How to Make a Natural Centrepiece

When we were kids, my mom would often make these beautiful centrepieces with us. She always had bags of pinecones and mixed nuts in the basement, and we would go down, dig them out, and start gluing to our hearts content.

So, this year at our family Christmas party, I decided to make these with the kids. They were a huge hit!
Here’s how to do it.

Make a base

Start with a round piece of wood or sturdy cardboard. We’ve used both before. We happened to have wooden discs left over from another craft, so it worked out perfectly.

Collect materials

Over the course of the fall, I collected ice cream buckets full of a variety of nuts.

On my mom’s street there happens to be a walnut, acorn and horse chestnut tree.

When you are drying the nuts, lay them flat on a tray for a week or so. I didn’t do this, and some of them started to mold at the bottom of the bucket.

I also collected a variety of sizes of pinecones.

Alternatively, a far easier solution is to go to the grocery store and buy a bag or two of mixed nuts (or from the Bulk Barn) and the pinecones from a craft store.

Candles

Start by gluing a candle to the centre of the base. Use a hot glue gun.

We ensured that we had enough glue guns with one per child. This avoids frustrating and waiting for turns.
The candles can be any shape or size. We opted for taller glittery candles, while I used a short one for my own creation.

Create

Lay buckets of nuts in the centre of the table and let the kids glue on whatever they want, however they want!

You will end up with the most unique and beautiful creations.

We always completely filled our bases so that you couldn’t see anything through it. So, after the kids went to bed, I made one of my own! But, let the kids create how they want to.

Shellac

After the glue has dried, go outside and spray them with a clear shellac. I got mine at the hardware store. This gives a lovely shimmer and shine to the final product.