Pinecones on metal picks

[Rhonda]

FTD used to carry pine cones on wire picks (not steelpiks or wooden piks) for sale in bulk. Friend used to have me order them for her at for Christmas. She just called and said she had someone else try to order them and was told that FTD doesn't have them anymore. They always had a "accessory pack" for their holiday specials and I've just checked those specials and NONE of them have pine cones in them this year.
All three designs on the calendar I have show no cones?
I can't imagine that my customers would like arrangements without pine cones in their Christmas greens.
She's getting some elsewhere, or trying to, but in the meantime, do you always use pinecones or is it just a "northern thing"?
And if you're FTD did you notice the lack of them in their specials?

 

[Bigted]

We usually wire our own -- then flock them or dip them in a little white paint.

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

We also use cones in almost all of X-mas, even now in autumn arr's.
In the busy shop I worked before, they were more practical. For my teeny tiny shop, hand wiring is fine - especially because the cones are from our yard!

tracy

 

[JCT]

Rhonda, do you every use Kelco in Milbridge? I think it's www.kelcomaine.com. They've got lots of different cones and do dads on picks.
jenny

 

[Rhonda]

I'll pass that along to Deb.
Thanks Jenny...see you Tuesday!

 

[BOSS]

We put cones in dang near everything too...

We buy them in bulk, and hot glue (pan melt) them in...way faster than wiring!

 

[FlowerGirl1972]

We usually wire our own -- then flock them or dip them in a little white paint.

We do this also, if I don't have time to go and gather my own then my son and neice alway volunteer to go gather them for me!!

 

[Theresa]

pine cones

On collected pine cones, I use a paint brush in a half swirl on each side, (enhances the natural form), then dip in glass glitter and/or snow. I wire also.

This year I am experimenting with adding cinnamon scent to the cones. My pine cones were collected last year, so they did not need to be heated in the oven (no critters). I dipped them in a bleach and water solution then applied cinnamon/apple essential oil. The pine cones closed up, but are reopening as they dry. The scent is overpowering because I used a whole bottle of scent on about 5 dozen cones. I am going to mix the scented ones with some unscented.

 

[vghstaffer]

Yes, Call Kelco, fast shipping also. I use them for everything. They have cones on picks by the case.

 

[keith]

My new source for Pinecones

I too used to use the FTD packs of pine cones because they were easy to insert and uniform in size. This year I found a new company that you can buy bulk and if you want to spend time wire and painting them you can, or if you are like me its worth the 3 cents a cone to have them already picked and painted. They come with wooden 6" picks. Here is their website http://www.pineconesofthenorthwest.com

Keith

 

[HeatherTuckey]

Those Kelco prices are really high. I buy most of mine on wood picks from Norman Smith Enterprises. For 20 years we wired ourselves, before I found out his were under $.10. It wasn't worth our time to wire, even in the summer!

http://www.nsenet.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=8

If you prebook early, you can get further discounts. His warehouse in only about and hour away from use (Paulsboro NJ)... so I send a driver for our Xmas order in August and I have no freight cost, just his time and gas.

I buy his plastic ball pics and many berries too.

 

[master J]

Those Kelco prices are really high. I buy most of mine on wood picks from Norman Smith Enterprises. For 20 years we wired ourselves, before I found out his were under $.10. It wasn't worth our time to wire, even in the summer!

http://www.nsenet.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=8

If you prebook early, you can get further discounts. His warehouse in only about and hour away from use (Paulsboro NJ)... so I send a driver for our Xmas order in August and I have no freight cost, just his time and gas.

I buy his plastic ball pics and many berries too.

Those guys at Norman Smith are great people, very nice to deal with!

 

[vghstaffer]

Thanks for the tip Heather!

 

[Carol Bice]

I prefer buying them with the wire in them like the old FTD ones. but, sometimes, I come across a bunch that is unwired.

I use an electric drill bit to make a hole in the end, then stick a wooden pick in them. I do this when I have several dozen to save on labor. Just have a delivery driver do it on a slow day. It really is quick to do.

Carol Bice

 

[Beth]

I like the sound of the drill and wooden pick. I used to wire them on slow days, and it was a pain in the butt. And a pick would work so much better to insert it into the design, than the bendy wire.