DIY: Prepping Pine Cones For Holiday Crafts

With the holiday season quickly approaching, now is the time to prep and prepare.  The first thing I think of when it comes to decorating for the up and coming season is pine cones.  Where I live in New Jersey, there is not a shortage of pine trees and therefore pine cones.  It is usually around this time of the year - Early to mid-September - that I, along with my mother and one or all of the kids will go out pine cone hunting.

Taking our time walking through the neighborhood as we try to pick up the best pine cones, it is one of my favorite time sharing activities with my family.  With double layered grocery bags in hand to hold our crafting treasures, I find we tend to talk more and catch up on who is doing what, when, where and why.  Oh, don't get me wrong, we know the day to day stuff that is happening in our lives, but it’s the heart to heart talks that tend to come out when we set out on our craft hunts.  These are the times when my kids get to really know who mom is and I get to see who they are really developing into.  We laugh and sometimes cry, but it's the perfect time just to be without the hustle of our daily lives.  It's during these times when my heart is revealed to my children and theirs to me.  That's why it's my favorite time.

So back to the post, Prepping pines cones for crafts.  There are three methods which that are useful based on your crafting needs.  Baking, soaking and bleaching.  How do I wash and prepare pine cones for crafts?  I use the last two methods to wash away all the sap and bugs.

WAIT!!! Before I tell you about prepping your cones for crafts, if you are using your pine cones for bird feeders you do not have to clean them...Okay back to prepping.

First the soaking method:

Soaking pine cones in vinegar and water

What you need:

• 1 large bucket or a big sink (such as a 10 gallon , likle the one in most kitchens)
• White Vinegar -  1/2 to 1 cup
• Warm water - Fill the bucket or sink 3/4 full

Directions:

1. Mix the water and vinegar solution.
2. Place the pine cones in the solution.  press them down to ensure they are covered with water, you may have to place another bucket or heavy object over the cones to get them to soak properly. Let them soak for a 20 to 30 minutes.  Note: The cones may close up, if you have let the water cool down to much.
3. Drain the pine cones from the water, and place them as a single layer on a tray (you may line them with newspaper if you wish).
4. Let the cones dry for 3 to 4 days before crafting or cutting.

Note: This "soaking" method will kill all bugs and clean off the sap.

Second method - Baking: 

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees
2. Line your baking sheet with foil
3. Place pine cones in a single layer with room to expand on the baking sheet.
4. Let them bake for about 15 to 25 minutes. You will see the sap has formed a glaze on the sides of the cone and they will be hard.  NOTE: do not leave the oven unattended.  Super dry pine cones tend to smoke and may cause a fire.
5. Place baked cones on a cooling tray or basket and let them sit for a few days.  They will continue to expand and open up.

A NOTE about the baking method: Baking the cones will immediately kill all bugs (which is my favorite method because I don't have to see them or touch them) .  This method will also form a glaze from the sap on your cones so you will not have to glaze them later on, if you so choose.  Baking the cones will cause the your house to have a strong scent of pine, so if you not into that (which I can't imagine if you are working with pine cones) you might want stick with the soaking method.  The soaking method will also not produce a glaze look since you are washing off all the sap.

The third method is bleaching...I don't use that because I prefer not keep harsh chemicals in my house, if I can help it but from what I understand it will bleach the cones white for those winter decor options you may have in mind.

Bleaching method:

1. Make a mixture of 50/50 water and bleach in a bucket.
2. Place your pine cones in the solution.
3. Let them sit in the solution for up to 8 hours (which is why I said to use a bucket because I can't have my sink occupied for 8 hours with pine cones...think kids).
4. Drain from the solution, lay them on a tray in a single layer in the sun to dry.

Note: The bleach will debug the cones and clean off the sap.

If you wish to preserve your pine cones, you can lightly spray them with clear acrylic, polyurethane, or varnish.  However if you are thinking of returning them back to nature, after you are done with them, it is best to leave them be.

Here's one pine cone that is holiday ready! (unbleached) 

Okay so now that my pine cones are prepped and ready, I can't wait to get to crafting for the holidays.  What is your favorite use of the pine cones during the holiday season?  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to leave me your comments and share the post.