We are experiencing beautiful weather here on the Florida Gulf Coast which means we can stay outside in the evenings. Knowing that the warmer weather in the coming months will bring mosquitoes and gnats, I made a citronella candle to sit on my outdoor coffee table to ward off the pesky bugs.
I saw these inexpensive modern planters online in two sizes and fell in love with their shape. I used the larger one for its intended purpose and added a mini monstera, but I made a citronella candle out of the smaller one. It is now out there and looks so chic with its modern shape and unique design.
Isn’t the ribbed shape of this planter so good? I saw today that the little white 8″ is no longer available online, but you can still find it in stock at local stores if you move quickly. The larger 12″ planter is available both online and in stores.
I haven’t made candles in over ten years, so instead of using kitchenware, I bought a $20 candle making kit that made the process so easy, and I can use it again and again to repurpose old candle containers in the future.
Sources for recreating your own ceramic outdoor citronella candle: modern white planter (I used this one); Candle making kit; citronella oil; additional soy wax (I used a total of 4 lbs. of soy wax flakes for this project). Note that you can also find soy wax at your local Michaels stores.
Making candles is not complicated, you just need to follow the steps and pay attention to the heat and time. To begin, I centered my wicks in a triangle shape for even burning using the small stickers and wicks included in the kit.
The kit comes with a thermometer and a long metal spoon so as you mix, you can watch the consistency of the wax go from flakes to a cloudy liquid to a clear liquid.
To make a candle this big, I had to do five rounds of melting and pouring, so it took me all afternoon, returning to the project every 30 minutes or so. For each round, I held the metal pitcher over medium heat and stirred constantly, leaving it on the heat for ten seconds, then removing it from the heat and stirring. I did this back and forth a few dozen times each round so that the wax melted slowly and consistently.
I read that citronella oil has a flash point of 175 degrees, so I didn’t let my melted wax go over 135 degrees. I added two drops of citronella oil for every pound of melted wax.
In the future, I plan to experiment with other oils like eucalyptus and lavender to make calming candles for indoor spaces as well. Once the wax was liquid, I slowly poured it into my planter over five rounds. I used kitchen knives hung over the top of the planter to stabilize the wicks so they stayed centered as I poured each round.
Once the candle had cooled completely, I put it outside to be used throughout the spring and summer.
Sources for the outdoor sofa and throw pillows are linked in this post about my budget finds for our Florida home.
I have some friends in town for a few days for spring break and we are heading south to Key West. There’s a weekend post planned for Sunday, and then I’ll be back later next week to continue with further projects once my friends are gone.
I hope you are all enjoying your spring break as well.