Shine a light

You just never know

Well, well, well, it's Tips, Tricks and Treats Tuesday and I was inspired to write about emergency lights.  It's that time of the year where nasty storms seem to pop up frequently and it's always good to be prepared, a.k.a a "Prepper" (and that's a whole other topic for another post!).  But, oh no!  You just didn't get around to buying those candles and flashlights.  Well, no worries as I will highlight three, count them, three ways to fabricate emergency lighting from common items you probably have around the homestead.

First up is the Orange Oil Lamp.  Basically, you just cut an orange in half, carefully gut it taking care to leave the stem portion (as this will be your wick), pour in some cooking oil (canola oil was the suggestion  

on the site I got the info from) and light the stem/wick.  Here are the full and detailed directions if you need it.

http://366daysofpinterest.com/2012/02/06/day-6-orange-candle/

The video above was the inspiration for this whole topic.  This idea seems pretty cool and seems easy enough, although I haven't tried this (or any of these tips, at least not yet!), but I'm thinking I might do this just for fun.  With this tip, you just need a can of tuna IN OIL (that's yer fuel), a pair of nice, pointy scissors, a small piece of paper towel and a match or lighter.  Once you have your gear together, start by using the pointy end of the scissors to poke a small hole in the middle of the can, cut a small strip of paper towel and roll it tightly into a "wick" then slide this into the hole on the top of the can (kind of like a snake slinking into it's hole) and light.  I read you can also eat the tuna when you're done!  Watch the clip to make sure you're doing it right.  This might be extra helpful if you're a camper/hiker.

Last on the list, but not least, is the Chapstick Candle.  For this you'll need scissors, a tube of  Chapstick (any petroleum based balm), a cotton swab and a lighter or match.  Take your scissors and cut the tip, about an inch, off the top of the swab.  Use some of the Chapstick and smear this on the whole swab tip, forming the fluffy cotton top into a pointy-type wick and place this in the center of the Chapstick tube.  Finally give it a light with your fire source and you're good to go.  I read you need to twist up the Chapstick every once and awhile so the plastic casing doesn't burn.  Complete in-struck-shuns can be found at this site...http://www.instructables.com/id/Survival-Chapstick-Candle/.  This seems to be a super-handy idea if you're a backpacker as you should have all the mentioned items included with your gear since they're small and lightweight as well.

Okay, now chances are you keep flashlights and candles handy (I know I do) but it never hurts to be informed about alternative methods on how to do things, especially when it comes to light during power outages or other freaky emergency situations (hey, what happens if your batteries run out, eh?). The Orange Oil Lamp might be cute as an ambiance detail for a romantic dinner!  As for the tuna can lamp, you'd probably throw out the oil anyway, so this way you wouldn't waste it.  And that Chapstick Candle just looks like plain fun!  So there ya go, shine your light out there but just be careful since you're playing with fire, kiddies :)