Citronella Candles

Citronella candles to keep pesky bugs, like mosquitoes, away!

You will need:

• unscented tea light candles
• citronella oil
• empty can+candle warmer/ double boiler (to melt candle wax)
• hot glue
• plastic bugs
• spray paint
• glass vase
• twigs, leaves, flowers
• water

Step 1: Melt

1. Find a container you can use to melt candle wax in (like an empty can).
2. Remove the wax from the tea lights and add it to the container.
3. Melt the wax. I used a candle warmer/hot plate and placed the can on top. It took about an hour and a half to melt, but the melting time can be shortened by breaking the wax up into smaller pieces.
4. When the wax has completely melted, add a few drops of citronella oil (5 drops per tea light melted).
5. Use a small stick to mix the wax and oil together.

Step 2: Pour

1. Before you pour your candles, use a bit of glue to secure the wicks to the bottom of the tea light cups.
2. Carefully fill each tea light cup with your citronella scented wax.
3. Allow wax to solidify.

Now you have some candles that should keep mosquitoes away! You can stop here or continue to learn how to make the bug infested centerpiece.

Step 3: Beautiful Bugs

1. Get some plastic bugs.
2. Lay them down on paper or cardboard.
3. Spray with a layer of metallic spray paint. Let dry.
4. Flip over to spray the bottom side. Let dry.

Acrylic paint might also work if you wanted to paint them by hand instead.

Step 4: Foliage

Gather pieces of plants, like leaves, twigs, and flowers. You'll be filling a vase with whatever you gather, along with the bugs you've painted. Select anything that you think will look nice in your underwater bug habitat.

If you can, place the things you've gathered into a container and fill it water. This will keep everything fresh and make the dry things, like twigs, more pliable, and it will be easier to arrange them in the vase later.

Step 5: Assembly

Now that you have everything, you can put it all together!

1. Start by putting a leaf at the bottom of the vase.
2. Add some twigs and stems. You might have to bend the twigs a bit to fit them through the opening of the vase.
3. Drop in a flower or two.
4. Introduce your bugs to their new homes; place them on the twigs to make it look like they're happy and walking around.
5. Completely fill the vase with water.
6. Gently place a tea light on the surface of the water and light it. The candle should float around and let off a nice citronella scent.