The Whimsy House

Sometimes you just want a roasted marshmallow. Sure, I can build up the fire pit in the backyard but really, I just want to stay cozy on my porch without all of the mess and hassle of the fire pit. Lucky for me, I have a couple of boy scouts that are happy to build a fire and douse it out with water when we are done, but I found an easier way that’s just perfect for entertaining.

The Porch-side Fire Pit. This baby can be put together in less than an hour and will have your friends and family ooohhing and aaahhing over the simplicity and the fun.



Here’s how you make it.

Find a pot. You can make this in any flame-resistant container. Metal, terracotta or ceramic work well. This is a great use for that small metal bucket you purchased at a yard sale, or that gorgeous ceramic planter whose plant met an untimely demise during the winter holiday death spiral.
I knew that I would move my mini fire pit around from porch to deck and maybe even kitchen island, depending on what was happening. I knew I didn’t want it to be filled with rocks, because it would be too heavy to easy move around. I also wanted to stability for my sterno, so I bought a bowl at the dollar store and put it upside down in the pot. You could really get creative and find something that suits this purpose right from the recycle bin if you wanted. I considered soup cans and a salsa jar before I landed on my dollar store bowl.

Once the bowl was upside down and filling a majority of the space, I took some aluminum foil and loosely bunched it up around the edges to fill more of the space.

Then I sat my sterno on top (only use green sterno to roast your marshmallows!) and poured my rocks around it.

I bought 2 bags of rocks from the dollar store, but you could use anything for the surround. Oyster shells, sea shells or marbles are all great options.

We had some shells from the last beach trip that I tucked in there with the rocks. The kids pick them up and refuse to leave them at the beach so you gotta do something with them, right?

And there! All done. If you are having people over and are looking for an engaging activity or snack, make a s'mores bar! This is also great fun for the kids when they have friends over and want to roast a couple of marshmallows. Enjoy! And post pictures if you make one!