Crazy pinecone creatures

It's technically still summer here in Amsterdam but in reality it's been autumn at its worst these last few weeks. Crazy! The one advantage of autumn (the only one, really) is that there are loads of cool things falling from the trees, like for instance pinecones, which are fun to gather on a forest walk. And from which one can create very cool and crazy pinecone creatures like these pink hedgehogs. Fun!Once you have gathered the pinecones outside (possibly after a good shower -- which makes the outside extra fun because of all of the puddle jumping!), first make sure they are entirely dry. Then, scout through your waste paper basket for empty egg cartoons or other interesting materials you think you could use. You can use pipe cleaners (chenille stems) and skewers as well. Just be creative!It's easiest to use a hot glue gun but of course make sure to keep it out of reach of the littler children as they could burn themselves. Once you have fine-tuned the basic shapes of your crazy pinecone creatures, just use gouache paint to decorate them in your favourite colour.xxx EstherPS These conker spiderwebs are so great to make too!