Do you love the modern farmhouse look of those pale pinecones we’ve all been seeing in Christmas decor lately? In today’s post I’ll show you how to create bleached pinecones with no bleach!
I’ve been on a little mission to make things light and bright lately. I think it really started when we added on the new side porch last year with its crisp white railings, and now it’s even extended all the way to my holiday decor and crafting activities! 🙂 Bleached pinecones have really been catching my eye lately and since I have access to so many pinecones around our property, I thought I’d try making some of my own! Of course, I’m not really a fan of using harsh chemicals like bleach if I don’t have to, so here’s a clever little work-around for that. Read on to learn how to create bleached pinecones with no bleach, or at least how to get the look!
Supplies Needed for the Bleached Pinecones
You’ll need:
- Fully dried, open pinecones. Some types are better than others. Read on for more info on that!
- Creamy white/warm white craft paint (for a more authentic “bleached look” than using bright white)
- A container large enough to dip your pinecones into, one at a time
- A drying rack or surface of some kind that you don’t mind getting paint on: A drop cloth, paper towels, or you can use the cookie sheet trick.
How to Make Your Bleached Pinecones with No Bleach
Well, once I told you the supplies needed, you can probably pretty much figure it out, can’t you? 🙂
Combine about 3 parts paint to 1 part water in your container and stir well, creating a thin paint solution.
One at a time, dip your pine cones into the paint, and roll them around until all the nooks and crannies and fully coated. Feel free to use gloves if you need to, but painty fingers never really bother me. A small paint brush helps to dab the paint into the nooks and crannies between each pinecones scale when needed.
Lift your pinecone up out of the paint solution and allow it to drip for about 10 seconds, then move it to your drying surface to drip dry some more.
Your pinecones should be full dry and ready to use in your decor in about a day or so.
…Except!.. if you use the type of pinecones with many delicate scales instead of the ones with fewer, thicker scales. As you can see, I tried this on three different types of pinecones.
The ones with the fewer scales allowed for more airflow and worked really well for this. The ones with the delicate scales just closed right back up, the way they look when I collect them outside. Only, they didn’t open back up after drying for even a few days. They just stayed closed after being dipped in the paint solution. Not really the look I was going for, so I’ll keep those ones natural from now on and just “bleach” the other two types.
Where to Use Bleached Pinecones
These can make great, simple ornaments for your tree if you attach a little ribbon to the top of them with some hot glue. You can also add them to a centrepiece full of fresh greenery for a pop of white. A nice, clean pop of white is always a good idea. 🙂
For a really simple, but eye-catching decor idea, just pile them all in a clear glass vase and call it a day!
What do you think of the bleached pinecone look? Where would you use these in your decor?
MORE IDEAS LIKE THIS
- 5 Reasons Why Your Christmas Decor Doesn’t Look Quite Right
- Homemade Scented Pinecones
- DIY Cedar Garlands
- How to Make Those Amazing Paper Snowflakes
- The Creek Line House Christmas Archives
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.