How to Prepare Pinecones for Crafts

Pinecones make wonderful festive Christmas décor. Crafting with pinecones is a great option when you don’t want to spend a lot of money, but still want beautiful Christmas decorations. They are also an eco-friendly option for decorating. A lot of decoration tutorials tell you to use store-bought pinecones, but did you know you can prepare your own pinecones easily? And they’re free! You just have to find them and prepare them!

Looking for more eco-friendly Christmas ideas? Check out my post Eight Tips for a More Sustainable Christmas!

Why Prepare your Pinecones?

It’s important to prepare pinecones before you use them in crafts because it will insure they don’t mold and get rid of any insects so they don’t end up in your home. This preparation process will also have your pinecones looking their best! I promise they will look just as beautiful as the ones you buy at craft stores.

Preparation Steps

Overview:

1. Gather your pinecones
2. Wash off any visible dirt and debris
3. Soak the pinecones in a water and vinegar mixture for 20 mins
4. Let the pinecones dry overnight
5. Bake your pinecones at 225°F for 2+ hours (time may vary)
6. Let them cool before use
   
   

Step One: Gather your Pinecones

Look for pinecones around your neighborhood. Don’t worry if the pinecones look tightly closed, they will open up when you bake them in the oven. You may also notice your pinecones are sticky with sap, don’t worry, that will be fixed during the baking process as well. Try collecting different shapes and sizes – they will all turn out great!

Step Two: Wash your Pinecones

Pick out any needles and other debris. I rinse my pinecones off outside with the garden hose before I bring them inside.

Tip: You will want to wear gloves for the washing process to avoid getting sap on your hands.

Step Three: Soak your Pinecones in a Vinegar and Water Mixture

Put your pinecones into a bucket (look for one you don’t mind getting sap on). You will want to keep gloves on throughout this process. Fill the bucket with enough water to cover your pinecones. Add 1-2 cups of vinegar, depending on how big your bucket is. Let the pinecones soak for about 20mins. The vinegar will help dislodge any debris stuck deep in the pinecone. It will also kill any mold that may be growing in the pinecones. The bugs also don’t like it!

Step Four: Dry your Pinecones Overnight

You don’t want to put your pinecones in the oven soaking wet, so it’s best to let them air-dry overnight first. Take them out of the vinegar mixture and place them onto cardboard/newspaper. Whatever you dry them on will get sap on it, so it’s best to use paper you plan to recycle and not to use any towels. Sap can be very hard to get out so don’t try to towel dry them, even though it may be tempting.

Step Five: Bake your Pinecones in the Oven

First, line your baking sheets with parchment paper. I like to cut the sheets a bit bigger than the tray to help prevent pieces of the pinecones falling into the oven. Bake your pinecones at around 225°F for between 2-4 hours. Make sure you check on them frequently to avoid them catching fire. The baking time will vary depending on how dry your pinecones were when you collected them. You will know they are done when they fully open up. They will also appear shiny because the sap will have hardened into the pinecones. The pinecones in the batch I have pictured took about 4 hours to bake. It had been raining every day for about a week when I collected them, so they were very damp all the way through. It will definitely take less time to bake them if you collect them after the weather has been dry.

Step Six: Cool your Pinecones Fully

You’ll want to wait until your pinecones have fully cooled before you do anything with them. You may hear them crack and pop a bit while they are cooling, that is the seeds popping off of them! What amazed me the most is that once cooled, the pinecones will no longer be sticky with sap!

Once your pinecones have fully cooled they are ready for crafting!

Now you know how to prepare pinecones! There are so many crafts you can make with your pinecones. Or, you can leave them as is and place them around your house. Take a look at this list of pinecone crafts from Country Living for some inspiration. And check back to my blog soon for some of my pinecone DIYs!