I promised I’d share how to make easy bleached pinecones. Are you ready? OK, here’s the low down on bleached pinecones.
It’s not worth the time.
There, I’ve said it. Are you disappointed?
I was.
Especially after using two gallons of bleach and a few days of my time. All I had to show for my time and the mess I’d made was just that, a big mess. I’d read about soaking the pinecones and then putting the wet bleached pinecones in the oven or left out to dry in the air. They simply don’t change color enough and definately don’t take on the beautiful white-grey patina that bleached furniture has.
Bleached furniture takes a lot of time with a special solution and hours upon hours (days) of sitting in the sun to get that gorgeous patina. That may be the key to getting a silvery washed patina on pinecones but I don’t have that kind of time, especially during the holidays!
I was so focused on making easy bleached pinecones or really just getting a pretty sun washed patina that I couldn’t just quit and move on to a different project. After a bit of thinking I came up with my own method, sans the bleach. At 10:30 at night, in my jammies, I pulled out my supplies and got to work. 20 minutes later I had the exact look I wanted. This project completely supports my personal theory,
…paint fixes everything!
It’s a good thing this was so easy to do because I forgot to download the process files off my camera and I’m writing this from Dallas (yep, I’ve been gone more than home for the past 3 months & fully looking forward to a normal schedule in 2016!).
How to make fast and easy bleached pinecones without bleach
All I did was use a big plastic container about the size of a large yogurt container. Add a few teaspoons of white paint, mix in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water and tint the paint mixture. Since bleached wood isn’t really white, you’ll want to tone down the white. I used a teaspoon of grey and a tad of yellow paint. Mix well. If it’s too thick, add water..if it’s too thin add a little more paint.
Dip the bottom of the pine cone in the paint mixture and then the top. Stand them on the pointy end in a box or something with sides to support them while the excess paint drips off. Before they are dry take a cheap 1″ brush (yes, there are good uses for cheap brushes) Tamp down on the outside of the pinecone and push the bristles up in between the pinecone layers. This makes sure the paint is distributed thinly and evenly. Just like you’d imagine a bleached pinecone would look.
Let dry.
Done!
My version of easy bleached pinecones is truly easy…and so much faster and neater too!
You may have seen them in my Festive Holiday Entry I just shared. If you missed it, take a look! It’s full of links to my most popular holiday DIY projects.
Sahana says
The bleached pinecone looks gorgeous!! I really love the combination of a natural ones and bleached ones.They are more like black and white. Thank you for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !!. We would love to have you again when we are back on Jan 8, 2016.
Wendi says
Thanks so much Sahana! Merry Christmas to you!
Mary-the boondocks blog says
Love them Wendi!! I also am very partial to this look. I have a whole collection of pinecones, and some are painted red, others green… whatever color I had at the time and whichever kid was helping. But my favorites are the white. Timeless and beautiful!
DeDe @ Designed Decor says
LOL – I just wasted my time as well trying to bleach pine cones and was sadly disappointed on the time I spent and the outcome! Love your idea, will remeber it for next year!
Wendi says
Dede- I feel your frustration! I was all ready to have lovely bleached pinecones and what I had was a soggy mess that didn’t look anything like I anticipated! Yes, painting is the way to go!
Patty says
Yes I have tried bleaching pine cones in the past and it didn’t work, I will be trying your method next time, it is a lot faster and I think it would be not so harsh on the pine cones. Thanks for sharing this great tip.
Have fun in Dallas, I love that City.
Wendi says
Hi Patty… how disappointing that was! I think bleaching pinecones must be all hype since so many readers added comments that matched my expierience too. Oh well, like you said paint is much better and there are no harsh chemicals involved! Have fun with the project!
Jeanie @ create&babblej says
Yep, I just wasted bleach, too. Next year I’ll use your method!
Wendi says
Too funny Jeanie! What a mess I made as well. I promise the paint wash looks fabulous and it’s so easy! Happy Holidays!
Debby says
I tried to bleach some pine cone and was very disappointed with the results! I’m going to try yours. Thanks
Wendi says
Thanks Debby, I was pretty disappointed like you too! I promise you’ll love the results with this method, it’s easy and inexpensive:) Thanks so much for your visit & Happy Holidays!
Marie from The Interior Frugalista says
Great tutorial Wendi! I like the sounds of this tutorial much better than using bleach. Pinned to share. Enjoy your time in Dallas!
Wendi says
Thanks so much Marie! Yes, you’ll whip up a batch of these in a jiffy and they’ll look fabulous! Beased on what I read before and after I tried mine, the bleach method sounds great, but it just doesn’t work! Happy Holidays!