Scented pinecones are a great way to freshen up the air during the holiday season and winter months! They make a room smell spicy and cozy! Did you know these beautiful smelling pinecones are so easy to make yourself? Let’s make scented pinecone DIY!
This post contains affiliate links. That means when you click on some of the links in this post and you make a purchase I earn a small commission at no cost to you. All my opinions are my own.
This is such an easy and fun DIY! Even if you are not crafty you can make scented pinecones.
Let’s get started!
Start with collected pinecones or buy unscented ones.
THINGS YOU WILL NEED FOR THE SCENTED PINECONE DIY
- PINECONES, you collected or purchase them HERE, HERE. and HERE
- ESSENTIAL OILS- cinnamon, clove, orange, or your favorite warm scent combination (see below)
- parchment paper or heavy-duty foil
- sheet pan
- plastic bag (gallon size)
- pretty container for your pinecones. I have used my white ceramic bread basket HERE for over a decade! It’s such a classic.
WHY PINECONES
Well, other than the obvious reason that pinecones are perfect to use when decorating for the holiday and winter months…
- they are cheap
- pinecones are often free
- they are porous and will soak in the essential oils
- the make great filler
So really, pinecones are nature’s big decorating gift to us!
I love love love pinecones and keep a big bin of assorted ones handy for many uses!
HOW TO DEBUG AND REMOVE SAP FROM ORGANICALLY COLLECTED PINECONES
If you have store-bought pinecones you can skip this step completely!
If you are collecting pinecones from nature they are probably full of dirt and sap. And may even have little critters living in their nooks and crannies.
You can start by washing the pinecones in warm sudsy water and rinsing them until they are clean. This might make them close up but don’t worry, they will open back up once they are dry.
I usually skip the pinecone bath! I’m okay with just knocking off the visible dirt on my pinecones.
But I don’t skip the next step!
Preheat your oven to 200°. Put the pinecones single-layered on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Bake them for about 30 minutes. Check them to make sure they do not burn. The goal is to kill any bacteria, get rid of bugs and melt the sap away.
Take them out of the oven and let them cool.
Now for the fun!!!!
SCENTING THE PINECONES
Pinecones are quite porous and will absorb essential oils very easily. How much essential oils you use will determine the strength of the aroma diffused into the air and how long the pinecones will stay scented.
Put the pinecones in a gallon zip-type plastic storage bag. Add a few drops of each essential oil to the pinecones in the bag. You will want to distribute the drops of oil around the pinecones in the bag.
Close the bag and move the pinecones around in it to distribute the oils.
I tend to like my pinecones generously scented so I use 5 drops of each oil for a 2/3 full gallon bag of pinecones.
Seal up the bag and keep it in a dark place for several days or up to two weeks.
When you open the plastic bag you won’t believe how gorgeous the aroma that comes wafting up is.
Take them out of the bag and use them in your favorite container with couple sprigs of pretty greens!
PINECONE SCENT COMBINATIONS
I love essential oils! Use your favorite combinations to freshen the air in your home!
My favorite essential oils are Young Living Oils. They are all Therapeutic grade essential oils and smell heavenly! You can order oils from Young Living Oils HERE and use my membership # 3098375.
Here are some pretty scents to combine for the holidays and winter…
- cinnamon
- vanilla
- clove
- nutmeg
- Thieves (Young Living Oil)
- Pine
- Wintergreen
- Peppermint
- Tangerine (my favorite)
- Orange
- Lemon
- Christmas Spirit (Young Living Oil)
I love cinnamon, clove, and tangerine together! I also might add a drop or two of Nutmeg to this combination. To me, it smells like Christmas! You can see from the image above, these essential oils are “well loved”! I use them a lot!
I think an aroma is much more interesting if it is a combination of two or three specific scents.
OTHER SCENTED PINECONE ADD-INS
I like to use different shaped pinecones when using them as part of my decor. A little variety looks so so pretty!
But pinecones are not the only organic thing that can be scented. You might want to try adding these other found-in-nature elements to your plastic bag to scent right along with the pinecones…
- acorns (if you collected them in nature, remember to bake them too)
- mini pinecones HERE
- seed pods HERE
- dry lotus pods HERE
- sweet gum seed pods HERE
- star anise (you can add them after the pinecones are scented)
- willow balls
- cinnamon sticks
KEEPING PINECONES SCENTED
This Scented Pinecone DIY is so easy to do so make two batches! As one batch of pinecones loses their scent you will have another ready!
Then repeat the process over again to refresh your pinecones!
Just so you know…
Be careful when using essential oils. Some essential oils are classified are “hot” oils and can irritate skin and eyes. So no fingers up to your face or eyes when using them!
Also, keep anything that has essential oils on it away from an open flame and don’t put pinecones scented with essential oils in the oven.
And just because I would be remiss… keep them away from children and pets who could eat them!
But you probably already knew that!
You might also like these other pinecone diy’s…
Scented pinecones also make a lovely gift as a gift exchange or a hostess gift!
I LOVE scented pinecones! Making them is really smart, but I am a little extra and would probably have to add glitter.
Love this project – adding it to my Christmas crafts this year. I would have never thought to bake first! Thanks for the tip! Definitely pinning!
Thank you and Pinned!
I love this idea and so easy! Thank you. Your ideas for simple decorating are really helping out this season. I’ve been able to make them without going to the store…bonus!
Just took out some large pinecones from our barn storage area to use for Christmas. Usually just have them in a big basket out on the porch but this year will try your idea for scenting them. I did dry some oranges this fall in my dehydrator and am making some Christmas potpourri with them. May just add in some pinecones. I agree that Tangerine oil is the best. With some fir tree and spices it is lovely.