Sure, you can start a fire using an old toilet tissue roll stuffed with dryer lint - or you can go a bit more upscale with these pretty DIY beeswax fire starters are made from old egg cartons!
They are not only eye-catching, they’re also practical and economical.
Egg carton fire starters can be used in a fireplace, wood stove or fire pit - or even when you go camping!
They also make nice hostess or holiday gifts.
So start saving those egg cartons as the cold weather and holidays approach!
DIY Beeswax Egg Carton Fire Starters
What you Need to Make a Dozen
Cardboard egg carton
What you Do
Simply press a bit of the shavings into the bottom of each compartment in the carton.
Add a pine cone and stick of cinnamon to each.
Prop one piece of the cotton wick into each cup, leaving one end trailing over the edge of the cup.
Next, melt the beeswax.
Note: to melt beeswax, pour the pastilles into a glass measuring cup hung onto a pot of simmering water stirring occasionally with a wooden chopstick (toss the chopstick when you’re done for easy cleanup!) or for an even easier cleanup, melt the beeswax in a tin can on top of your wood stove.
Pour the melted beeswax over the top of the shavings to nearly fill each compartment.
Arrange the rosemary or pine sprigs in the cups, pressing down to arrange them how you would like as the wax starts to dry.
(Note: the beeswax dries fast, so you might want to pour the wax into just a few at a time, arrange them and then fill a few more)
Then let the wax cool completely.
Once the wax has hardened, close the carton and save it for your next fire.
Give the carton of fire starters away as gifts or use them in your own fireplace or wood stove.
If you're giving the carton as a gift, tie it shut with a piece of twine or cotton wick.
Then decorate it with more pine cones or rosemary sprigs, and cinnamon sticks.
To use the fire starters, simply cut or snap apart the compartments, breaking the wax in between, and nestle one cup in your kindling.
This DIY project was excerpted from 101 Chicken Keeping Hacks, available where ever books are sold.
