How to make a pinecone centerpiece for free: The easy 3-step method

Decorating your home for the season doesn’t have to be difficult nor expensive. Create a luscious fall centerpiece for free with these easy-to-follow instructions. You’ll have lovely table decor for your fall home in less than 30 minutes and for free. 

But when I go on a fall walk, an empty backpack comes with me. Because fall is the best time of the year to go find free decorating materials everywhere. And no matter how many totes and crates I already have full of fallen pinecones in all shapes, sizes, and forms, I always bring home more. Can’t help myself. 

So what is a girl to do who has a serious pinecone problem? Make pinecone crafts of course!

Today’s project is a lovely pinecone centerpiece that is so easy to make, that you can whip it up in less than 30 minutes. And with all that free decorating material out there, it is a very cheap and inexpensive project too.

In my humble opinion, pinecones are the perfect fall decor that works beautifully for Thanksgiving decorating too. Fall is the season that all the pinecones have naturally dried and tend to fall off the trees. They are there to harvest and use in pine cone crafts and decorations.

So let’s get to it, and make a DIY fall centerpiece that will look great all through fall until Thanksgiving. 

How to Make a Pinecone Centerpiece

The first step in this cheap fall centerpiece tutorial is gathering and preparing your basic material

Go on a nice nature walk and collect as many pinecones (or pinecone-like berries) as you can find. I used pinecones from trees and shrubs like cedar, fir, pine, larch, common alder, and spruce. Anything I could find easily and collect without damaging the trees. If you are interested in learning about all the different pinecones, I found this article especially helpful. 

How do you preserve pinecones for crafts

Cleaning pinecones

After bringing your found treasures home you have to prepare them for crafting. The first thing is to clean all your pinecones from mud, leaves, and pine needles. 

Drying pinecones

Spread your pinecones out on some newspaper to dry. Pinecones are dry when they open up, and no longer feel cold. This can take a few hours to a few days, and is related to how fresh the pinecones were when you found them.

Prepare pinecones for crafting

How you prepare your pinecones for crafting depends on where and how you are going to use them. Like, snip them in half to make a pinecone wreath, paint or glitter them for a pinecone garland, or give them a wire stem to use in an arrangement.

Now we are ready for Step 2 In this pinecone centerpiece tutorial

Gather up some basic craft supplies that you will need for creating your fall centerpiece.

Supplies You Need to Make Pinecone Table Decor

• A tray to hold your centerpiece
• A bit of floral oasis (doesn’t matter what kind)
• Some metal wire and clippers

• A whole load of pinecones in various sizes and shapes, with and without branches attached
• Optional: some leftover decorations from the Dollar store or saved from previous centerpieces.

Basic Instructions for making DIY easy fall centerpiece

Now we are onto Step 3 of this fall pinecone centerpiece tutorial.

Place your oasis in the center of your tray (optional use a dab of hot glue to hold the oasis in place).

Start adding your pinecones.

Work in circles from bottom to top.

Add items in odd numbers.

Start with the bigger pieces first, use small pinecones and decorations to fill the gaps.

Go round and round until there is no oasis visible anymore.

Additional Tips for creating your  pinecone table centerpiece

I started with some small cedar pinecones that were still attached to branches. I created the basic shape of my centerpiece that way. I emphasized that shape with some wood-like seed pods (like the ones from the Honey Locust tree). 

In the next round, I started adding larger pinecones. To attach the pinecones to the oasis I used a ‘stem’ created from the wire. 

Next, I determined the height of my centerpiece. I used a dried head of hogweed to set the center. 

Then it was a matter of going round and round adding more small pinecones and groupings of alder catkins. 

For the final step, I added some extra decorations. I used feathers, some woodsy decorations, bundles of cinnamon sticks, and other accents, I had saved from previous arrangements. This step is optional, but adding some unexpected elements, loosens up the whole arrangement and makes it less serious.

More DIY Fall Crafts and Centerpieces

If you like my easy-going way of crafting and decorating then I’ve got some more home decor craft ideas for you that are perfect for your fall decorating.

Variations of this fall pinecone centerpiece

• Christmas / Winter

This fall centerpiece can easily be transitioned into a Christmas centerpiece that will last the whole winter season. Simply replace some brown pinecones with painted pinecones or ornaments. Sprinkle your homemade centerpiece with faux snow, and use white feathers instead of brown. Voila! Instant winter holiday centerpiece.

• Candle

Instead of a solid block of floral foam, you can use oasis in a wreath form. That way you can set a candle holder in the middle and build your homemade centerpiece around that. Place your candle in a vase or mason jar so the candle flames stay well away from your fall arrangement because all this dried material is flammable.

• Tray variations

I like round centerpieces for a dining table or coffee table. But if you want to make a centerpiece for your side table, mantel or buffet you can also use a rectangular tray and make a long arrangement. 

More Pine cone crafts and decor inspiration 

<<<< How to make an extra-large pine cone wreath >>>>

<<< Christmas front door decor with a DIY pinecone swag >>>>

<<<< Fall mantle with twig and pinecone wreath >>>>

I sincerely hope you liked my cheap and easy fall centerpiece. I know I had fun making it and I love how it looks on my dining table. 

If you want to make a pinecone centerpiece like this one day then don’t forget to save this project to your inspiration file.