Pinecone picking is one of my beloved winter traditions that I force my children into each year. Being in a high altitude area in a small town, we are lucky to have a few old, giant Ponderosa pine trees in my area with the classic traditional pine cones.

They're a little prickly to pick off of a tree (or up off of the ground) but they fill up a basket quickly and oh-the-possibilities for crafting. Can one have too many ways to craft with pinecones? I think not!

In years past I have painted them white. But this year I wanted something a little extra special. Something with as little trips to store as possible and something that I already probably have on hand. As it turns out, Epsom salt makes a wonderful natural glitter!

After we picked our pinecones and returned home, the kids and I laid out newspapers on the kitchen table and set to work with paper plates, Elmer’s glue, and Epsom salt.

Note* It is recommended to bake your pinecones first. This dries them out completely and preps them for crafting. Also it kills any creepy hitchhikers. Well, impatiently, I skipped that step since we’re in a pretty dry climate and guess what? I brought home a hitchhiker! A very welcome one at that. It was a little ladybug that I found in the middle of winter. They can hibernate in the cold and be rejuvenated by the warmth. I’m glad I found him because I put him on my succulents to live and eat my unwanted mealy bugs.

They turned out rustic yet fanciful. I set them on my windowsill to add some decor. The best part of these is that they also double as beautiful gift toppers once present wrapping season commences!