I took the 6 year old out picking up pine cones while the younger one napped. She had so much fun finding and gathering the pine cones from the yard. She knew we were doing a craft, but she didn't care she was having fun. These will be some Christmas gifts this year for some of our neighbors and friends. These are perfect for putting in a decorative bowl or throw one or two in the fireplace while it is burning to release a nice cinnamon scent. Are you ready?
I brought them in, washed them off, and laid them out onto a baking/cookie sheet covered in foil ( make sure to put a layer of foil down prior to using baking/cookie sheet because of sap). I then preheated the oven to 200 degrees and popped the cookie sheet in with the pine cones laid out flat. Heat the pine cones until they pop open. The heating also ensures that any insects are killed and any sap is heated off. Once the pine cones have popped open feel free to remove one by one from the oven if others have not opened up. Allow the pine cones to cool down. Then, grab a plastic baggy and put the cool pine cones in it. Then add several drops of cinnamon essential oil and shake around and allow pine cones to sit 7 days in the plastic baggy to absorb the essential oil. If you are doing lots of pine cones you will probably have several plastic bags filled with pine cones.
Put these pine cones in a decorative bag with a pretty tag for gifts. If you can find some mesh bags they would be the ideal bag, but very hard to find. I put a paper bag through the printer and print on it. Then I fill the bag with the pine cones to give away.
There you have it! Enjoy!
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