I enjoy decorating with pinecones because they are a natural material, easily found, cheap to buy and very homey. They are also somewhat flexible and will adapt to different styles of decorating, from county to town. But if you are bored with the standard look of pinecones, you can alter them to create many new looks. Here are some standard and not so standard ideas for changing your pinecones to reflect your style.
Lighten Up
If you want something a bit more modern and less dark, you can lighten your pincones by bleaching them! This creates some nice color ranges, from ashy gray to light tan, depending on how long you bleach them.
Pour bleach into a large bowl or baking dish (glass works well because it is non reactive and you can see the pinecones as they bleach). Make sure to use gloves and take other safety precautions. Add the pine cones to the bleach and weigh them down so they are fully submerged.
I like to do this on the front porch to avoid the smell of the bleach and keep them out of the household traffic where they might get spilled.
When you reach the color you want (remember wet pine cones will be a bit darker then when they are dry) remove them and allow the pinecones to air dry. They may close up in the bleach, but they will reopen once they are dry.
Add the Glitz
One of the easiest ways of altering the color of pine cones is to spay paint them. Gold or silver spray painted pine cones can look lovely on a tree or in a centerpiece. The shine and glitz will stand out and create a festive feel, especially when paired with rich ribbon or fabric in a complementary color (burgundy for gold, ice or jewel tone blue for silver).
Place your pine cones in a cardboard box or on a flat piece of cardboard. Using spray paint that you can find at a craft store or home improvement store, spray each pinecone lightly, making sure to cover all sides. The easiest way to do this is to either stand each cone up and then come back and spray all of the bottoms after the pinecones have a chance to dry.
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