I’ll be honest – I think I like the idea of moths more than I actually like the real thing! I’m not too bothered by bugs when they’re outside, but when they find their way in I can’t say I’m a fan. I do love all the beautiful designs and patterns you see on moth wings though – they’re more understated than butterfly wings but still so detailed!

I’ve had pinecones on the brain lately as they’ve been all over the walking trail where we live, and I’ve been trying to think of ways to craft with them. I realized that pinecones reminded me of the furry bodies of moths. Fortunately, I’ve never been close enough to a giant moth to actually see this fur in person – phew! I’ve also learned that perhaps what I call “pinecones” are in fact technically spruce cones?! From what I understand, the larger round pinecones are actually pinecones but these narrow, more flexible ones are from spruce trees. I’m not 100% sure that I’ve got that right, and either way, I’ll keep on calling them all pinecones because I think I might get a few funny looks if I called them “spruce cones”!

These pinecone moths are super easy to make and a fun excuse to collect some pinecones on your next hike. I kept it super minimal here and just white crayon on cardboard to make the wings but you can do whatever designs you like. You could even add some mini googly eyes onto the pinecones if you wanted to make them a little silly!

• Pinecones
• Cereal box cardboard
• Pencil
• Scissors
• White crayon or colored pencils
• Hot glue gun

Step 1
Place your pinecone onto the plain side of your cardboard box. Use a pencil to draw a simple outline of wings on either side of the pinecone. Cut out. If you prefer, you can do this step on scrap paper first to really perfect the shape of the wings. You can also just do this on one side of the pinecone and then fold the scrap paper in half and cut so that you have matching wings on either side.

Step 2
Use this first shape to trace and cut more moth wings. If you have a variety of different-sized pinecones, it helps to check that your wings fit them all! You might want to cut different shapes and adjust the size to fit.

Step 3
Use a white crayon or colored pencil to draw simple shapes and lines onto the wings. Or make them super colorful if you prefer!

Step 4
Apply a line of hot glue onto the center of the cardboard wings and place the pinecone on top to attach.

Happy crafting!