How to make tabletop rustic Christmas trees using mixed nuts and paper mache cones. Add a natural element to your Christmas décor this holiday season with these DIY rustic trees made with a variety of in-shell nuts and glitter berries, topped with a silver wooden star. The handmade trees make a lovely centerpiece for your tablescape, coffee table, or mantel.
This project was created in collaboration with Diamond of CA.
This holiday season I’ve been focusing on using natural elements in our home décor. I’ve simplified our holiday decorations to focus more on including fresh greenery and poinsettias. Creating these nature-inspired trees using Diamond of CA In-Shell Nuts makes a great addition to our holiday decor this year.
Diamond of CA in-shell nuts are perfect for holiday crafts. They are inexpensive, versatile, and a great way to bring natural elements to your decorations. You can use in-shell nuts to fill vases, to decorate wreaths, to create ornaments, as a table setting, and so much more! Find them at your local grocery store using the store locator.
DIY Rustic Christmas Trees
The rustic tabletop trees are made with three sizes of paper mache cones. I used a slightly different technique with each one. The smaller tree is layered with nuts starting with the biggest at the bottom and using the smallest at the top. The sides are layered slightly overlapping to create a uniform design.
Using faux greenery on the biggest tree was a great way to fill space before filling in with mixed nuts between the layers. The greenery has red berries that tie in with my poinsettias throughout the home. You may recognize this greenery from my all-time favorite SNOWY MASON JARS. It worked perfectly with this project.
Materials for making tabletop trees
- Diamond of California Mixed In-Shell Nuts
- Paper maché cone
- Decorations: mini pinecones and glitter berries. Optional: greenery
- Hot glue gun
How to make a natural tabletop tree centerpiece
- Hot glue the mixed nuts around the paper mache cone.
- Open the walnut shells in half, remove walnuts, then glue the flat surface around the cone. Slightly overlap nuts where areas have gaps. The hazelnuts make a great option for filling in spaces. Continue gluing on the nuts until the entire cone is covered.
- Fill in gaps with miniature pinecones and glitter berries.
Rustic Christmas tree made with nuts and greenery
- Add 3 layers of greenery spaced evenly around the cone. If using smaller pieces of greenery, repeat the same process on the back. If using one long piece, then wrap and glue around the cone with even spaces.
- Fill in the spaces with a variety of nuts. Tip: use the large walnut shells and brazil nuts to fill in the wider areas at the bottom. Work your way up the cone using smaller nuts like almonds in the area at the top of the tree.
How to decorate with nuts for the holidays
There are a variety of ways to incorporate in-shell nuts into your holiday décor.
- Fill a vase or mason jar with nuts and add a flameless candle on top.
- Use the nuts to make table settings with a piece of paper glued to the top.
- Hot glue in-shell nuts to a fresh garland
- Create an ornament ball
- Decorate a wreath with mixed nuts, dried oranges, and cinnamon sticks.
Using the leftover nuts, I created an ornament ball and miniature wreath to hang from a cabinet.
Materials for making an ornament made with nuts
- Diamond of California Mixed In-Shell Nuts
- Paper maché ornament ball
- Hot glue
- Ribbon
- Glue the mixed nuts on the paper mache ornament ball in a random pattern.
- Fill in gaps with pinecones, berries, or greenery. If needed, hot glue a loop of ribbon to the top to hang your ornament ball.
Materials to make a mini hoop wreath
- Diamond of California Mixed In-Shell Nuts
- Metal wreath form
- Faux or fresh greenery
- Pinecones
- Ribbon
- To create a mini wreath, you will need a metal wreath form and greenery. Use faux greenery for a longer-lasting wreath, or fresh greenery to bring a natural and rustic feel to your home décor. Bend the greenery stems to curve along the bottom of the wreath form. Keep it simple with only a few picks on each side or use multiple styles to create depth. Hot glue to the center and wrap floral wire for an added layer of security.
- Use hot glue to add pinecones and nuts in the center to cover the area where the greenery is attached to the wreath.
- Decorate with glitter balls and a bow at the top. Wrap a piece of ribbon around the wreath to hang to the inside of a cabinet door. Use tape on the cabinet that will be sturdy enough to hold the wreath, but gentle on the cabinet paint.
I love the way each project turned out! I plan to make centerpieces for our Christmas table using the Holiday In-Shell Pecans with their beautiful red color. I’m thinking they will look great in mason jars with pillar candles paired with a fresh garland as a table runner.
Have you decorated with in-shell nuts before? I’d love to hear how you have used them in your holiday décor.