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    Home » DIY Projects

    Faux Bleached Pinecones with Paint

    September 13, 2021 by Patti Estep 4 Comments

    Jump to How-to Card
    Bleach look pinecone garland.
    White washed pine cone garland

    This faux bleached pinecone craft is easy to create and gives you beautiful light-colored pinecones without all the toxic smell and mess.

    Long whitewashed pinecone garland.

    I love the look of bleached pinecone but I hate bleach. I don't like the fumes and the way bleach irritates your skin. So I tried making some with paint giving them the look of bleached pinecones without using bleach.

    Large plastic container with water and white paint and a pinecone inside. Pinecones and paper towels on the table.

    How to Whitewash Pinecones

    The process is really simple. You just need a large plastic container. I used an old soup carryout container.

    To the plastic container add one part of white chalk paint to 2 parts water. Because my chalk paint was very white I added a teaspoon of brown craft paint to soften the white. You need enough to submerge the pinecones but you definitely can play around with this ratio. Obviously, you can use less if your pinecones are small.

    Mix well then dunk the pinecone in the paint and water solution. Pull it out and let it sit on some paper towels. After the pinecone dries a bit repeat the process if you want or just go with the color as is.

    Two pinecones. One natural and the second is colored with white paint.

    In the photo above you can see the difference. It's more of a whitewashed pinecone than a bleached pinecone but I feel like it's similar.

    Faux bleached pinecone with twine hanger.

    Making a Pinecone Garland

    To create a pretty garland tie a piece of twine to each pinecone by sliding it in between some of the scales at the bottom and tying a knot.

    Whitewashed pinecone garland on the table.

    Then attach each pinecone to a large piece of twine. Don't tie the pinecone too tightly onto the garland. This way you will be able to slide them a bit once hung to exactly where you want each pinecone. Then you can trim any excess.

    Faux bleached pinecone garland hung on a mantel with gold vases and a grapevine wreath.

    Since my family room and fireplace are a little on the dark side I think these pretty faux bleached pinecones look really great. Perfect for fall but I think might look pretty great during Christmas and throughout the winter.

    Patti signature

    More Pinecone Crafts

    • DIY Scented Pinecones
    • Pinecone Flower Wreath
    • Pinecone Napkin Rings
    • Pinecone Christmas Trees
    Garland of faux bleach pinecones
    Print
    5 from 1 vote

    Bleach Look Pinecones without Bleach

    This easy tutorial shows you how to get the look of bleached pinecones without working with bleach.
    Active Time1 hr
    Additional Time1 hr
    Total Time2 hrs
    Course: Crafts
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $10

    Equipment

    • Bloom Room 8 pk Pinecones in Bag
    • Rust-Oleum 285140 Ultra Matte Interior Chalked Paint 30 oz, Linen White, 30 Fl Oz

    Materials

    • Pine cones
    • White chalk paint
    • Brown craft pain
    • Deep plastic container

    Instructions

    • In a large plastic container combine one part white chalk paint with 2 parts water. Add some brown craft paint to soften the white as desired.
    • Dip each pinecone into the water/paint solution.
    • Dry on paper towels slightly and repeat with a second or third coat of paint if desired.

    Notes

    You will need a plastic container large enough to dunk the largest pinecone that you are working with. If your pinecones are all small then you can use a smaller container.
    You can play around with the ratio of chalk to water to create more opaque-looking pinecones.

    More DIY Projects

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    • Make an Emergency Candle Kit for Power Outages
    • Homemade Dusting Spray

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joy

      January 19, 2023 at 10:44 am

      5 stars
      thanks for the information. I was clueless about what white washed pine cones were, now I know,

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        January 19, 2023 at 1:50 pm

        Glad you stopped by Joy.

        Reply
    2. Cynthia D

      September 15, 2021 at 12:24 pm

      I like the white-washed look; from your photo and at a distance it looks to be like a frosted pinecone. Hope to try this one day, thanks.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        September 15, 2021 at 3:48 pm

        Cynthia, they do look frosted. Could be good for a winter mantel. I hope you get a chance to try it too.

        Reply

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