It’s mid-February and there’s no end in sight to the cold weather. On the bright side, our fireplace is getting a lot of use. Even when the heat is on in the house, there’s nothing like a roaring fire to chase the chill away. Just watching a fire makes me warm. Don’t you agree that a crackling fire is mesmerizing? As soon as I light one, I can practically feel my entire household settling down. Fires have a hypnotic effect that calms my family. That’s quite an accomplishment with a sassy 5 year-old in the house. Ha!
Typically, we use newspapers and recycled paper to get our fires started. But there’s a much prettier, and more stylish way to get a fire started. Today, I am going to show you how to make Valentine’s Day Fire Starters. These are ideal gifts for Valentine’s Day because of the message they send about snuggling up in front of the fire. This could be a gift for your significant other or for friends and neighbors to “ignite” a little romance.
Most craft stores will have all the supplies you need. However, if you can’t get these done in time for Valentine’s Day (or this weekend when most couples will be celebrating) bookmark this page! The cold winter weather isn’t going anywhere soon and pinecone fire starters make a charming gift that will totally delight the host or hostess at your next party.
Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos. I’ve linked up where you can purchase the supplies for this project. From start to finish, it took me a little less than an hour. It was a fun project and I love how they turned out!
Valentine’s Day Fire Starters
Supplies:
- Pine cones (small is better, about 3″ or 4″ tall)
- Soy candle wax pellets
- Candle dye
- Scented wax cubes (optional)
- Large mason jar or similar microwavable vessel to melt the wax in
- A chopstick or spoon to mix the wax and to blend the dye
- Wax paper to put the pine cones on to drip and dry
- Glitter (optional, but really – everything is better with some glitter!)
- Gift tag
- Note: originally I was going to use candle string (in the photo below) to tie around the pine cone, but I found it easier to retrieve the pinecones by hand (it was a little messy but the wax washes off with warm water).
Instructions:
Step 1: Put the wax pellets and scented wax cube into the mason jar and microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir the wax and continue to microwave in 30 second intervals until it becomes liquid. Use caution when removing the mason jar from the microwave, the jar will be hot so please use oven mitts.
Step 2: Add the dye and blend thoroughly. I used about 10 drops of the red dye to color the wax, my goal was to make the wax pink for Valentine’s Day.
Step 3: Dunk the pinecones into the melted wax and make sure they submerge completely. I used my fingers to fish the pinecones out of the wax, but you can use tongs. Allow the liquid wax to drip off the pinecone and then place the wax-dipped pinecone onto a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with all the pinecones.
Step 4: Allow the pinecones to dry, about 15-20 minutes. Then repeat Step 3 at least two more times or until the desired color is achieved.
Step 5: Immediately after the last “dunking into the wax” sprinkle glitter on the pinecone (optional)
When the pinecones are dry, you can put them in a clear plastic treat bag and add a personal note, like “you warm my heart – happy valentine’s day” or “you light my fire” or “let’s ignite some romance” – any message that you want!
sarah o’brien
connecticut in style
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