PINE CONE FIRELIGHTERS

These are easy to make, cost very little and make good Christmas presents when tied up in a hessian bag.

You will need Heatproof bowl Saucepan Wax – use the ends of candles or wax flakes Small tins, old moulds, shallow dishes or muffin/baking tin Pine cones Whole cloves PVA glue Glitter 60cm x 23cm piece of hessian String or twine Needle and sewing thread (or use a sewing machine) Silver jingle bells

1 Melt the wax slowly over a low heat using a heatproof bowl over a saucepan. Pour a small amount into your tins, moulds or dishes.

2 Place a pine cone on top of each one and sprinkle cloves around it to give a spicy scent when it burns.

3 Place in the freezer for about an hour until solid. Remove from the tins, dab with a little glue and sprinkle with glitter.

4 Make a bag by folding the hessian in half. Stitch along each side, leaving a 1cm seam allowance. Turn inside out and fill with firelighters. Close the bag with string tied around a glittered cone and a bell.