"When making things with pine cones, first bake the cones on a foil-lined cookie sheet for about three quarters of an hour at about 200 degrees. This kills any bugs or spider mites that live in them. This also allows the seeds to fall out.
If you are using chicken wire shaped cones to push the pine cones through to create pine cone trees, then after baking plunge them in ice cold water and they will close up tight allowing you to push them into the open holes of the chicken wire frames, they will later when dry re-open and fit really tight, just a tip from an old tree maker."
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