How to make a Christmas toy from cones with your own hands

New Year’s toys made of cones are not only a budget and original alternative to purchased Christmas tree decorations, but also a way to have a pleasant family time in anticipation of the New Year. Even a child can easily make charming Christmas tree crafts. For adults, they give real scope for imagination and creativity.

Options for making toys from cones for the New Year

Such a decoration can be a great addition to a New Year’s gift. A hand-made toy will say much more about the attitude and feelings of the donor than the most beautiful purchased postcard.

Fir cones are unique. Firstly, it is an environmentally friendly and safe material. Secondly, with their help, you can create many options for Christmas decorations, while spending a minimum of materials and time. And thirdly, the cones will not cost anything, except for the effort spent on finding them and collecting them.

The following types of Christmas decorations can be made from this natural raw material:

• snowflakes;
• fairy tale characters (fairies, elves, gnomes, angels);
• various animals (deer, sheep, squirrel);
• Santa Claus and snowmen;
• funny birds;
• mini Christmas trees;
• fairy lights;
• Christmas decorations-balls.

For Scandinavian gnomes, you can sew a small bag for toy gifts

You can also make original wreaths and decorative Christmas trees from them to decorate the interior inside the house.

How to make a Christmas toy from cones

We must not forget that the cones are a natural material that can behave differently in the forest and at home. Most often, specimens from ordinary spruce or Siberian pine, which is widely represented in the middle lane, are used to create Christmas tree decorations. Slightly less common is cedar. All 3 types, as a rule, are the most even and with the least number of defects.

Almost all the material can be found independently in the park, in the forest or in the arboretum (if possible). Each of the cones can be considered as an art object with unique natural outlines. If there is no extra time to go to the forest, then you should look into the store of materials for creativity and purchase already processed (selected in size and shape) blanks.

Cones can be collected in parks, forests or bought in a store

Personally collected material is sometimes extremely capricious. This is due to the natural nature of raw materials and their reactions to external factors.

Since the air temperature outside and in a warm room is significantly different, the workpieces prepared for work may begin to open. If the master is satisfied with this, then there is no big trouble in this. Another thing is if you need a copy with tightly closed scales for crafts. In this case, it is recommended to lower the cone into a container with ordinary wood glue for 25-30 seconds. Then it is taken out and allowed to dry in the fresh air. Thanks to a simple manipulation, the bump remains closed under any circumstances.

In some cases, there is a need for disclosed copies. You can speed up the process of “blooming” by sending forest raw materials for 30 minutes in boiling water. After that, you just need to dry the blanks.

The shape of any cone can be corrected by first soaking it in water, and then tying it with a thread in the form that is required. They change the color of the forest material using ordinary bleach, soak the cones (1 to 1) in its solution for 18-20 hours, then dry it and use it in work.

Cones look better when open, for this purpose they can be kept in the oven for at least 1 hour until they open

To work with natural wood, the following materials and tools should be prepared:

• paints (gouache, acrylic types, nail polish, aerosol);
• brushes of different thicknesses;
• PVA glue;
• glue gun with an additional glue rod;
• paper (colored, thick cardboard, newspapers);
• foil;
• Scotch;
• threads and twine;
• foam rubber, cut into small pieces;
• textile materials (felt, tulle, satin);
• tape;
• sequins and sequins;
• artificial snow;
• large tweezers;
• pliers with a thin nose;
• nippers;
• scissors;
• wire.

If the plans include changing the shape of the blanks, then you should prepare a pot of water in advance or check the operation of the oven.

The simplest New Year’s toys from cones for the New Year

In order to quickly make the simplest New Year’s toy, you need to prepare in advance:

• dried bump;
• satin ribbon (any color);
• a piece of epaulettes;
• glue gun;
• busin.

To correct the shape of the cone, you first need to soak it in water, and then tie it with a thread

Steps:

1. A ribbon of a contrasting color should be tied into a neat little bow.
2. Tie a bow with twine, leaving the ends free.
3. Fix the whole structure with a wooden bead and stick everything on the base of the cone with a glue gun.
4. Then measure the length of the loop, tie a knot and cut off all excess.

Decorative ribbon can be replaced with cotton lace or a piece of tulle. You can also additionally decorate the upper part of the toy with colored beads, small flowers, artificial snow and other types of decorations.

New Year’s toys from painted cones for the Christmas tree

In approximately the same way, New Year’s toys are made from colored raw materials. The main difference is that the blanks are pre-painted. A master class for a New Year’s toy made of cones is nothing particularly complicated.

You will need:

• bump (pre-dried);
• a piece of epaulettes;
• decorative ribbon or lace;
• paint (white, silver or gold);
• a piece of sponge;
• glue gun.

Before painting, the Christmas tree decoration must be cleaned, this will allow the paint to be evenly applied.

Steps:

1. Dip a sponge into the paint and gently paint the ends of the scales.
2. Let the workpiece dry.
3. Tie a decorative ribbon into a small bow.
4. Tie a bow with twine, leaving the ends free.
5. Using a glue gun, glue the bow to the base of the workpiece.
6. Measure the required length for the loop, tie a knot and cut off the excess.
7. If desired, decorate the New Year’s toy with small beads.

To make the product even more spectacular and New Year’s, you can use sparkles by applying them to the surface of the scales after smearing with glue, and instead of twine, use a gold-colored thread, chain or narrow decorative ribbon.

3 ways to color cones:

For more intense and deep staining, use a thin brush and paints (gouache or acrylic).

