Pine Cone Decor

Years ago, probably nine, I bought a couple of strings of pine cone garland from Pottery Barn. When I'd bought them, I had no place to put them. They're fragile, so I needed a place to hang them that wouldn't damage them, and never could.

When I moved to my current house, I began laying them on the mantle over my fireplace each winter. I love them. I have a couple of fun decorating pieces that I place with them, including an elk made out of bark. I love pine cones because they can be displayed from November through the end of February. They are my winter decorating staple.

I used to pick up pine cones that had fallen from trees, but they were sappy, and got my fingers and clothes sticky. I always want to buy pine cones at the store, but they are so heavily fragranced that I can barely walk past them.

And then I found someone who supplies real pine cones, with no scent added, on etsy. The shopkeeper at Northern Lodge has her daughter pick up the pine cones, and gives her the money from the sale of cones. They call it Project Pine Cone. The shop is out of Colorado, so there are plenty of pine cones to go around.

My pine cones, in a rustic metal basket. Love them.

I ordered a pound of Douglas Fir pine cones and fell in love with them. Most of them are very little, which I never knew possible, and I flipped for. I am going to order another pound tomorrow. Here's one of the little ones, sitting in my kitchen next to my vintage pig. The pig can be easily held in one hand (for scale purposes), so you can see that the pine cone is little and it's adorable.

Love the tiny pine cones!

I've been to many stores and supermarkets, and seen bags of pine cones for sale. They smell so strongly of cinnamon that they are tough to walk past; I cannot imagine having them in my house.

The Northern Lodge pine cones are $8 for one pound, and don't really have a scent. They aren't sticky, and though they are a little bit fragile, they are my favorite etsy find this season.

Go to Northern Lights on etsy to check out the pine cones. They are listing different types soon, but if you like these little ones, definitely get the Douglas Fir variety.