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Archive for the 'Decorating Tips' CategoryIt’s great how LED Christmas lights come in all sorts of different shapes and colors. Large jobs - outlining walkways and yards - call for larger C7 and C9 style bulbs. Smaller jobs - lighting garland, wreaths, centerpieces, Christmas trees!! — let you choose between a huge array of smaller LED shapes. I have been recently playing with wide angle LED Christmas lights and I like the way the small flat LED covers can be hidden into greenery and the angle of light diffusion seems to be very even - a nice pinpoint of light.
In the picture above, I’ve “hidden” some of the pure white lights in some sheer silver organza. I’m thinking of using this as a table edge for an upcoming party - or stuffing this into a glass brick for some Christmas decorations (fake present glass brick project!!). I like the razzberry, strawberry and mini ice shapes of led mini lights for decorating - they all look good in a ton of applications - especially during the Holidays. But having access to the simple neutral lines of these particular light sets - I think I’m going to have fun experimenting with them!! Shellie Gardner
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You can smell it in the air and see it in every store - Christmas is just around the corner. Christmas stockings hanging in a row on the mantle is a favorite sight in many homes (I know it is in ours!). Get a jumpstart on thinking about what sort of stocking you might hang and what to fill it with - make that list early and save money picking up little items here and there. See Christmas Stockings for my full article. Merry Christmas (and Happy Halloween!) Shellie Gardner
I just finished my article on Christmas Lights for Camping. We had quite a bit of fun spending the evening putting lights up on our pop up camper. What a great time of year to be camping in TX. This article features photographs of both incandescent and LED Christmas lights. Best regards,
Christmas wreaths have been making a comeback and trying to decide between real or artificial wreaths can be difficult. There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to either of the two options. The choice ends up being one of personal preference. Here are some of the advantages to real and artificial wreaths. Real Christmas Wreaths Smell absolutely wonderful. They are bright green, inviting, and warm and have a delightful texture to them. You can decorate them any way you like with mini lights, ribbons, bows or even tree decorations. You can feel the life within a Christmas wreath made of evergreens. They are also easy to make though they do take a bit more work to make then artificial wreaths. The biggest downside is that because they are alive they are not reusable. You can create a new one each year following the same design or a different one but they will have to be replaced every year. The good news is if you use a live Christmas tree you have plenty of material to build your wreath. Artificial Christmas Wreaths Artificial wreaths are quick, easy, come in a large variety of styles, pre-made with decorations, multiple colors, and sizes. They are made of a variety of materials including plastic and cloth. There are some advantages to these. They fit with absolutely any décor because you can find one that works with your decorating theme. They can be reused year after year because they are not alive. They also usually do not lose their needles the way that live Christmas wreaths can. They do wear out after a while and the plastic becomes fragile and easily starts to lose its shape so it can look limp. They also have a tendency to look artificial unless you take the time to fine dense well made wreaths. You’ll need to be sure to shape and fluff them if you go this route. Since you don’t get that wondeful evergreen smell with artificial wreaths and good Yankee Christmas candle may be in order! Artificial Christmas wreaths like real or natural Christmas wreaths can be outfitted with lights but you need to consider the temperature of the lights and the material being used. LED lights and mini lights work great in this instance since they tend to remain cooler. Both of these types of wreathes have their advantages and disadvantages. The choice of which one works for you is entirely up to you and the preferences you have. You can make either one as a craft or purchase them at the stores or on the internet (great if you happen to need a wreath in June). Live evergreen wreaths are usually only available during the holiday season. However, if you wish to create your own you can use any evergreen that is available in your area. Artificial wreaths are usually available all year round at local craft stores. You can purchase these without any decorations and add your own, this is also typical of live wreaths however you can purchase both of these completely assembled with lights and directions. So real or unreal - the decision still come to rest on your taste and your project. Hopefully you won’t lose too much sleep making that choice (or better yet do both!) Merry Christmas (ok, it’s July but all this wreath talk is putting me in the Holiday spirit!)
