Bleached Pinecones - Winter Arrangements - December 2023

On my winter evergreen arrangement-making journey this year, I also added a new side-project:  bleaching pinecones.  I've shown a few of my arrangements - including the original and some V2's and all of them featured a number of foraged pinecones.  Some of them were on the tips of the pine branches and others were tucked in with a piece of wire.  

When we were last up in Wisconsin, I picked up a few pinecones that were on the driveway.  They were dropped by the upright pine trees.  Here's what they look like pre-bleaching:

One-way-or-the-other, I came across the idea of bleaching pinecones as a winter project.  There are dozens of how-to articles like this one that show you the very simple process:  find acorns, put them in a bowl that contains a water and bleach mixture, and weigh them down so they don't float.  

That's what I did:  I tucked two into a bleach and water bath overnight.  15-or-so hours later, I pulled them out.  They need a half-day or so to dry out and as they dry, they open back up.  They end up being bright and really stand-out in the evergreens.  At the very top of this post and below are a couple of close-ups showing the bleached pinecones off:

Pretty easy way to make a little extra-special pinecone - and I think the way that the one (at the top of this post) turned out with brown tips and lightened-up interior is pretty neat.