Holiday Decor

Sparkling Decorations: How I Lighten & Glitter Pine Cones Pine cones are wonderful to use for Christmas crafting. The ones I collected were dark - here's how I lighten & glitter pine cones to add lots of sparkle. Lighten Glitter Pine Cones There’s a pine tree near my driveway of my new home and the beautiful medium-sized cones have been dropping off every now and then. Kerplunk – they make quite the sound when they hit the ground. Seeing them laying on the ground prompted me into Christmas crafting mode and inspired me to make a holiday centerpiece. These pine cones are a bit too dark for the look I’m going for so I wanted to lighten and glitter them to bring on the sparkle. p1320672_newb Here’s are 2 cones side by side, 1 lightened & the other not, so you can see the difference. I grew up in the bucolic countryside of Litchfield County, CT where I collected all kinds, shapes and sizes of cones. The spruce, pine, fir and hemlock trees on our property kept me well supplied with natural and free adornments. Our house was full of cone studded decorations! I still love using pine cones for my holiday creations many years later, even though I now live in the Arizona desert. Lightening & glittering pine cones gives them a different look. Here’s how: The ingredients: p1320675_newb Cones. I used 2 sizes Glitter. I used3 types of clear glitters – mica flake, crystal & iridescent. School glue. Paint brush. Tray, saucer or dish to hold the glue mixture. Not shown: bleach & a pail. The steps: 1- Shake any debris off the larger cones & put them into a pail. Fill halfway with water. Add the bleach & add more water if necessary – you want the cones to be completely submerged. I used a ratio of 1/3 bleach to 2/3 water. If you want your cones to be lighter than mine, then use more bleach. 2- Cover the cones with a plate & then put a weight over it – I used a piece of brick edging. This keeps them fully in the bleach mixture. p1320499_newb 3- Put your cones in a covered area (for me it was the garage) away from children &/or animals. I left mine to “stew” for 3 days & added the smaller cones midway through & a bit more bleach. 4- The cones naturally close up in the water so they need to be opened back up. To do this I let them dry a bit outdoors & then place on a backing tray lined with foil (this keeps the sap from making a big mess). Place in a 200-250 degree F until they open back up, for me this took about 4 hours. Make sure you don’t leave home when the cones are baking in the oven. p1320625_newb Pine cones in the warm oven make the house smell like Christmas! 5- Now comes the fun part – making them all sparkly with glitter. I dilute the desired amount of school glue with water, a ration of about 1:1, & mix it together. I brush the glue on & then cover the cones with the glitter. I leave it on a few minutes & then shake the excess off. p1320677_newb p1320681_newb This is the mica flake glitter. It gives a vintage snowy effect. p1320684_newb The crystal glitter gives a subtle shine. p1320685_newb Crystalline or iridescent glitter has different color specks in it & really catches the light. Now the cones are all ready to grace my last minute Christmas centerpiece. The good thing about these lightened and glittered cones is that you’ll be able to use them for years to come. The glitter stays on and holds it shine beautifully. How lovely they’d be running down the center of the dining table illuminated by votive candles – simple, festive and sparkling! Wishing you a sparkling & joy us holiday season, Nell's signature Save Related Post An Easy To Create Succulent Vine Wreath 2 Easy Last Minute Christmas Centerpieces – ... Best Flowering Plants To Brighten Up Your Home For... Share this! Older PostNewer Post 6 comments: Kansas Sunshine November 24, 2017 at 10:31 am I love your videos!! Nell November 26, 2017 at 8:02 am Well thank you so much Kansas Sunshine … & Happy Holidays! Nell Toni February 17, 2018 at 5:17 am Did you rinse the cones after removing them from bleach water? Jane February 17, 2018 at 8:25 am Great idea for pine cones! Nell Foster February 19, 2018 at 10:19 am Yes I do Toni. I don’t think it would be an issue but I want to lessen the chance of “bleach smell”. Nell Nell Foster February 19, 2018 at 10:21 am Hi Jane – Thank you! I love pine cones for decorating. Check these snowy cones out: https://www.joyusgarden.com/snowy-glittery-pine-cone-diy-in-3-easy-steps/ Nell leave us a comment! Post Comment Thanks for joining the conversation! Hi, I'm Nell. This is where I celebrate all things garden and share my passion for plants, flowers and the great outdoors. Oh, I love to create so you'll find a bit of that in the mix along with lots of videos too. 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