Guest blog post by Frances and Moe, the creators behind the blog Our Eco-Friendly Life! They left everything behind in the UK to build their dream house in France. All photos taken by Frances and Moe.
DIY your own eco-friendly snowy pine cones! I absolutely love these snowy pine cones, they are so easy and fun to make and a brilliant activity to do as a family! You can use them to decorate the tree, make a garland, add to a wreath.. the possibilities are endless! You can even add your fake snow to natural foliage like we have here!
You only need a few things: your pine cones, twine and scissors (to hang up your snow pine cones), flour, salt and water!
Here's how to make them:
1. Make your twine loops! If you plan on hanging up your pine cones, either on a garland or on your tree, you will find it easier to put the twine on before you snow up your pine cone. The easiest way is to loop the twine around the base of the cone (sometimes there is a little stem you can use) and tie securely at the end to form your loop.
2. Make your glue. Simply mix one part water with one part flour, you can make as much or as little as you need! The perfect glue has a thick consistency that doesn't drip, as otherwise it can get really messy!
3. Take a paintbrush or similar and gently paint your pine cone, being careful not to cover the whole thing. It looks much more realistic to just have snow on the ends!
4. Sprinkle your salt to make your snow pine cone, the salt will happily stick to the flour-water glue and you'll get that perfect snowy look!
5. Leave to dry overnight, and then use how you wish! They look absolutely perfect hung up on a tree, and they'll last for weeks!
After Christmas you can simply compost them so they can return back to the earth!
For more tips on going zero waste, read the book and head to zero waste 101!