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I love almost everything about summer. But one of the very few things I don’t like is… mosquitos! And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. Like many of my ideas, this project was born from a stroll through Home Depot. I found these small empty paint cans near the spray paint and I just knew I could make something with them. Fast forward a few weeks, and here we are… with a set of DIY mosquito repellent citronella luminaries!
And now that our patio makeover is finally complete, we’ll be outside even more (did you see the before and after pics? Hard to believe it’s the same space!). Now, onto the task at hand. These things are crazy easy to make… here’s what you’ll need:
- Three empty paint cans
- Three floating candles
- Citronella essential oil
- Lemon essential oil
- Peppermint essential oil
- Spray paint in three colors
- Painters tape
- Three plastic grocery bags
- Measuring tape
- Hammer
- Nail
- Pencil
Begin by measuring out where the holes will be placed. The diameter of my can was 13 inches, so I placed a hole every inch. Use a pencil to mark the placement of each hole. They should be about a half inch from the top rim.
Next, hammer the nail into the marked spots. I used a thick nail, so it did bend the sides of the can around each hole a bit, but I liked the idea of larger holes so more candlelight could show through. You could opt for a smaller nail if this bothers you. I also think that leaving the top on the can while you hammer helps it maintain its shape better.
Once you’ve made the holes all the way around, it’s time to prep the can for painting. Fold the handles of a plastic bag up inside of the bag itself and wrap it around the can. Tape around the bag, taking care to adhere it to the can in a straight line. The height of the tape is a matter of taste – I did different heights for each luminary.
Spray the can with multiple thin coats of spray paint, letting it dry thoroughly in between each coat. Remove the tape and bag.
Repeat the process on the other two cans. Once the spray paint has dried thoroughly, fill each can halfway with water and add essential oil. I used about eight drops of citronella, and four each of the lemon and peppermint.
Pop the candles in, and voilà – the cutest DIY mosquito repellent citronella luminaries you’ve ever seen 😉
I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on my macrame table runners… I got this one at Target, but check out my absolute favorite one here. It’s crazy cheap and it looks gorgeous in person!
And here’s the best part… when you head inside for the night, simply blow out the candles and put the tops on. There’s no need to bring them inside!
These are seriously my new favorite thing. I’m thinking about making a whole row of them to line the table for our next barbecue. I love that you can customize them too… you might try different color combinations, or get creative with stripes on the sides of the cans. So many options!
So, if you enjoyed my DIY mosquito repellent citronella luminary tutorial and you’re looking for some other outdoor entertaining DIYs, check out these must-see projects.