Pinecones are so beautiful to decorate with indoors, whether you string them up and use them as a garland, use them as a filler for an apothecary jar, or create table centerpieces with them… the possibilities are endless!

Today, I just wanted to share a few tips for how to prepare pinecones for use indoors. Because they are usually filled with tiny bugs, you can’t just scoop up an arm-full and use them on your table (yikes!). However, the process to take care of that little problem is so easy and then your pinecones can be used over and over again!

1. Gather up your pinecones
2. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees
3. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil (when you bake the pinecones, sap and debris will come out of them and this step makes cleanup so much easier)
4. Place the pinecones on the lined baking sheet (they can be piled on top of each other)
5. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour
6. Allow the pan to cool
7. Tap pan on countertop (pretty hard) to shake out any remaining debris (the debris comes out much easier after they’ve been baked)
8. You’re ready to decorate!

I laid my pinecones out on some newspaper and lightly coated them with white spray paint in order to give them the appearance of having frosted tips. You could also spray them with glitter for a beautiful rustic, yet elegant touch.