re-usable food wrap or homemade cling wrap

It's super important to me that our homestead reduces waste when ever possible and also reduces our exposure to chemicals.
Cling wrap is one of those things that I pondered this weekend. I can not get it off of the bowls to reuse it, it ends up a wrinkled mess. Even if I could, I can't imagine cleaning it enough to re-use. So I thought I'd take a peek out there and see if anyone had any ideas and I found more than I thought I would!

DIYNatural.com has a great idea using cloth and and iron.

NourishingJoy.com has some interesting things to consider when choosing your material.

TheArtOfDoingStuff.com includes ideas with buttons and alternatives to bees wax pellets.

We'll be trying this out soon.

Please let us know if you have done this yet and what your thoughts are!

Homemade Fire Starters from toilet paper rolls and dryer lint, and they can be cute!

Fire starters are a handy tool. I am proud to say that I don't struggle to get our wood burning stove started without them. (Adding that badge to my homesteading woman sash.) Fire starters, though, make the job cleaner and easier with less paper needed and therefore less ashes to clean. I do recommend doing this in fall since the dryer lint kicks up dust. Doing it outside is smarter than, oh say, doing it on a box of Christmas decorations as is evidence of what I did today in the pics below. 

You will need:
Empty toilet rolls and or paper towel rolls cut into thirds.
Dryer lint.
Candle wax from candle stubs or remnants.
Paper, newspaper or packing paper.

Stuff the toilet paper rolls with dryer lint. Then pour melted candle wax over one end. Most people use way more wax than I do. I only put about 1 or 2 teaspoons in. I don't want to find cakes of wax on the bottom of my stove and I don't feel it is necessary. But so you know, a lot of people use more. You can adjust according to what you think you need.
After the wax dries, you lay each tube on some paper and roll them up like little old-timey gifts. If you want to get fancy, you can tie the ends with ribbon or twine. Mine won't be left out long enough for that. But next fall when I make them OUTSIDE and make enough for the whole season, I will make them cuter.
Please be mindful of fire safety and use common sense and best practices whenever you have a fire.  

To make fire starters, you will need dryer lint, candle wax, packaging paper, and paper product tubes.

I don't use tons of wax. 

Lay the filled fire starter tube on the paper to wrap it. Make sure paper is a few inches wider than the tubes.

RRRRRRRoll it up, maybe 4-5 layers is plenty.

Twist the ends like candy wrappers. This is also where you will light them.

Ribbons if they are going to be gifts or left out in your house for awhile. Just or twine would be even better.

Your own home made fire starters.