How To: Marble Pinecone Placecard Holders

I'm sure you've seen the tutorials for marble manicures. I haven't tried one yet, but they 

look great in photos! We have fallen pine cones all over our apartment complex, and I've built up 

quite the collection on my walks in from the mailbox. I planned on using them as name card holders, and when I found a tutorial to marble coffee mugs with nail polish, I had to try the technique for Christmas decor!

You will need:

Pine cones...cleaned and dried out in the oven at 250°F for about 60 minutes

White Spray Paint

2 colors of Nail Polish

Disposal Shallow Baking Pan

Cake Pop Sticks, Tooth Picks or Bamboo Skewers

Wax Paper

Clear Glossy Sealer (Optional)

1. Set your pine cones out in well ventilated area and spray paint them white. Allow to dry and spray multiple coats making sure to cover all sides of the pine cones. This step is important because pine cones close up when wet. A coat of paint will keep them from closing during the marbling step. 

2. Bring in your dry pine cones, and choose 2 colors of nail polish to work with. Fill your shallow baking pan about 2/3 with room temperature water.

3. Drop in several drops of each nail polish color. Nail polish will dry quickly, so I did not swirl the colors around, I let them do that naturally. Dip one side of the pine cone in the solution, lift it straight out, and repeat on the other side. Note, your hands will get messy, so if you have a new manicure, I recommend using disposable tongs. :)

3. The nail polish will dry and create a sticky film in the water, so I removed it after each pine cone. Simply dip a skewer or tooth pick in, and swirl it around to gather all the dry polish. Dispose.

5. I dipped a few of my pine cones a second time to cover missed spots. If any of the nail polish dries with stringy drips, use a skewer or tooth pick to remove them.

6. Once the pine cones are dry, allow them to air out to minimize the nail polish smell. It was a bit wet outside, so mine closed up slightly, but opened back up when returned indoors. Finish with spray on glossy sealer if desired.

7. Insert name cards and set at your holiday table. I love the gold leaf look the nail polish created!

Important Tips:

• Complete this DIY in a well ventilated area. 
• Use a shallow dish for dipping
• When dropping nail polish into the pan, drop close to the water, to keep the drops from simply sinking to the bottom. 
• Plan to work quickly, the nail polish dries faster than usual in the water
• Use disposable tools for this DIY, avoid dripping nail polish on counter tops and clothing
• Remove nail polish from your hands with nail polish remover

We didn't have a 4th person at the table, so Rudolph made an appearance! ;) Stay tuned for more of our Christmas table.