Walk into any craft store and the scent of cinnamon will lead you to the decorative dried pine cones. These lovely reminders of the holiday season are hard to pass up. However, store-bought scented pine cones can quickly lose their initial aroma. There is a better way to keep the fresh scent of cinnamon throughout the winter months by creating your own holiday scented pine cones.
What You Will Need: 4-6 fresh pine cones, 1 bottle cinnamon essential oil, 1 bottle orange essential oil, 2-3 large zip-lock freezer bags, 1 spray bottle, 8 ounce distilled water and 1 cookie sheet.
Instructions: Arrange pine cones on cookie sheet (you can protect the pan with aluminum foil) and place in a 200-degree oven for 1 hour. This will help to open the cone and kill any type of bugs or mold.
Remove from oven and allow pine cones to cool. Gently place cones in bags without crowding.
Add 8 ounces of distilled water to spray bottle. Add 8 drops of cinnamon essential oil and 3 drops of orange essential oil. Shake bottle to mix oil.
Spray pine cones with mixture until thoroughly dampened. Seal the bag.
Wait 24-48 hours and remove the cones. Place in a bowl.
Get creative! Sprinkle apple chips, cinnamon sticks or glitter to make a nice display. If your pine cones begin to lose their aroma, place back in the bag and repeat the treatment. Different scents can be substituted for cinnamon and orange. Try different varieties until you find your favorite holiday scent.