Fire Starters with a Flair (Flare?)

I really, really, (really), enjoy making things when all the ingredients are handy, found or recycled.  Such it is when I do my annual batch of firestarters.  What is a fire starter?  Most folks use newspaper...but it's becoming scarce and frankly, boring.  My firestarters are little cupcakes that, when lit, burn a very long time lighting your kindling and then the logs.  Mine are pretty to display and easy to make.  And they are fine gifts for folks who camp, have a firepit or live with a fireplace indoors.

You will need paper cupcake liners (on sale Michaels), cupcake pan, paraffin or soy wax (the latter is environmentally preferable), a real or pretend double boiler, sawdust, and all the burnable elements of nature that you gather on your walks.

After using two thrift shop pans as my double boiler I finally bought a candle making pitcher which is easy to pour from.  Just set it in a pan of water for a slow wax melt and easy pouring.

I can't hike without filling my pockets with acorn hats, tiny pinecones, moss, gumballs, oak galls and lichen covered twigs.  One can only collect so much til it needs to go...somewhere!  I was sweeping sawdust from my son's workroom one day when I asked him if I could have it.  After a very funny look he nodded.  My first efforts involved the gulf wax paraffin you can buy at Walmart.  A candle making friend turned me on to the many advantages of soy and I bumped into another friend who had just salvaged tons (literally) of candymaking soy wax from a candy company about to dump it.  I had my soy almost free. Obviously this is not an exact recipe.  You can google and make up your own formula.

When these piles start taking up too much room along with large jars of pinecones and acorn caps I know it is time to begin!

Slowly melt your wax over a double boiler while filling your muffin tin with the liners.  Fill the liners with saw dust but leave "head room" as the wax and decor take up a little space.  When the wax or soy is melted pour it into each liner...I like to take a chop stick and stir it up a bit to get the wax to sink down into the dust.  Now, while the wax is not hard, the fun begins.  I usually lay out all my little treasures so I know how much of what I have.  I begin making little scenes and vignettes on the top of each using a variety of the accoutrements.  Push them slightly into the wax or if a twig, as far in as you can.  Remember this is all burnable stuff, it's not green, it's not rock and it is not terribly dense.

Let the wax cool overnight.  Sometimes I have to take a knife to the edge to get them out if I dripped a lot but it doesn't ruin the look or use.  To light I usually peel back a bit of paper and hold the flame there til it catches.  Pretty soon the entire cake will burn...for quite a while!

I've given these as gifts and folks are more inclined to set them out as decor than to burn.  Well, I can't help that!  I just don't give them any more.  I do try to explain that I really consider this another form of ephemeral art, it's not meant to last.  Every one of these items would be crushed and gone before the winter was over...I just let them get admired one last time and then return them to nature.

I've kept a pile of these for us as we love using them when we head out camping.
Hope you enjoy making some yourself.
Oh, and some folks swear by adding a wick to ease lighting...fine, but I never found necessary.

Cindy Michaud
www.cindymichaud.com
questions: art@cindymichaud.com