When the HH and I were walking around Belfast last weekend, this little pine cone tree in one of the storefronts caught my eye.
At first I was like, well that’s interesting. And then I noticed the price tag.
Eighty dollars!!!
Pine cones, a {presumably} paper cone and some hot glue. For $80.
It’s times like these I wonder if I’ve lost all sense of not only what’s popular in the world right now, but also what people are willing to pay for things like this.
$80 for pine cones. Really?
So I’ve got to know… How much would you pay for a 3ft pine cone tree?
Because if there’s enough people out there willing to pay that, I think I might have found a new hobby. 😉
~Mavis
SHARE:
Sharon says
Respectfully, not a cent! First of all, it looks kind of unfinished; second, a quick trip to Michaels for the Styrofoam cone and then to the backyard for the cones, and voila, a new decoration!
Julie K Whitmore says
Have to admit that I didn’t identify it as a “tree” until you told me that’s what it was. It has 10pm school project vibes.
Michelle says
Oh my word, I love that description!!
Wendy C says
Although cute, I can see it being used with Christmas lights as a Christmas tree, there is NO WAY I would pay that much for it. I like the idea though and may get my son to pick up some cones today 🙂
Rosemary Calhoun says
I think I just threw out a bag of pinecones when I cleaned out my craft room . . . 80.00 out the window! 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Rosemary… Go find some more and make these trees for your Etsy shop!
Rosemary Calhoun says
I can’t even imagine trying to wrap that thing for shipping! I think I will stick with crocheting . . . 🙂
Jennifer says
Unless there is a varnish I don’t see, it won’t last very long if moved or touched. Its cute, but in a Southern Living how to project sort of way. The person buys this would have what I say is “more money than sense”.
Now, if it was painted green or red or both and shaped like a tree, maybe $40 – I know it took time even if the pine cones were free.
MEM says
Nope. If it was being sold on-line it would be expensive to ship and maybe reflected in the price, but that tree likely took no time or skill at all to make. I say that as someone who makes some rather fancy wreaths. That tree has nothing special or extra about it. Sorry little pinecone tree! Hope you find a good home.
Julie says
Maybe the store set the price so high because they didn’t really want to sell it. I know prices are going higher but it is ridiculously priced.
Kathy Wolfe says
Nope. I could make one.
Jamie says
I wouldn’t pay anything….not sure I’d take it if it was free??
Elle says
Not a dime. But a LOT of city folks who never go to a forest have the $ to burn on it?
Janet says
Add some fake snow or paint to make it look more festive and some decorations. That is a lot of money, but look at all the ideas you gave readers.
Margo says
Looks like an idea to do with my granddaughter when she’s out of school next week. We have several large pine trees with nice cones for free in my yard. I mean, I love my granddaughter’s art work and crafts, but I pay in cookies. That piece might be worth a couple chocolate cookies, but it’s not even Oreo quality!
Erin says
All I see is the eventual dust that would cover this thing. Sure it took someone time to make it, & their time is absolutely worth something, but no way $80 is reasonable for the end product.
Lesley says
There’s a buyer for everything, as you well know, Mavis! Get yourself some styrofoam cones (maybe on sale after the holidays?) and collect your 2023 cones for something new to sell!
I could tell right away what it was, and I am going to make one of my own. And no, I would never pay $80 for it … but I think your readership leans frugal!
Lesley
Marianne says
I live in an area know for it’s pine trees, of many shapes and varieties. We are flooded with GIANT pinecones at least once a year, and still all the shops sell bags of fake cinnamon scented pine cones. I often wonder if anyone actually buys them here.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I would not pay that much for the tree. Now, I can make one and a much prettier one. And, I would leave it on the porch because I have gotten critters in the house with pinecones. It is worth nothing to me because I have pinecones in my yard and at the park.
By the way, if you ever have pinecones fall that are still closed and need to use them, I solved that problem one cold and wet day. I put them in the oven with the heat barely on and the door cracked a bit. The heat opened the pine cones and they were the most beautiful I ever used. So, every year I would open all the pine cones with the oven. A fireplace or heater would work, too. Just don’t leave them unattended.
Mel says
I was going to vote yes or maybe, but I initially thought it was a bakery window and the pinecones were chocolate. 3 feet of chocolate is a reasonable investment.
laura says
i like the way you think!!
Mel says
Thanks! I often make a pinecone cheese ball as an appetizer this time of year (super easy but looks super fancy), so pinecone-shaped food was sort of top of mind.
Heather says
Whomever put that in the window is dreaming! It is not appealing looking at all. I could see if it was adorned/decorated and looked like a finished product. This looks like what it is: pinecones glued on a Styrofoam cone and nothing more. But as other commenter said, there is a buyer for everything!
Angie says
I too would not pay for this but I appreciate the idea as I have pick up pinecones on my list for this weekend. I plan to spray paint mine gold and bundle them up in a basket by the fireplace. Lovely winter decor for $3 worth of spray paint!
Terri says
Many years ago, a secretary where I worked made big beautiful pinecone wreaths. Every pinecone was perfect, and the care taken was obvious. I don’t know if she made any for sale, but she periodically would donate one for an auction. Thanks for the memory!
Linda Sand says
Oh, man, all I can see is dust collector. No, thanks.
Mable says
Zero.
Maria says
Ditto!
