Fake Fire Ideas for Projects

If you want to decorate your place for the holiday or want to recreate a campfire for an outdoor get-together in the back yard, fake fire projects allow you to create the ambiance and design of a real fire without the hazard of an open flame. With a few materials from the craft store, you can make a fireplace by which to hang Christmas stockings, create a tissue paper campfire or make a kid-friendly Halloween decoration.

No camping trip should be without a campfire, though if you need a campfire for a kids party or theater production, a real fire is not the safest idea. To create the appearance of a campfire without the danger, gather a few logs and place them in a circle to designate the design of the campfire. Cut strips of yellow, orange and red tissue paper, then tape one end to a few small portable fans. Place the fans into the center of the wooded area and point upward; then turn on. The fan will blow the tissue paper upward to create the illusion of flames. For a nighttime campfire, place a few flashlights around the fans, also pointing up into the sky for proper illumination.

If your house doesn't have a fireplace, you can easily make one for Santa to come down. Purchase enough moving boxes to create two columns and a mantel piece (about seven -- three for each column then one to complete the mantel) and tape together to secure. Assemble sheets of black construction paper to fill the hole in the fireplace, known as the firebox. Once the firebox piece is taped on, cut flame shapes out of red, yellow and orange construction paper and glue them to the firebox as desired to imitate flames. Paint the fireplace red and hang stockings.

Create a spooky decoration by completing the fireplace using the same directions as the Christmas fireplace, except use different colors to create more ominous flames. Green, blue and purple flames can be pasted to the back of the firebox, and Halloween décor such as a cauldron may be placed inside the fireplace. Paint the fireplace black and finish it off by placing spider webs, spiders or a black cat on the mantel.