Desktop Campfire

When you feel like camping, but vacation is months away. Or it's been a stressful day, and you need some time around the fire....

Drill with 1/4" bit, small clamp, 1 sheet white card stock, black & white acrylic paints & brushes, scissors, garden snips, gorilla tape, glue gun & clear glue sticks, super glue, wide mouth mason jar lid & ring (worn), gravel, mossy sticks for logs, and 20 LED fairy light string with button battery (from Amazon)

This is materials intensive, but most are usually found around the house....

Start by drilling a hole in the mason jar lid. The hole should be just wide enough for the light cord and lights to fit through. Be careful not to bend the lid.

Dot the superglue around the rim and lay the lid on top. If you have gaps you can sprinkle a tiny bit of baking soda into the hole, add a drop of glue to fill it in. Let it dry well.

Trace around the lid on the card stock and cut it out. Lay the circle on top of the lid and squish down to mark where the rim hits and trim it to fit. Hot melt glue the circle of paper onto the lid.

Stick a pin or pencil through the hole, then enlarge with scissors.

Gently unwind the lights till they are a single strand.

Gently thread the light string through the hole until only the copper wire is above.

Under the lid, wind the thicker wire in a loop and gorilla tape the battery in place, leaving easy access to the on/off switch. You can use more tape, but sometime in the future you may have to replace the battery, so be conservative.

Now to cut your fire wood. Remember the concept of scale: choose sticks that look like miniature logs, with imperfections, bits of moss, mini knotholes. Better to have too many than too few. Use the garden snips to cut them generally the same length, a bit shorter than the paper circle. Each one will be different, like each campfire is different.

This is a pyramid fire structure, and the larger sticks should be on the bottom layer. You'll make three layers of four logs each. Save any broken off bits of bark to decorate the fire later.

Turning on the power, gently wind the light string in a circle, doubling back on itself so the lights aren't all in one place. 6 lights per layer is a good number. Lay the wires on the paper and squirt hot glue over the wires (not the lights) in a couple places to hold the lot down. Do not hold the hot end of the glue gun directly on the wires. Blow on the glue to cool and harden it.

Lay the first larger log atop the lights and use a squirt of glue to hold it in place--avoiding putting glue on the light bulbs. Try gluing the stick at the bottom of each end. Lay the next log beside it and do the same...gluing the sticks one to the other is good.

Rotate your campfire as you work, to see it from multiple angles.

Try to the use the glue sparingly. When the layer is done, check for sturdiness, reinforcing where necessary.

Wind the lights in a circle for the next layer, keeping the bulbs from being in one spot. Also, push the wires towards the center where they won't be too obvious. Add the next smaller size logs on top and glue as you did before.

Make the last layer, using the smallest size logs on top. Try to hide any exposed wires and obvious glue, since this is the exposed top of the fire.

Cut off any unused wire and lights close to the logs, tucking the end out of sight. This should not make the fairy lights stop working.

Using black and white acrylic, paint soot and ash under the exposed white paper beneath the fire. DO NOT PAINT THE LIGHT BULBS. The colors should be mottled, and splotchy. Then add a bit of black between the logs...especially darkening any exposed wires.

Hot glue the pebbles or gravel atop the mason jar rim. Remember to make them uneven like a big fire ring.

Now to personalize your campfire...with bits of moss or tiny pine cones. If you are one of those tacky people who like to burn soda cans on their coals, find some at a craft store and have fun.

Kick back and camp...go to Youtube.com and find a virtual camping video or a 4K tent in the rain.

Relax. Drink some cocoa or mocha.

With a bit of wire, screen and sculpey you can create miniatures of smores or flame grilled burgers.....