haha funny replies you folks have me cracking up this morning....
i was out with my dad and i saw some nice pine cones and i picked up a handful. he started laughing asking me what i was going to do with them? i smiled and made him a nice razor handle for him with one. i asked him what he thought it was made of when i gave it to him...after scratching his head for 5 mins i told him it was that pine cone....he smile ear to ear. it was cast in red resin and looked like cobra skin! very nifty.
a few weeks later he brought a 1/2 dozen green very green cones to my softball game....i told him we could use them in 9 months...maybe
now he keeps a look out for 'seasoned' dry cones.