Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree: Preparing Pine Cones for Decorating

Next up in our Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree series is a simple decoration that many of us can find in our very own backyards--- pine cones!

Christmas image created by Awesomecontent - Freepik.com

Seems simple enough, right? Gather them up, pop them on the tree! Done and done...

Well, not quite...

Pine cones ARE a great natural decoration, but with nature comes bugs! Yuck! The last thing you want to do is bring any unwanted pests into the tree. So, how do you get rid of the bugs?

Preparing Pine Cones for Decorating.

• pine cones
• foil
• baking sheets

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil. 
3. Lay the pine cones out on the baking sheet, careful not to overcrowd.
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, checking frequently. The pine cones should open a bit and the sap dry out. 

That's it for your basic all natural pine cones! The cost of this project? Absolutely FREE!

If you'd like to give it a little gloss, you can spray with a clear spray to help protect. You can even add in some fun color with some cheap spray paint, if desired for a different look. Personally, I just place these onto the tree as they are, but you can also tie on some ribbon if you'd like for them to hang. These are also great for other decorating uses--- fill a jar with natural pine cones, crafting, wreath decorating, the options are really endless! With this simple method you can have all the pine cones you want... with none of the bugs.

Looking for more Frugal Homemade Christmas Tree ideas? Visit the links below for more posts in this series, and stay tuned for more:

DIY Popcorn Garland
DIY Cinnamon Dough Ornaments