DIY Fire Starters with Pinecones and Candles

Ever have a hard time getting a fire started? Placing the kindling just right and getting the perfect draft of air flowing through can seem impossible sometimes. With these handy fire-starters, made from pine cones, old candles, and a twist of jute string, you'll have a cheery blaze brightening your hearth in a jiffy!

These fire-starters from pine cones and recycled candles would be a great Christmas gift project for the DIY enthusiast. They are inexpensive, cute, and serve a useful purpose on cold winter days when you want to light a fire in the fireplace!

• Old candles. If you don't have any lying around the house, you can usually pick them up for pretty cheap at thrift stores.
• Pinecones. You can buy these at craft stores or on Amazon, but I suggest picking up your own from the back yard, a friend's tree row, or even at a park. (Make sure you have permission to do this! You don't want to get in trouble for stealing pinecones.)
• Jute twine (optional), available at craft stores.
• Muffin tins and paper or foil liners. You should have these items at home!
• Container for melting wax. I used a stainless steel bowl on top of my wood stove, but if you are planning to use a kitchen range, an old saucepan or small kettle works well.

• Line the muffin tins with the paper liners.
• Wrap jute string around the pine cones. (If the pine cones are the long, skinny kind, you can cut them in half first so they won't tip over.)
• Set the cones in the muffin cups.

• Melt the candles over low heat. I used a stainless steel bowl on top of my wood stove, which was keeping the house warm and cozy at the time, but you can use a small kettle on the kitchen stove.

• When the wax is melted, carefully pour it over and around the pine cones in the muffin tins.

• Allow the wax to cool and harden.

• When the wax has solidified, remove the paper liners from your fire-starters.
• Store your pine cone fire-starters in a place where they will not melt. Be sure to put them in a container so the wax doesn't stain any surfaces.

And voila! You have made some cute little fire-starters.

To use them, place on top of the wood in your fireplace or wood stove. Prop another piece of wood or some long slivers of kindling around the side and over the top of the pine cone. Adjust the draft to get a little air moving through. Light the pine cone or jute string with a match. The candle wax will melt and drip down over the wood, which will help the wood burn better.

These pine cone fire-starters make great DIY Christmas gifts or winter crafts, using items you probably have around the house, and make lighting a fire so much more fun!