Easy and Pretty DYI Insect Repellent Lantern

Minnesota in the summer means lots of outdoor fun.

It also means that if you are outdoors you will probably get "bugged" by Mosquitoes.

Repelling bugs has a pretty high priority around here!

Here is a tutorial for a DIY Insect Repellent Lantern that I put together the other night.

Source

Here was my inspiration.

I have a couple of gel fuel fire pots that are really pretty.

But.....that gel fuel is really pretty scary!

In fact, the pourable gel fuel has been recalled because of how dangerous it is!

I just knew I could find someone who had figured out how to recycle the gorgeous container into something practical. 

Supplies:
Citronella Patio Torch Fuel

This is about $10 at Home Depot
We had this in the garage so this brand is no longer available there.
Any brand will do.

 

Pea Gravel

 You can buy a bag of this at Home Depot for a couple of dollars.  The bucket of this has been in our garage for a long time.  I use it for lots of stuff.....it makes a nice landscape path for the Fairy Garden!

 

Torch Replacement Wick

This pack of 2 cost $4.00 at Home Depot.  They are long enough to cut into thirds enough for six lanterns.

Fireproof Container with some sort of lid 

I had 2 gel pots with inserts.

Then I got out an old cheese crock with a top that will work.

Mason jars will work too.  They are shatterproof.

Put the pea gravel in the container around the wick.

Pour the citronella oil over the rocks.

Light it up!

Looks and sounds like a pretty simple project!

Well......sort of!

I lit the wicks and you can see that the flame is a BIT out of control!

Here is what I learned!

More to the point.....this is what Mr. S who is a member of NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) taught me!!!!  Yikes....what was I thinking.....doing a FIRE related project when the "fire safety police" lives in the house!

The wick can't be too tall!

The rocks can't go right up to the top!

There can't be too much oil in the container!

You'd better check to be sure your container is high temp safe!

You probably shouldn't burn these on a wood deck!

After learning all of these safety precautions.....and fixing some of the problems.....the little lamps look great and let off a nice amount of citronella vapor!

 To make Mr. S happier...I will move these down to the fire pit ledge!  The bugs are worse down there anyway!

Here is a nice website with lots of ideas for Insect Repellent Lanterns!
Don't you love the simplicity of these Mason Jar Lamps?

 Last.....but not least....just so the Fire Safety Police know that I was listening and paying attention!

This site has some great safety tips for using oil lamps.

Have A Wonderful Day....

Hope NOTHING is BUGGING you today!

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Savvy Southern Style   DIY By Design    
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The Lemoine Family Kitchen    
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No Fuss No Cord Deck Lighting!

I love twinkle lights!

They make me happy!

I always think of the line in the movie "You've Got Mail" when Kathleen makes the comment about the new big box book store going in down the street........

"Listen, their store is new. It's a novelty. It will shake out; meanwhile, I'm putting on more twinkle lights."

 The planter boxes on the deck had been around for a long time.....and over time....they started to rot!
We decided not to replace them when we saw that they were causing the deck railing to also rot!

Goodbye flowers....Goodbye a place to tuck solar lights around to get the twinkle light effect!


What to do?

Well....when we were in Mexico...we enjoyed sitting on the patio under the umbrella lit with tiny little solar powered twinkle lights that the Sweetwater brother put up!


The perfect solution for the Sweetwater deck!!





So....a little trip to Amazon Prime and I now have twinkle lights once more!

The solar battery collects lots of sun throughout the day!











I used little cup hooks.....
easily screwed into the deck board!


I just wrapped the lights around them all along the underside of the railing.

And now with just a little effort....and no fuss or cords....
I have my twinkle lights to make me happy!

Have a Wonderful Day!

 

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Fluster Buster   Wicked Awesome Wednesday   Adorned From Above    

Katerine's COrner   A Creative Princess  

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DYI Ceramic Firepots!

I just love these two little ceramic fire pots that I got for my birthday! Somebody really knows what I like!

They use gel fuel to create an instant fire feature....so fun!
Whenever we lit them.....I would think to myself-  there has to be a way to do a knock off version.
I researched the Internet and the only thing I could find was
the bigger fire pit version that
Karen at The Art of Doing Stuff  posted last September.

I you haven't visited Karen's Blog....I highly recommend you do so soon...she is sooo funny and does some amazing projects!

But back to my project!

No Fuss Deck Lighting

I love the quote from the movie "You've Got Mail" when Kathleen announces that all will be fine, but "in the meantime, I'm putting up more twinkle lights."
That's how I feel about the twinkle lights on our deck.

 Sweetwater Style calls for simple, easy, inexpensive elegance.  This solution is almost too easy.