When thinking counts -
Dec. 9th, 2003 03:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kyburgYou want something thoughtful to give away as a Christmas present?
You want to try nearly free? All it takes is time and some forethought.
And the friend has to have a fireplace or the need to build fires in controlled spaces (like firepits and the like).
Firestarters
Go to Home Depot or any lumber yard that cuts wood. With a trash bag. Ask for sawdust. They usually will even sweep it into the bag for you. Gratis.
Go walking in the parks, cemetaries and woods near your home. Collect small seed pods - liquidamber pods preferred. Acorns, small pinecones, etc. Put in bag and take home. Be good and leave some food for the squirrels.
You've been collecting half-burnt candles most of the year, admit it. Maybe even Aunt Mehitabel gave you some of her home-canned mumbleberry jam this summer and sealed the jars with paraffin. Well, here's your chance to get rid of the evidence.
Find an old kettle you can't use to heat water in anymore.
Find a set of muffin tins you can't justify using for baking anymore.
Scam some muffin papers -
Take as much of this outside as you can.
Set up a card table on the porch, cover with newspaper and put the muffin tins on it, put muffin papers in the cups and fill the cups with sawdust.
Melt all the available wax scraps, candle stubs and whathaveyou on the stove. Use good judgement, please. You can burn the house down if you aren't paying attention. Don't ask.
Pour wax over sawdust in cups until sawdust is dampened. Place seed pod on top before wax cools.
Wait until they are cold, pop them out of the muffin tins, wrap in a nice brown bag with some ribbon (maybe you have some rubber stamps hiding somewhere - use them).
Give away.
I've also been told you can use dryer lint, but I'm not quite that frugal yet, thank you.
Don't have a fireplace yet, but I'm working on it.
You want to try nearly free? All it takes is time and some forethought.
And the friend has to have a fireplace or the need to build fires in controlled spaces (like firepits and the like).
Firestarters
Go to Home Depot or any lumber yard that cuts wood. With a trash bag. Ask for sawdust. They usually will even sweep it into the bag for you. Gratis.
Go walking in the parks, cemetaries and woods near your home. Collect small seed pods - liquidamber pods preferred. Acorns, small pinecones, etc. Put in bag and take home. Be good and leave some food for the squirrels.
You've been collecting half-burnt candles most of the year, admit it. Maybe even Aunt Mehitabel gave you some of her home-canned mumbleberry jam this summer and sealed the jars with paraffin. Well, here's your chance to get rid of the evidence.
Find an old kettle you can't use to heat water in anymore.
Find a set of muffin tins you can't justify using for baking anymore.
Scam some muffin papers -
Take as much of this outside as you can.
Set up a card table on the porch, cover with newspaper and put the muffin tins on it, put muffin papers in the cups and fill the cups with sawdust.
Melt all the available wax scraps, candle stubs and whathaveyou on the stove. Use good judgement, please. You can burn the house down if you aren't paying attention. Don't ask.
Pour wax over sawdust in cups until sawdust is dampened. Place seed pod on top before wax cools.
Wait until they are cold, pop them out of the muffin tins, wrap in a nice brown bag with some ribbon (maybe you have some rubber stamps hiding somewhere - use them).
Give away.
I've also been told you can use dryer lint, but I'm not quite that frugal yet, thank you.
Don't have a fireplace yet, but I'm working on it.
