Bleached pinecones

I am certainly not the first to bleach pinecones.

Nor will I be the last...

In fact, I encourage you to give it a go yourself.

All you need are

Pinecones

bleach

water

a bucket

The first time I tried this, my bleach mixture was too weak.

I added about 1 cup to the gallon bucket of water and let them soak overnight

When they opened and dried, they were just a bit lighter.

So I tried it again with about a gallon of water and half a bottle of bleach.

I also let them soak several days.

I just dump mine out in the rocks next to our sidewalk. 

 I don't mind if it kills anything growing there.

Then I let them drain a bit.

I take them in the house on a tray or plastic box lid and put them in our sun room with the woodstove.

Because they were completely saturated, they took a couple days to fully open and dry.

But once open, they were lovely.

My favorite beauty is natural beauty.

The natural symmetry of nature is fascinating...

These pine cones will be perfect for some upcoming projects...

Some of these had a light  coating of white spary paint before I started.

The next time I make these, I will probably do a much stonger bleach solution.

I think they will bleach faster and whiter that way.

I can't wait to show you what I use them for.

In the background you can see my Chalkboard Tote from this summer is ready for the Holly-days...

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Contributor at Plucky's Second Thought...

I am proud to be a contributor over at Plucky's Second Thought.

I recently did a post for her with some fun rusty tin Christmas ornaments I have been making for years.

Please stop over to check them out.

You can see the post here.

I also did another guest post about Mason Jar Pet Gifts here.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you pop over to Plucky's Second Thought too.....

Dyed Pine Cone Mini Trees

I recently showed you how I dyed pine cones with RIT dye.

You can see how here.

I used some of these pinecones to make some cute little mini trees for Christmas.

These would look great in a vignette....

As a package topper....

Or nestled in the branches of your tree.

They are supper fast and easy.

I added a wooden block to each as a base.

I got a whole bag of these at the flea market this summer.

I think someone's puppy may have played with them before I bought them.

I don't mind...

Adds a little charm...

Just use a hot glue gun to add one little pom pom to each petal of the pine cone.

Add a star to the top.

Mine is a little distressed white tin star.

One of the pinecones was sort of wonky.

He sits a little askew.

The white one could be out all winter...

If you used tacky glue instead of hot glue, this would be kid-friendly.

What a fun little craft.

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Dyeing Pine Cones with RIT Dye

Last year, after Christmas, I bought some cinnamon pinecones at the craft store.

My daughter and husband do not enjoy the super strong cinnamon smell so I stored them in the shed.

I wanted to do some crafts with them.

Recently, I wondered how they would take dye.

I assembled them, some RIT dye (Scarlet) and an ice cream bucket.

I was trying to enjoy the last of the fall weather before the flakes start to fly.

.

I also bought a whole basket of pine cones at the thrift store recently.

Some of them have been sprayed lightly with white paint.

I wanted to try Dark Green Dye as well.

I followed the directions on the dye bottle for mixing.

In to the dye bath they go.

The burlap is another post.

You can read about it here if you missed it...

I left them in the dye for about 30-50 minutes.

At this point, I cannot really see much of a difference.

I added some more to the dye.

I removed them and let them drain in the grass.

Then I put them on a box lid and took them into the house.

I put them next to the wood stove to reopen fully.

It took about a day to fully dry next to the wood stove.

  I have also read that you can bake them at low temperatures in the oven. 

 Or you can wait.

A long time.

I am impatient but cautious so the wood stove seemed the least dangerous and quickest method for me.

Once they opened they have a faint tint. 

Here are the green ones.

 I like it. 

 It is subtle.

I only soaked mine for about 30-50 minutes. 

 For deeper color, I am thinking overnight would work great.

  I am going to have to try it out.

Also keep in mind, someone lightly painted these with white paint before I picked them up at the thrift store.

Here are the red ones.

I think the red ones are my favorites....

I already have an idea of what to do with these....

Soon all of those cinnamon pine cones will be on clearance...

Pick up a bag and have some fun...

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Sweet Mini Ornaments for Your Littlest Trees

I love sweet little trees at Christmas time.

The tiny little ones that can dress up any space...

a bookshelf

 bathroom

bedroom

mantle

 table

 or counter top.

I love to make tiny ornaments for these little trees.

They are the perfect size and they do not get lost on a larger tree.

I wanted to share just a couple that you can whip together quick before Christmas.

My daughter made these.

She started with little clear ornaments from the dollar store.

She filled them with little beads and little strips of rolled paper.

  It is fast and easy work with a slotted quilling tool.

Here are my little acorn top nests.

I take a small piece of copper wire and bend it in half and twist to make the hanger.

I stick the ends inside the acorn cap, add some hot glue, spanish moss and whole allspice.

Done!

They make a really cute little woodland fairy ornament.

And last for today is my little flannel acorn.

Cut a circle from fabric.

I used the base of a glass for size.

Sew a running stitch along the edge.

Add a wee bit of polyfil stuffing.

Pull closed and tie off.

To make the hanger, cut a piece of copper wire and twist to make a loop.

Drill a little hole in the acorn cap.

Stick the ends of the wire through the hole and bend them out inside the cap to hold.

Glue the sewn side of the fabric acorn into the cap.

I did all the same fabric for mine this time, but I think I may do a whole tree full in fun co-ordinating prints.

Hope you have a minute to make a few...

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Polymer Clay Ornaments

I love polymer clay.

It takes me back to playing with play doh when I was a kid.

I wanted to make some simple Christmas ornaments for our open house.

I took a trip to the craft store and got a few new cookie cutters and a big box of Sculpey Original clay.

I like how soft it is.

I rolled out the clay and cut a few shapes.

I used some letter stampers to add a few words.

Ok.  Here is where I had a glitch.

In the winter, sometimes my toaster oven singes things if it is very cold outside.

That happened here.

They are no longer the snowy white I wanted.

Some got quite singed.

Ouch!

So I thought I would add some crackle and paint.

Always follow the directions on the product.

I did not seal these first as instructed so the crackle could not slide around and crackle.

It did leave some subtle texture.

Next I used some DecoArt Chalky finish paint.

That stuff covers a lot of mishaps.

Once they were dry, I scuffed each one with a sanding block for a primitive look.

I love the way they turned out despite all the issues...

You can tell these have the subtle texture from the crackle glaze.

It left them just a little bumpy.

These would be really easy to do with kids.

And they would last longer than traditional salt dough ornaments.

I love that about Sculpey.

They don't get damp and moldy.

Mice and critters do not nibble on them in your attic.

They are durable and seldom break.

They look great!

I do love the way they turned out but they are not what I planned when I started the project.

That happens to me often....

Sigh...

I just roll with it.

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