Learn to make these easy DIY Pinecone Fire Starters using pinecones, tea candles and essential oils. Fire starters also make great stocking stuffers!

This blog post originally appeared December 17, 2018 and was updated December 4, 2020 to update the printable how-to instructions.

If you have visited the Subscribers Resource Library recently, you’ve probably seen these pinecone fire starter printables. (If you’d like access, you can sign up below!) I was hoping to have the full tutorial (with pictures) ready for you by today, but I just haven’t been able to come up with the time. So, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m sharing the tutorial with you anyway.

pinecone fire starters and printable gift tags

Honestly, this is an easy project that doesn’t really need pictures, if you’ll just follow the steps. I think these easy DIY pinecone fire starters also make nice gifts for Christmas, housewarming or any occasion. How about including the pinecone fire starters in a care package or gift basket? You could even decorate a mug, make a set of coasters and fill a jar with homemade hot chocolate mix.

For me, there’s nothing quite like cozying up by the fireplace with a warm fire, a mug of hot chocolate or pumpkin spice latte, a comfy quilt and a good movie on Netflix (and my crochet stash close by). That’s where you’ll find me on these long, cold dreary Ohio winter nights.

How to Make Easy DIY Pinecone Fire Starters

There’s just something about the scent of wood burning and the sound of a crackling fire. It soothes the soul, don’t you think? Well, in case you didn’t know, pinecones make great fire starters and without any added chemicals or ingredients you can’t pronounce. There’s just a few supplies you’ll need to gather up before you begin.

So, let’s get started making our very own (and easy to make) DIY pinecone fire starters!

What you’ll need:

pine cones (or however many you want to make)
tea light candles
paper cupcake liners
essential oil (optional)
muffin pan
tweezers

INSTRUCTIONS

How to Use Your Pinecone Fire Starters

To use your homemade pinecone fire starter, simply:

first, place one fire starter at the base of your fireplace or fire pit
then arrange kindling over the top of the fire starter
next you’re ready to light the wick of the fire starter
and finally add larger logs to build up your fire

Like I said, I think these easy DIY pinecone fire starters would make for some very thoughtful gifts. If you didn’t want to put them in a gift basket, you could simply put a few in a paper bag, a basket all by themselves or fill a clear glass jar.

Pinecone Fire Starters

Yield: 12 fire starters

Learn to make these easy DIY Pinecone Fire Starters using pinecones, tea candles and essential oils. Fire starters also make great stocking stuffers!

Materials

12 pine cones (or however many you want to make)
12 tea light candles
12 paper cupcake liners
Essential oil (optional)

Tools

Muffin pan
Tweezers

Instructions

Before you begin, make sure your pine cones are clean and dry. Pine cones “close” when they are wet. To dry pine cones, line a baking pan with aluminum foil and spread pine cones in a single layer. Place the pinecones in a preheated 200⁰F oven for 30 minutes or until the cones are fully opened and any sap has melted.

STEP 1: PREPARE MUFFIN PAN

Line a muffin pan with the paper cupcake liners by placing one paper liner in each cup of the muffin pan.

STEP 2: MELT CANDLES

Remove the candles from their metal cups and place one tea light candle in each cup of the lined muffin pan. Make sure each wick is standing nice and tall. Place muffin pan in a preheated 200⁰F oven.

STEP 3: ADD SCENT & PREPARE WICKS

Once the candle wax has melted, carefully remove the muffin pan from the oven. If you want to add essential oil to your candles, you can do so now. Just carefully add a few drops to each cup. Using a pair of tweezers, gently move each wick so they are close to the side of the paper liner.

STEP 4: ADD PINE CONES

Then you’ll simply place one pinecone into the center of each muffin cup. The wax will rise up around the pinecone. Make sure each wick is sticking out of the top of the paper liner and to the side of the pine cones.

STEP 5: WAIT AND PEEL

After the wax has completely cooled and set, remove the pine cones from the muffin pan and peel away the cupcake liners. If you prefer, you can leave the pine cones fire starters in the paper liners. Now, admire your beautiful creation!

Notes

HOW TO USE YOUR PINECONE FIRE STARTERS

To use your homemade pinecone fire starter, simply:

place one fire starter at the base of your fireplace or fire pit
arrange kindling over the top of the fire starter
light the wick of the fire starter
add larger logs to build up your fire

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Sign Up to Get Free Printable Pinecone Fire Starter Gift Tags

To help make gifting these pinecone fire starters even easier, I’ve created a set of printable gift tags, complete with instructions. To get the gift tags for the pine cone fire starters, just sign up below:

More Ideas

I hope you’ll give this super easy DIY Pinecone Fire Starters a try! If you enjoy do-it-yourself projects, you might also like these ideas from The Birch Cottage:

And, as always, thanks so much for stopping by The Birch Cottage blog!

Til next time…