The ordinary pine cone. It

can be a simple symbol of winter, in a plain basket dressed with a bow.

Or it can be coated with wax

and glitter to give it a snowcapped look.

Or roll one in peanut butter

and bird seed, and hang it from a tree as a winter present to the birds.

Cones can be scented, spray-painted

or wired to a wreath. You can even make a string of garland with them.

To celebrate the pine cone

and the winter season, we offer these ideas on collecting and displaying

pine cones for your home.

Pine cone bird feeder

This is a great project for

kids that also helps the birds.

Wind a cotton string around

a pine cone and loop the end so it can hang from the tree.

Next, apply peanut butter to

the pine cone (you can thin the peanut butter with a little vegetable

oil to make it easier to spread). Fill a paper plate with birdseed and

roll the pine cone in it.

Hang it from a tree and watch

the birds enjoy.

Snow-covered pine cones

What you'll need:

- White candle wax

- Empty metal can

- Old saucepan

- Small and medium-sized

pine cones

- Fine wire

- Pan or dish of cold

water

- Waxed paper

- White glitter

Directions: Break up the wax

and put it in the empty can. Fill the saucepan about one-third full with

water. Put the can with the wax in the water and heat the water to boiling.

Watch the wax closely as it melts. As soon as it is melted, turn off the

stove and leave the can in the water.

Loop a wire around a pine cone.

Dip the pine cone into the wax. Next dip it into a container of cold water.

Keep dipping back and forth until the pine cone has a snowy effect (5

to 10 dippings). Lay the pine cone on the waxed paper and dust with glitter

while it is warm. Allow to dry completely. Display in glass dish with

greenery.

Pine cone tree

What you'll need:

- Long-leaf pine cone

- Terra cotta saucer

- Spanish moss

- Spray paint, one color

for the tree, one for the saucer (can do tree any color)

- Beads (from a garland

or purchased separately)

- Hot glue

Directions: Spray-paint the

saucer the color of your choice, and let it dry.

Spray-paint the pine cone any

color you want.

Once the pine cone has dried,

put a drop of hot glue on the branches" and put the beads on the

tree as decoration. If you're worried about young children using

hot glue, you can use thick, tacky glue instead.

Hot-glue the pine cone into

the saucer. Then fill in the edges with Spanish moss. You can hot-glue

it down, too, if you want.

Pine cone window box

Worried about what type of

plants will survive the winter in your window boxes? You can avoid the

problem by filling the box with pine cones.

Gather pine cones of various

sizes and place them on the soil in the window box. You also can do this

with containers and pots around the outside of your home.

And here's the great thing.

When you start putting flowers back in the window box come spring, bag

the used pine cones and store them for next winter's display. Try

doing that with dead flowers.

Scented pine cones

Scented pine cones are one

of the hot items in stores. You can buy a bag for $2 to $10. Or you can

scent your own.

There are several methods.

Here are a few:

- Method 1: To scent 2

pounds of cones you'll need 3 ounces of cinnamon oil, 1/2 pound cinnamon

chips, 1/2 pound cinnamon sticks and one large plastic garbage bag.

Brush each cone with cinnamon

oil (available at craft or floral shops). Put cinnamon chips, sticks and

pine cones in the garbage bag. Sprinkle any leftover oil on top. Seal

bag tightly and leave mixture in bag for 8 weeks. Shake and toss the bag

once a week to blend the mixture.

- Method 2: Mix 1 part

glue to 1 part water and brush onto pine cone with a foam brush. Then

roll the cone in a mixture of ground cinnamon and cloves.

- Method 3: Pour cinnamon

oil into a spray bottle with a little water, and spray pine cones until

they are damp. Place the cones in a plastic bag and seal for 24 hours.

- Method 4: Place the

pine cones in a plastic bag you can seal, add several drops of cinnamon

oil, close the bag and shake several times to distribute the scent. Let

it sit overnight.

Once the pine cones are scented,

toss a couple into the fireplace and enjoy the aroma, or keep them in

a basket where they work as both an air freshener and a decoration.

Cleaning the cones

Some insects like pine cones,

too. Take a good look at the pine cones before you carry them into your

home. Make sure they're not damp, moldy or growing moss.

To be sure they're bug

free, you can place them on a cookie sheet and put then in a 200-degree

oven for about 20 minutes. Then turn the oven off, leaving them in there

for about two hours for them to dry out.

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