Patti says
I think this would easily sell on Etsy and especially if it were “flocked” because that is all the rage right now. No, I would not buy it but I live where pine trees and cones are abundant. But people pay all kinds of money to have pine straw so I think this is about the same thing if you don’t have access to any.
Heidi N says
Wow, last year we paid that much for our real Christmas tree (8 feet tall)! Would not pay that much for this pine cone “tree”. My mom made decorated pine cone wreaths at a craft class when I was little & we used them at the holidays my whole childhood. This jogged my memory about them. I’d rather have a decorated wreath than this, to each his own though.
Debi says
I live in a rural area (10 acres with 7 wooded and lots of pine cones). Thanks for the idea — to sell pine cones. Think I will start that on next year’s list of items to sell.
Kippy says
An instant no here. First thought was that would be a bear to store after holidays. The commenter who said 10p.m. school project vibes described the item perfectly.
I made a table top driftwood tree two years ago that can be stored flat after holidays. Much prefer and it isn’t a dust/web collector like the pine cone tree.
Mimi says
Ahem. No comment.
Mary says
I think the price tag looks more artsy than the “tree”. Looks like a girl scout crafting project. Wouldn’t buy.
Pam says
I would never pay that. Heck I wouldn’t pay half of that. I would make my own.
Dianne says
Nada, nothing! Pine cones are a dime a dozen near me. Foam cone, glue?
Pam says
Technically, this particular ‘cone tree’ is made from spruce (not pine) cones… but I agree with others that it wouldn’t be something I’d actually buy. We have 42 acres of mixed Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, so would make it myself if it was something that interested me. I see that just pine cones (loose in a box) are selling on Etsy as art supplies… thought about it for 5 seconds but, meh, too much work!
Joanna says
Not a cent!!
Virginia says
All I have to say is I hope the person who made that pine cone tree isn’t one of your blog visitors! Ha! 😉
Lori says
Well, I m going ybe a dissenting voice and say yes, I would. I am a professional multi media artist, who sells my creations at craft shows in the mid Atlantic states. I do not apologize for the prices of my creations. I invest a considerable amount of time and energy not only creating, but sourcing and collecting materials, planning, developing new items and driving to shows.
I a look so have to store inventory and raw materials. My items are all made from recycled or upcycled materials but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily cheap. My costs have risen dramatically in the past year. Many of my items take 18-20 hours each to assemble. If you can take an idea I developed and can do it cheaper, my response is “Great, be my guest.” No one is held hostage to buy my items. Realize also that if this item was in a shop, the maker is not receiving the entire $80. Stores
can take as much as 40 percent of the selling price. Table space at quality craft fairs is expensive. Believe me, I am not making a quick buck when someone buys my merchandise.
Most of my fellow artisans create because we love to create and want to share our creations with others. It makes me happy that my pieces make you happy. If you don’t like the price of a handcrafted item, don’t buy it. But don’t do denigrate the artist for making a living.
Jeanie says
This was my thought too. The pine cone look is not for me but I appreciate that someone spent time collecting the cones, probably preparing them for construction,
Purchasing the other components and taking their time to construct it. That adds cost to the project. There are many things I see on Etsy that I personally wouldn’t pay the price for but I just move on without worrying too much about what I consider excessive cost. I’m also not a crafter so might pay more for something that I wouldn’t be able to make than someone else.
Brianna says
All I can think about is trying to dust it and worry about bugs coming into my house with it. How many rodents pulled the pine nuts out of those cones and stashed them away in their secret squirrel hiding place? Plus, once you break one pine cone, the whole thing is ruined. I am not at all crafty, but I am sure this is a project at my skill level if I ever needed one. I see this as a decor piece on the way out, kinda reminds me of a Magnolia Gaines item from Target. Just needs a shiplap walk behind it, some fake greenery and a few other similar line one trees of various sizes.
Lori says
There are several ways to easily sanitize pine cones for use in crafts. Just Google sanitizing pine cones. It just takes a little time and patience, but certainly not difficult to do at home. Broken pinecones are not difficult to repair. I have a 60 year old pinecone and other outdoor items wreath (made in Maine!) that I freshen up every couple of years. It was made by my grandmother’s best friend before crafting was a thing.
Gail says
Sometimes I see things for sale and marvel at the price. My husband reminds me it’s still on the shelf, and that’s the “asking” price, not the “selling “ price.
Liz g says
Hmmm, maybe $20 if I was in desperate need of a pine cone tree. The materials don’t cost hardly a thing. I know, I know “paying for the artist’s time”, but this isn’t complicated to put together, and…not very well done? Sorry, pine cone artist.
Torry says
Well, we have a Blue Spruce tree in our front yard, so I could get the cones for free. I will pay for things that have a lot of detail, and time invested, but this doesn’t seem like it meets that criteria.
Ashley Bananas says
I have mixed feelings on this. Pinecone crafts are so common, and on Etsy people sell pine cones and put together items like this often. Do I think it has a ton of style? No….but I know it took some time to gather the items and assemble, and find a shop willing to put it for sale in their window. So, while maybe it could have been better shaped or flocked, it’s still a craft item for sale. I think people with a disconnect to nature tend to really enjoy things like this. Maybe someone who doesn’t often go outside in nature. I’ve often thought about openign an etsy shop for pinecones in my region but am not sure I’d want to make a business of it. Storage, then shipping etc can be a lot to keep track of. Good on the crafter for making it and getting it listed somewhere.