Pine Cone Crafts

Here you'll find all sorts of pine cone crafts. Each one is easy to make and takes very few supplies, most of which are free or almost free. So roll up your sleeves and get started on some really great pine cone crafts...

Basic Pine Cone Fire Starter | Fancy Pine Cone Fire Starter | Scented Pine Cone Fire Stater

Safety First

Before we begin, let's talk a bit about safety. First and foremost, wax should NEVER be melted directly over a stove burner or open flame. ALWAYS place the wax in a metal container, pot, etc. and then place THAT pot into another container that is partially filled with water. That way, you don't "cook" the wax. You simply melt it gradually (just like you would when melting chocolate in a double boiler).

Why not just use a double boiler to melt your wax? If you happen to have an extra double boiler lying around that you only use for wax, then that's ok. But not if you're also using the double boiler for edible recipes. If that's the case, you're better off putting your wax in a coffee can and placing that in a pot of water.

Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat so the water "simmers". That way the wax can melt slowly without worrying about getting it too hot. Of course, once your wax does completely liquify, you can turn off the heat completely. The hot water should prevent the wax from solidifying for quite some time.

Keep in mind that hot wax can severely burn your skin. Always use extreme caution. Safety first!

Now let's get to the fun part!

Basic Pine Cone Fire Starter

These are by far the easier fire starters to make. All you need is some wax (any wax will do - old candles, candle scaps, paraffin, bees wax), a convenient method to melt the wax (even a coffee can works), and pine cones of course.

Other helpful items are metal tongs (to handle the wax coated pine cones) and waxed paper (or something similar to create a cool-down surface for the pine cones),

Once your wax is completely liquified, gently grab a pine cone with metal tongs. Place the pine cone in the wax and carefully stir it around to make sure all surfaces and nooks and crannies get covered with wax. Pluck the pine cone out of the wax, hold it pointed downward over the surface of the melted wax until excess wax has finished dripping off. Then place the pine cone on waxed paper to cool. Repeat the process with as many pine cones as you want.

That's it. You now have natural pine scented, long burning fire starters! Place a few in a wicker basket or other attractive container for a nice display. Or you can wrap the container with plastic, tie with a ribbon, and you've got a great gift for anyone who has a fireplace or goes on camping trips.

NOTE: If you want, you can dip pine cones additional times between cool downs to get a thicker buildup of wax. Just keep in mind that you'll be using these pine cones for fire starters and don't want to place more wax in your fire than is absolutely necessary (especially in indoor fireplaces). You simply want to coat the pine cones so they burn longer, enough time to get the firewood around it started easily.

Fancy Pine Cone Fire Starter

If you're not thrilled with plain old basic fire starters, you can always dress up your pine cones with color, ribbons, or other fancy accents.

To create different color pine cone fire starters, you can use wax colorants or simply melt crayons into your wax. Start with the basic pine cone fire starter. Once it cools down, you can then dip the pine cone in colored wax. (Doing a plain base coat first helps conserve the colored wax.) If you want the color stronger, dip the cooled pine cone in the colored wax a second or third time.

Another option is to start with the basic pine cone fire starter and then dribble concentrated colored wax onto the edge of the scales. You should only have to do this once to add a touch of color to the pine cones.

You can also accent the pine cone sparingly with glitter or tie a ribbon in a bow at the very top of the pine cone. (You might want to remove the ribbon before tossing the pine cone in the fireplace!)

Scented Pine Cone Fire Starter

If the wax you're using happens to be scented already, you're good to go. If not, you can add candle scents to the wax you'll be using for your final coats. Just like the fancy fire starters above, start with a basic pine cone fire starter that's cooled down. Dip it one or more times in scented wax and you're done.

Now all the pine cone fire starters will add a wonderful fragrance to the room while they're waiting to be tossed on the fire!