In recent years, items made from natural ingredients have become more and more popular. And this applies not only to decorative objects, but also to practical ones. So, a basket of cones can be a magnificent decoration of the interior of a living room, kitchen or dining room, and a convenient container for carrying fruits, vegetables, flowers. True, the manufacturing technique of each of these baskets has its own characteristics.
Decorative basket of cones
Every hostess wants her house to be cozy and special. That is why she seeks to give the interior of the living room, kitchen, bedrooms and even the corridor a unique style, using vintage lamps, original photo frames, elegant flowerpots and other unusual things. However, the rooms decorated with homemade objects look most unusual, among which are paintings, flower arrangements, embroideries, and all kinds of useful objects, for the manufacture of which various gifts of nature were used.
Almost every modern adult woman, when she was a child, sculpted applications, various animals, and even whole compositions, using materials independently collected on the street (chestnuts, acorns, leaves, etc.). So why not think about it again and make something like that ?! An excellent option can be a lacy basket of cones made by yourself. Of course, you will not be able to use such a thing for practical purposes, but by placing it in the dining room, you can safely install a plate of fruit at the bottom, and in the living room a pot of flowers. Well, talking about the originality of such a basket, probably, it makes no sense!
Necessary materials
Cones, wire (thick and thin), hot-melt glue - these materials are enough to make a great basket of cones. A master class on its manufacture will consist of several stages. This is the preparation of materials, the manufacture of the base, bottom, handles and the connection of all parts together. At the final stage, the basket can be decorated with flowers, yellow leaves, tinsel, serpentine, ribbons and many other decorative elements.
The number of pine cones necessary for work depends on the size of the future basket - from 50 and even up to 200-300. A basket of cones will look especially original if open and closed elements are used for its manufacture. However, it should be borne in mind that closed cones can open under the influence of heat inherent in residential premises, and this is undesirable for the finished product. To avoid this probability, they should first be covered with a liquid solution of wood glue. This will help not only to fix the closed flakes, but also to give them some shine.
Assembling the basics of the basket step by step
Joining in a circle is the easiest way by which a basket of cones can be made. Step by step you should connect them until the circle becomes the same diameter as the size you want to see the finished basket. For this purpose, a thin wire is used, which should wrap each cone that fits in a circle. It is desirable that the wire is brown, then it will not stand out and spoil the appearance of the finished product.
Similar circles should be collected as high as your creation should be. In addition, each subsequent ring should slightly decrease in diameter compared to the previous one. When all the circles are assembled, it is necessary to connect them together using hot-melt adhesive.
Bottom formation
As the bottom, you can use dense cardboard or plywood cut in shape and size. But if you spend a little time, you can achieve the fact that the basket will consist entirely of cones, including the bottom. To do this, you need to take 6 elements of approximately the same size and connect them with a thin wire and glue in a "flower". If the basket of fir cones has a larger diameter, then one more element must be attached to the existing “flower” at the junction of each two “petals”. And so on until the diameter of the "flower" reaches the desired size.
Making a handle for a basket
The handle is that part thanks to which the basket of cones will look completely completed. A master class in the manufacture of this part is needed so that it not only holds firmly, but also is beautiful. So, for the manufacture of the mentioned part of the basket, you should attach the cones to a thick wire using a thin one. To do this, you need 8-10 cones. They should be placed in a semicircle. In order to make the handle more original, when assembling it, the cones must be turned with scales in one direction or the other.
Connecting parts of a decorative basket
So, all three main parts of the basket are ready, it remains only to connect them, if you want to decorate and you can look for an application for this original piece of furniture. The bottom to the bottom of the sides can be attached using hot melt adhesive. It is best to connect the handle to the base with two means at the same time - wire and glue. In this case, it will not be possible to carelessly disrupt the integrity of the product.
A finished basket of cones will look even more interesting if you decorate it with artificial or dried flowers, fruits, leaves, you can also use ribbons, beads and other decorative elements, or coat the product with varnish. Very original, you can arrange a basket of cones on New Year's Eve. To do this, use tinsel, Christmas decorations, snowflakes and other attributes of this holiday. And you can fill such a container with your favorite mandarin oranges from childhood.
Practical basket
A decorative basket is, of course, a great way to complement the interior of the house, but what about the direct purpose of this container - that is, the transfer of fruits, flowers, vegetables and much more, which requires careful handling. Of course, for this purpose you can use the usual wicker basket, but you must admit that it will be much more pleasant to use its unusual version, for the manufacture of which cones were used.
Just imagine how much attention you will attract if you go with such a craft, for example, to a market or to a forest for a picnic! And at the same time, you can neatly put everything you need into it. So, spending a little time collecting materials and making a basket, you will get both a convenient, practical and beautiful thing for the household.
Preparation of materials
So, if you liked the idea, and you wondered how to make a basket of cones with your own hands, then it's time to start preparing materials. You need to find a wooden box the size you would like to see the future basket. It can be square or rectangular, with high walls or low. It all depends entirely on your wishes, since for the future work it does not have any meaning at all.
Now the bumps. It is ideal that they be of different sizes, as well as closed and open, this will give originality to the finished product. The number of cones depends on the size of the future basket, but in any case it is better to stock up with a large number of them. In addition, hot melt glue and a vine (approximately 2 cm in diameter) will be needed.
If you want to get an even more unusual basket, you can first change the color of the cones and use them in combination with elements of a natural color. To change the shade of the cones should be placed for 7-9 hours in the bleach for linen. This will lead to a loss of natural color, however, the scales will close during this process, and if you need some of them to be open, they must be dried in the oven or on a hot battery.
Assembly baskets for practical purposes
This basket of cones is made step by step as follows.
The vines should be firmly attached to the wooden box. You can use nails, a strong wire, large staples for this - the main thing is that the handle of the future basket be fixed securely.
Next, the outer walls of the box around the perimeter should be glued with cones. It is important not to forget to alternate between large and small, open and closed, light and dark. It is worth noting that there is no need to paste over the bottom, since the elements will not stay there. When the basket of cones is completely ready, it needs to be given enough time to dry. After that, you can use it as you wish.
If pine trees grow near you, be sure to take the time and make crafts from cones. A basket is just one of the many possible decor items that you can quickly build with your own hands if you have materials at hand. And the use of such unusual things will always be found!