Lemonade and Lollypops: Fire Starters Tutorial

A number of years ago one of our friend's mother told me how to make homemade fire starters. We enjoy spending many summer weekends around the campfire at the cottage and at my parents' who live up north in Wisconsin. My husband prides himself on being an awesome fire builder and when we made these he was pleasantly surprised how much easier they made starting the fire. I know this comes at the end of summer but it could also be used in fireplaces or make great homemade Christmas gifts for the children to give!

Start with egg cartons and remove the two flaps

You will need to save dryer lint for a few weeks until you have enough to stuff the egg cartons. It actually takes more than you would think once you really pack it in there. At this point you can tell we have a dog by all the hair in the lint!

Just take the lint and pack it in the egg spots. If giving as gifts, it would be neat to save fun colors, maybe from the first time you wash new towel, etc.

Next you will need paraffin wax. A few years ago these paraffin " melting pots" were really popular so if you have one, pull it out. Otherwise, just warm it in a bag in some hot water. It really is ideal to use the paraffin because it is the lowest temperature melting wax. When you use this to start a fire you don't want a wax that needs to get very hot before it melts. Also, if you have young helpers, this means that if by accident the wax would spill or drip on their hand it will just feel hot but not burn them (we use this wax on clients' hands during facials.)

With a disposable cup, pour just enough paraffin over the lint to cover and seal it. You want to try to use as little as possible to do this and not soak the egg carton.