There is nothing simpler than decorating your house with pinecones, especially when your backyard is full of them. Not to mention, they can be used for practically every season. Since we are approaching Autumn, I love to have the smell of cinnamon in my house. I feel it makes your home feel warm and inviting with the spicy smell caressing your nose. Plus, having a bowl full of pinecones as a centerpiece on my table, gives my house that rustic feeling I adore. Let's get started on cinnamon pinecones.

First, gather your pinecones. My kiddos love this part, plus it makes it a family project. If you don't have a pine tree in your yard, I'm sure your neighbor would be more than happy to let you pick a couple off their lawn. If all else fails, any craft store will have a bag for cheap.

Next, line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat your oven to 200. I used an old cookie sheet and skipped the parchment. Basically, we are going to cook the creepy crawlies out and kill any bacteria that may be on your pinecones. You don't need that stuff in your home, especially when you're decorating with them. It's not cute for Grandma to watch a critter crawl out of your dining table centerpiece! Bake in oven for 90 minutes.

After you have removed the pinecones from the oven and let cool, you can shake out any extra debris that didn't come off in the baking process. Next, we will add our scent. I choose vanilla and cinnamon essential oils. You can use, fragrance oils, but I like the benefits of essential oils! Other great scents to use would be Cinnamon + Clove or Cinnamon + Orange. Sprinkle the cones liberally with oils and place in a ziplock bag. You will be leaving them in this bag for several weeks, for the oils to really soak into the pinecones, giving them a nice deep smell.

After 3-4 weeks in the sealed bag, you are ready to take your pinecones out and display as you wish! I chose this nice wood bowl with silver accents. I like to think of my house as a little bit rustic and a little bit glam... this centerpiece eludes to my ideas. That's it, you're done, enjoy your deliciously smelling pinecones.

Cinnamon Pinecones