Design Sponge
DCL
Summer nights are made for s'mores, stargazing, campfires, and barbecues, but nothing kills the buzz of a beautiful evening like the bites of pesky mosquitoes. If you're tired of stocking up on store-bought citronella candles, try making your own with these instructions from Design Sponge.
Step one: Pick up some citronella oil at your local natural foods or hardware store. Once you have the oil, you can use all those nubs and bits of old, unscented candles to form new ones; just melt them together, add the oil and a new wick (you can get these at craft stores) and let cool in a vintage tin, empty can, or decorative jar. Kate at Design Sponge even recommends adding crayons for custom color; while they'll increase the smoke factor, that added burnoff will help keep the bugs away.
Don't have a place of your own? Try making a cover out of fabric, adding a ribbon, and handing these out as housewarming gifts, thank-you tokens, or as part of a holiday basket. Reusing old containers, candles, and crayons saves those resources from the trashbin, while setting up the finished products on your deck, patio, or porch makes it easy to enjoy outdoor space all summer long.
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