Pine cones are wonderful gifts from nature that look lovely inside your home.
Best of all, if you collect them yourself, they are free!
Here are a few creative tips, tricks, and ideas for decorating with pine cones.
photo courtesy of Carodean Road Designs flickr.com/photos/carodeanroaddesigns/15620763674/Select Pine Cones
If you have pinecones in your yard, you are very lucky.
If you collect pinecones from somewhere else, make sure you have permission to take them.
Some parks and forests do not allow people to remove pine cones since they are needed to make more trees.
Clean Pine Cones
Pine cones are typically homes for bugs.
Make sure to kill the bugs before they are in your home for too long.
Put the pine cones on a foil lined baking sheet in your oven.
You should bake the pine cones in your oven for approximately 45 minutes at 200 degrees.
Check on the pine cones regularly to ensure they do not catch on fire or the sap does not cause problems.
Let the pine cones cool before using them.
Bleach
If you want more interesting looking pine cones, you can bleach them.
Submerge the pine cones in a 50/50 bleach water mix for 8 to 10 hours.
Remove them from the bleach mixture and let them dry fully before decorating with them.
Protect
For extra protection, you can spray polyurethane on your pine cones, however this step is optional.
Polyurethane comes in different sheens (glossy, matte, etc), so select the one you prefer.
Spray many light coats on all sides of your pine cones, letting each coat dry fully before the next coat.
Decorate
Many people like to display pine cones in their natural state, however you can decorate your pine cones before putting them on display.
You can cover them in glitter, paint the tips using a paint brush, paint the scales different colors, dip part or the entire pine cone in paint, or spray paint them a fun color like metallic gold.
Display
There are many ways to display your pine cones.
You can group them together in a clear bowl.
You can tie a ribbon to them and hang them in your home.
You can use them as place cards on your dining table.
You can use them as Christmas tree ornaments.
You can use them to decorate a gift.
You can create a wreath using pine cones.
If you have larger pine cones, you can display one on a pedestal.
You can hang them from your chandelier.
You can make a pine cone garland.
You can also put pine cones in flower arrangements.