Toys from pine cones and Christmas balls for the Christmas tree

It is worth immediately warning that New Year’s toys of this type are very massive and are suitable for decorating only tall spruce or pine trees.

You will need:

• dried cones;
• foam ball;
• tape;
• glue gun.

For toys it is better to take small cones

Steps:

1. Make a loop out of the tape and glue it (or pin it with a pin) to the base of the foam blank.
2. Carefully stick the cones over the entire surface of the ball, the denser to each other, the better.
3. Let the product dry and, if desired, decorate it in any convenient way, for example, paint it with spray paint or “powder” it with artificial snow.

If the cones have twigs, then everything is even easier. It is enough to stick the branches into the base of the foam ball and the New Year’s toy is almost ready.

New Year’s toy “Snowflake” from cones

“Snowflake” from forest materials is very easy to assemble. For her, elongated small spruce cones or small cedar varieties are ideal.

You will need:

• fir cones;
• glue gun;
• decoration for the center of the New Year’s toy (bead or snowflake);
• a piece of twine, colored lace or decorative narrow ribbon.

The toy can be covered with glitter

Steps:

1. Lay out the blanks so that the bases are directed to the center of the future toy.
2. Carefully glue all the details.
3. Pass the string through the hole in the center of the toy.
4. Glue a decorative piece to the center.

Toys from cones for the New Year “Fairy Fairy”

In anticipation of the winter holidays, parents with children often make New Year’s toys from cones for kindergarten. “Fairytale Fairy” is just one of these options.

You will need:

• elongated fir cone;
• red and pink felt;
• a wooden round blank of small diameter (an acorn or chestnut can be used as an alternative);
• glue gun;
• woolen thick thread.

To fix the shape of natural material, you can use wood glue

Steps:

1. Color a wooden blank (you can buy it at any hobby and art store), draw the face and hair of a fairy.
2. Cut out wings and a heart from red felt, and a crown from pink felt.
3. Glue the fairy head to the base of the workpiece, the wings to the back, and the heart in front.
4. Gently glue the crown to the fairy’s head.
5. Form a loop from a woolen thread and glue it to the head (it will hang vertically) or to the bump (it will hang at an angle).

A child can make such a New Year’s toy on their own without the help of their parents.

Fragrant toys from cones for the New Year

The easiest way to make a fragrant New Year’s toy is to drop orange or juniper essential oil on the finished product. However, you can find more interesting options.

You will need:

• cone;
• tape;
• cinnamon stick;
• orange;
• 

  It is better to collect cones in a coniferous forest, they will have a more pronounced smell

Steps:

1. Form a bow, tighten a loop of twine on it, set aside the desired length and cut off the excess.
2. Glue the bow to the base of the blank, add artificial needles and berries.
3. Cut the zest from an orange in a circular motion, twist it into a “rose” and glue it next to the bow, place a cinnamon stick there.

In addition to cinnamon, star anise can be used to decorate a fragrant toy.

Other options for toys from cones for the New Year with a photo

Most Christmas decorations made from forest raw materials do not require much time. What is at hand is usually enough to make an interesting and original toy.

funny birds 

Bleached blanks can be used to make tender pigeons, and ordinary brown specimens are suitable for charming owlets.

You will need:

• bumps;
• felt;
• glue gun;
• wool thread;
• feathers.

It is important to use good glue, otherwise the whole composition may fall apart.

Steps:

1. From felt, cut out eyes, paws and wings for the owlet.
2. Stick the parts in the correct order on the workpiece.
3. Gently glue the feathers on the back.
4. Make a loop out of woolen thread and glue it to the bird’s head.

Using multi-colored feathers, you can create original and funny representatives of birds.

How to make deer cones for a Christmas tree

No New Year is complete without deer toys. You can make them in just 15-20 minutes.

You will need:

• cone;
• brown felt;
• golden lace;
• red bead;
• a few thin dried twigs;
• decorative eyes.

It takes no more than 30 minutes to make a craft

Steps:

1. Glue eyes, twigs in the form of horns and a loop-lace onto the base.
2. Cut out ears from felt and glue on the sides.
3. Glue a nose bead onto the top of the workpiece.

Cheerful gnomes and elves

By the same principle as the fairy, gnomes and elves are made.

You will need:

• elongated bump;
• felt of different shades;
• a wooden round blank of small diameter (an acorn or chestnut can be used as an alternative);
• glue gun;
• small pompoms or beads;
• woolen thick thread.

The craft is a good decoration not only for the Christmas tree, but also for the table and ceiling.

Steps:

1. Color the wooden blank, draw the eyes and mouth.
2. Cut out a cone from felt, a thin strip 5-7 mm wide and mittens.
3. Glue the cone into a cap, on top of which place a bead.
4. Glue the gnome’s head to the base of the workpiece, mittens on the sides, wrap a scarf around the neck and secure it with glue.
5. Form a loop from a woolen thread and glue it to the head or sew it to the top of the gnome’s cap.

Herringbone from scales from a cone

This decoration can be used not only as a Christmas toy, but also as part of the New Year’s table decor.

You will need:

• bumps;
• pliers;
• blank-cone (from foam);
• glue gun.

The toy can be decorated with rain or a garland

Steps:

1. Separate all scales.
2. Carefully stick them on the cone in horizontal rows in a checkerboard pattern.
3. Let the decoration dry.

As a final touch, you can use spray paint or PVA glue with sparkles.

Conclusion

New Year’s cone toys are a real scope for fantasy and imagination at surprisingly low financial costs. Creating crafts from forest materials will allow you to have fun with your family and get even closer to each other.