Illuminate the Great Outdoors with Playful Candlelight

Use  candles to create attractive lighting for your next outdoor party or get together.  Instead of relying on electric string lights or spotlights, try using a variety of different candles and candle arrangements to produce a beautifully festive atmosphere.

By making candles the basis of your outdoor lighting, you'll create a mood that's inviting and attractive. You'll also enjoy the benefits of the indirect light candles cast.  You can use candles to illuminate all kinds of outdoor settings –  floating candles , for example, can turn even the most unattractive garden pond into a magical focal point, while rows of luminaries can cast an alluring glow down otherwise dark walkways or steps. And citronella candles can be grouped in with other, more decorative candles to ward insects away from guests and set the scene.

Choose bright,  colorful pillar candles for a playful outdoor table topper, then nestle votives or pillar candles in painted buckets or plant pots and place them at different heights around your outdoor space. Try spacing a row of  tealights in glass containers along a deck rail or window ledge and hanging candle lanterns from tree branches (at a safe distance!) or hanging hooks on a front or back porch. Or use tall pillars in big glass hurricanes to give screened porches and picnic tables a camp-like feel.

Because most types of candles can be used indoors or out, there's no limit to how creative your outdoor candle lighting can be. Here are a few more easy ideas for using candle light at your next outdoor gathering:

• Use tea light luminaries and candle lanterns to illuminate walkways, stairs and entrances.
• Place citronella candles or candle torches at regularly spaced intervals around your party area to deter mosquitoes and other insects.
• Hang candle lanterns from branches and hooks using wire or thin filament to create the illusion of floating candlelight.
• Use indoor candelabras and candlesticks with elegant tapers for an eccentric outdoor centerpiece.
• Settle tealights and votives in nooks and crannies along a stone wall, among potted plants or around a pond for unexpected sparks of candle light.
• Indulge your sense of fun with a variety of colorful and quirky ceramic or  glass candle holders – use pillar candles of different sizes and colors for playful picnic table décor.