Posts Tagged ‘ How to make a all natural fire starter ’

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree, Wreaths and Garlands

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

The holiday season is winding to a close and soon it will be time to take down all of those holly jolly decorations.

Before you toss that Christmas greenery in the trash here is a great way to repurpose your Christmas Tree into a simple, aromatic fire starter.

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a Christmas tree especially when you blend that scent with other wintery fragrances! Although the holidays may be in the rearview mirror, winter is far from over. Which means many chilly nights ahead.

If you are lucky enough to have your own fireplace, here is an easy way to make that cozy fire, even cozier.

These fire starters are super easy to make and are a natural alternative to those chemical-y starter logs. You can craft a bunch at a time and leave them next to the fireplace to use all winter long.

If you don’t have a fireplace these cute little bundles can be used in outdoor firepits or as stovetop simmering potpourri. They also make great New Year gifts to warm the hearths of your friends and neighbors.

There are several ways to make natural fire starters, some are with wax and pinecones, but this is the way my Grandmother always did it.

All you do is add dried pine clippings (you can add dried herbs too), dried citrus peel and cinnamon sticks to the middle of a piece of kraft paper. Then wrap it together tightly and secure it with natural string or twine.

I used pine clippings from the garland I had as a Christmas centerpiece which was plenty dried out by now (lol), dried eucalyptus leaves, lemons from my lemon tree, blood red oranges left over from a cocktail creation and a cinnamon stick.

SUPER IMPORTANT: Make sure everything is completely dried out before you put it in the fireplace or else it will cause the fire to pop.

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

What You Need:

  • Dried Pine Clippings
  • Dried Eucalyptus Clippings
  • A Citrus Ingredient (I used Lemon and Orange Peels- and dried/dehydrated a couple of orange slices for decoration)
  • Kraft paper
  • Twine

Arrange all of your components on top of the kraft paper. Then wrap the paper around it like a bouquet and secure with the twine.

(If you are using them as a stovetop simmering potpourri, remove ingredients from kraft paper first then place in a pot of water. Let simmer for as long as you like while the fragrance fills the air. Make sure to keep an eye on it so that the water doesn’t run out.)

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Repurpose Your Christmas Tree

Don’t Throw Out That Tree!

Real Christmas Trees are biodegradable, which means they can be easily reused or recycled for mulch and other purposes.

Most communities offer Tree Recycling Programs. Here in Las Vegas the Springs Preserve and the Christmas Tree Recycling Committee sponsor tree recycling. Each year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 15, you can take your cut Christmas trees to one of more than 30 convenient drop sites throughout the valley, to be recycled free of charge.

If you are unable to deliver your tree to a drop site, a local company called Move It will do it for you for a $25 fee. Use the discount code TREE25 when reserving your pick-up and drop-off at gomoveit.com

For more information visit SpringsPreserve.org 

How to Repurpose Your Christmas Tree