It’s fall, and the mosquitoes are out in force here in Northern California. I got completely chewed up at my daughter’s soccer practice, and forget about enjoying a nice beverage outside at night! Instead of applying copious amounts of bug spray on my family and my skin (read: chemicals), I decided to try my hand at mason jar citronella candles. They seem easy enough to make, right?

I headed to Thrift Town and grabbed a few. At $1 each, they’re a steal compared to what they cost in big box craft retailers, even with coupons.

Supplies needed: Mason Jars, cotton rope, citronella oil, scissors, drill, painters tape

I was in somewhat of a hurry to put these together, so I tried to multi-task…and it worked. I grabbed two jar lids and put secured them with the ring onto the jar. I took my drill and created a hole large enough for the cotton to be pulled through as the wick.

Put painters tape at the end of the cotton rope wick to prevent any unraveling, and insert through the jar lid. Once through to the other side, use the scissors to cut off the painter taped tip. Side note, be sure to use 100% cotton rope vs. rope with any other sort of materials in order to prevent melting.

Fill the mason jar up 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full with citronella oil and insert the rest of the cotton rope, and twist the lid into place.

Light and enjoy a mosquito free night!

Here’s the segment link as seen on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursday:

http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/10793195-thrifty-thursday/

Happy thrifting!

Gina Doglione-Nielsen is featured every week on Good Day Sacramento’s Thrifty Thursdays, and owns GNJ Consulting which handles Public, Social, and Media Relations for Thrift Town Stores. Gina lives in Northern California with her amazing husband Josh, and is constantly on the go with three “very active” and “strong personality” bambinos; aka Team Nielsen, and loves every minute of it.