray bottle. Using something with a sharp point (Peterson suggests a chopstick or something similar), place your pattern on top of the leather and trace over it.

Remove the paper, and the pattern will be carved into the pliable wet leather — easy! After you're done tracing, cut out your pieces. You should have at least three pieces of each size that the template provides.

Punch a hole in the center of each piece, and spray each piece completely with water.

While the pieces are still wet, mold them by pinching the sides of each "petal" together, and pushing the ends up a bit. Put them on a flat surface to dry.

Once they're dry, tie off one end of your pipe cleaner and start threading your cut out pieces onto it, starting with the biggest piece.

Place a spacer in between each piece to help the final product look structured more like a pinecone. Cut off the extra bit of pipe cleaner when you're done, and tie a little knot in the end.

Do one last light spray of water to do any final shaping, and you have holiday decoration that takes hardly any time to make, but could very well be passed down for generations. The leather gives it a timeless look that fits into virtually any décor scheme.

More DIYs:
Fluffy White Paper Lantern
How to Paint a Sisal Rug
Upgrade That Ugly Door!