Tags: christmaswreaths, artificial vs real christmas wreaths, decorating for Christmas
It is nice to decorate the windows in sparkling lights during the holidays and at other times to let everyone know that it is time for a celebration. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind! What Kind of Lights Should I use? While rope lights are the one of the most common lights to use in commercial applications for outlining windows, there are more lighting options to choose from whether you are lighting a restaurant or a home. Rope lights look incredible wrapped around windows and can be cut to the desired length (within a predetermined 18 inches or whatever the manufacturer has labeled as the cutting marks) as well. Clips that screw on easily and usually come with the rope lights are used to attach them. There are mini lights, and larger traditional C7 and C9 light sets can also be used. There are strengths associated with each type of light. Mini lights are classic and give you alot of choices. There is a large variety in both color and spacing in mini lights and they are extremely versatile and easy to install. You can double back with the lights if you want a closer spacing than what is available. Since they are so light, they are generally easy to install with tape or adhesive mini lights clips that are available online. Larger incandescent bulbs are the brightest and somewhat more resistant to the elements if you install them outside. They come in two sizes the C7 and C9. These are commonly used to light large areas and can tie in with their traditional use for lining roofs and windows. Twinkling C7 or C9 bulbs interspersed through your display work great as an accent to any static project. They twinkle or flash as the bulbs heat up and go on and off about every second. If the exterior temperature is too cold, they may not twinkle. C7 and C9 lights can be installed with a variety of clips and tape. The little clips used for mini lighs with adhesive pads can sometimes be used with these larger lights if you use the clips to hold the wire. Look for different kinds of clips that are manufactured to hold cable at your nearest home impromement centers as well. Tips for Decoration There are a ton of color options for windows even though there are those that believe Christmas lights have to be multi color or red and green to suit the Christmas season. You can also use color to celebrate a favorite sporting team’s colors or use them as part of your overall party theme. Imagine outlining the windows with pink mini lights for a princess birthday party. Consider developing a theme for Christmas and run with it regarding the lights that you use to accent the windows. The theme should go with the rest of the Christmas items that you have. Red and green lights can be the specific choice is you do a large amount with holly. White lights are the obvious choice is you are doing the theme of a White Christmas. Look to the colors that you use indoor for your Holiday and party planning and extend those colors to your windows for a unified decorating scheme. Shellie
The Fourth of July is a great time to celebrate with our friends and family and to remember how the United States came to be the free country it is today. We all have our own ways of celebrating but almost every celebration could be made more fun and amazing by decorating with white, blue, and red colored Christmas-style lights. If you’ve never thought of using Christmas lights for your Independence Day celebrations, then trek up into the attic or into your garage, pull down the lights and consider some of the ideas below. Outdoor DecorationsIf you’re having an outdoor barbecue, you may rely on sunlight to brighten your day time activities. But you can also use the Christmas lights to brighten up the area after the sun starts sinking. For example, if you have bushes, hedges, or trees in your outdoor area then string these with the lights. Do you have an outdoor grill or patio set? Run lights along these outdoor items so they stand out in the dusk, adding color and fun to your festivities and making it a little easier to see what you’re doing. C7 and C9 Christmas tree lights and mini lights also look beautiful when strung around gazebos, outdoor light fixtures, along the bottom of your home’s gutters, and even on your child’s swing set. If your car, boat, or other vehicle is visible from your party location, you can always string lights along it as well. Indoor DecorationsWhile most of our Independence Day festivities our outdoors, if the weather is too hot or too stormy for those barbecues, we can still spruce up our indoor party with the patriotic-themed Christmas lights. Look around you living room. You could drape lights around your television and along the shelves of your entertainment center. They can also be hung on the walls using simple push pins or tacks that can be removed once the party is over. Just place the pins to create the design you want and lay the lights over them. If you want to decorate your dining room or kitchen, the lights can be strung around the corner of the table, around the backs of the chairs, or under the bar. Stair railings are also great because you can weave the lights around them or drape them over the rails depending on the look you want. With the lights off or turned down, the lights look amazing and can be useful in helping your guests find their ways to the next level of the party. Other IdeasIf you’re not celebrating the Fourth of July with a party or a barbecue but are having any other type of celebration during the Memorial Day to Labor Day season, the lights can also be great decorations. If you have a June or July wedding, for example, the lights make wonderful decorations for your reception or as a way to light the aisle. Regardless of how you plan to celebrate or where, you’ll be able to find some unique and creative ways to add color, lights, and fun to the event by using patriotic-colored Christmas-style lights. Shellie So you’ve decided which Santa you are going to mount on the roof and how you are going to outline your roofline in red and white C7 light strings - what next? Well, you might consider turning your attention to your outdoor landscaping. Now we have all seen poorly lit bushes and shrubs - they stick out like a sore thumb! But decorating your outdoor greenery can be easy! Just make sure to keep a few things in mind. For the best looking shrubs on the block, make sure to arrange the lights randomly. The little bit of extra time this might take will definitely be worth it! A good thing to remember is to tackle this project at dusk with the lights plugged in. You�ll have a much better idea of how the shrubs will look as well as an opportunity to correct any issues with the lights themselves such as burnt out bulbs, etc. Now we all know that the holidays are a busy time for all! If you think that you don’t have enough time to tackle decorating your outdoor shrubs and hedges, consider using net lights! Just as the name implies, these lights are already arranged in a net-like fashion that require you to simply blanket your shrubs with these lights for a uniform lighting effect. No matter how big or small the job, net lights are easy to install and come in a variety of colors. Available online and in some specialty stores, they come in a wider variety of colors -blue, clear, green, red, and multi colors and more. Most net light sets can be connected using stackable plugs allowing you to connect up to 3 net sets. But wait! Net lights aren’t just for outdoor shrubs! Some net lights are specially made to be a quick and easy solution to lighting your indoor Christmas tree. Net lights also work well accenting stair railings or fences. Net lights are also a quick and easy lighting solution for your porch or patio ceilings - they create an instantly festive feeling. Perfect for Holiday parties or summer soirees. If you’re planning to light the shrubs surrounding your home, why not light the trees as well? Wrapping the tree trunks is a popular choice and is easier than you might think! While you can always use connected mini light strings to wrap round and round the trunk, the easier, not to mention faster way to accomplish the same effect is by using a new product known as a tree trunk wrap. Available in several sizes, these wraps simply encircle the tree trunk and, voila! You’re done in an instant! Depending on the diameter of the tree trunk, you will be able to choose from the most commonly available trunk wraps online which are 2′ by 6′ trunk wraps or 2′ by 8′ foot wraps for a taller trunk. Each tree trunk wrap will generally feature 150 clear lights on green wire with a 24″ lead wire. (We like to use wire ties to connect the trunk lights to each other before installing them on the tree.) Now you can stop with just the trunk, or you can start were the trunk wrap ends and tackle the branches, too! Stunning! Shellie |
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When there is lots of snow outside both white and blue lights can give an elegant effect. Using clear mini lights transcends all seasons. From coast to coast, folks are celebrating the Holidays with pink, purple and teal as well as the traditional bold primary colors.