How To Make A Fake Campfire Using Pool Noodles For A Cozy Feel On A Budget

During cool autumn evenings, campfires offer a place to gather and enjoy your outdoor living area. Whether you go with a fireplace, brick or stone pit, or tabletop option, the golden glow and warm ambiance provide a cozy vibe. However, installing a fire pit is pricey and ranges from $75 to $500 for a basic store bought model. If you're on a very tight budget but still want to give your space a comfortable feel, you can decorate with a faux campfire made out of textured and painted pool noodles filled with LED light strips. While this won't look exactly like the real thing, it's a much cheaper and safer option that could work in a variety of ways both inside and outside the home.

These smoldering logs work in a variety of decorations and activities. You could form a circle of rocks on the lawn and toss a few in the center to make your kids a fireless campsite or stack them on a large serving platter for a makeshift patio flame table. You can even use them to create a DIY fire pit in your yard or inside the house in lieu of an electric fireplace. Wherever you place your faux kindling, you'll save money by making this display. Check out how to handcraft a fake campfire of your own with foam tubes, paint, and a simple strand of LED lights.

If you're looking for fire pit ideas to turn your outdoor living space into the perfect oasis, this craft is a cheap and simple way to start. All you need are two orange or red pool noodles, a box cutter, matte black and gray acrylic paint, a paintbrush, a sculpting tool (like one in this pottery set from Amazon for $8), and strands of LED lights. You can get the foam tubes at Dollar Tree for $1.25 and the paint from Michaels for under $2 each. After collecting your supplies, it's time to turn up the fake heat.

To begin, cut the noodles into 1-foot lengths. You can tear them or use the sculpting device to make rough edges. Use the same tool to scar the foam, creating bark-like ridges. Coat the exterior in black and then gray paint, leaving some of the orange or red color showing in the grooves. To texturize the bark more, try adding Texture Sand Medium before the paint, available at Michaels for less than $4. A YouTube commenter on VanOaksProps' video also suggested adding artificial snow spray as a final texturizing agent. Finally, thread LED strands into the tubes and hide the battery packs between logs as you stack them. This is one of the most beautiful ideas for decorating a fake fireplace or building an outdoor hearth. The finished product is a collection of affordable faux campfire logs filled with softly glowing embers — the perfect decor for a cozy fall or winter evening at home.