Outdoor Lighting Inspiration

Since the summer is almost here and the temperatures are warming up we thought it was in order to help you pick out the right lighting for your favorite outdoor space. Lighting up the perfect outdoor space will encourage you and all your loved ones to spend more time in the fresh nighttime air.

Wrapping your trees will be a great start. We have trunk wraps that will be just right for this very project. These light sets will have 150 clear lights on green wire and they will be similar to a long and thin net light. You will be able to plug 3 of these sets end to end so there will be no problem lighting an entire tree trunk without searching for another way to plug lights up.

Rope light is great for lighting patios and decks. You can wrap this flexible light around rails and columns along your porch for a soft glowing light. It is also very easy to use. All you will need is your rope light in the color of your choice and zips ties to secure it to the deck or porch.

Globe lights are becoming more and more popular for lighting patios and other great outdoor spaces. You can make your own frame to hold them or you can hang them along your roof. Any way you choose to hang them, they will look festive and fun for the summer months.

All of these are great choices for lighting your favorite outdoor areas. You will be able to live it up outside all summer long.

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Hannah
Christmas Lights Central

DIY Grapevine Chandeliers

Rustic style events and weddings continue to grow in popularity, as well as DIY projects for these types of parties. Whether it will be in a barn, at an old and elegant winery or even in your backyard, you can create the perfect rustic lights.

A great way to light up your party would be to use grapevine chandeliers. This simple to create lighting will give you and all your guests a great glow to help the party last into the night without breaking the bank. You will only need a few small things to create this project, grapevine balls of varying sizes, clear mini lights on green or brown wire and twine to hang them with.

Take your light sets out and start to light your grapevine balls. You can put as few or as many lights per ball as you would like. It all will depend on how much light you want each of them to give off for your event. If you want them to really give off great light put more lights. You could hang them above a dance floor or along trees on a walkway. Anywhere you want an extra pop of light.

The last step is just trying to decide where to hang them. After you decide where to hang them, you can tie pieces of twine to some of the branches at different lengths. Then hang them up.

There you will have a great accent piece and great lighting for your outdoor or indoor rustic event. Easy to make, inexpensive and great for many occasions.

Patriotic Lights

Summer is coming and with summer comes Fourth of July and Memorial Day. These patriotic holidays call for celebrations and celebrations call for lights and decorations. We are proud to offer a selection of lighting products that will fit the needs of any Fourth of July party.

If you have light strings up on your home already from the holiday season, you can add in C7 or C9 LED bulbs in red, white and blue. This will not only show your party goers but also your neighborhood your patriotism. They will be bright, last for years and won't break the bank on your electric bill. Plus, this decorating plan will be easy if you like to leave your stringers up and just change out the bulbs for different holidays.

Red, white (clear) and blue icicle lights on white wire will give you the feel of the holidays but with a Memorial Day twist. These lights will sparkle and shine bright on the summer nights. You will be able to entertain guests all night with the shining patriotic lights.

Globe lights are becoming more and more popular for outdoor parties and events. You can hang them above your patio or favorite outdoor space. We even have E17 G50 lights in red, clear and blue. You can mix them up and have a fun and festive lighting for your Fourth of July party.

All of these options are great for decorating any patriotic party or event. You and your guests will be pleased with the vibrant and glowing light that all these lights will give your party.

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Hannah
Christmas Lights Central

DIY Wedding Lights

It's spring time again and that means that wedding season is in full swing all over the country. If you are one of the many DIY brides out there, then this is something for you. But keep in mind, that these lighting projects can be used for many occasions. Parties, proms and more.

Marquee Lights - If you love all things vintage and are going for a retro inspired theme for a wedding or party, marquee lights will do just the trick. With all the possibilities, monograms, names, words like love or dream and more, you will be able to create any look you want. Pick out your letters, pick out the right globe lights and get crafting. You will have a nice decoration for your wedding or special occasion. Plus, you can use it over and over. Put it in your home to relive that special day every day.

Wrap It Up - Barn weddings are becoming more and more popular, not only in the south but all over the country, brides love the rustic feel. Now how are you going make that barn sparkle for your wedding day? Wrap columns and railing with chiffon and mini Christmas lights. Problem solved, now your wedding venue will feel much more inviting and romantic for your big day.

Draping - Drape lights all across the ceiling. You can criss-cross them or make straight lines with twinkling mini lights. This will give you the effect that you are right under the starry night sky. It will give a beautiful glow to your special event. Everyone will love the stunning look that took very little effort.

All of these lighting choices will work great for weddings, parties and so much more. Try them out and have a little fun with lighting your special occasions.

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Hannah
Christmas Lights Central

Rope Light - How To's and Tips

What is not to like about rope light? It's versatile, easy to install and great for using indoors and outdoors. There are many uses for flexible rope lighting and we are here to help you think of some fun and easy ideas. We also like to help you find tip and tricks on how to use products like this. That way you can light any project with ease.

There are also many great benefits with rope lighting. The average bulb life is about 20,000 hours, this means you can use it in many projects without worrying about the lights burning out. Even if you leave them on for long periods of time. The maximum run for this type of the flex lighting is 150 feet, this will also help you to light projects without having to cut and reconnect several times.1" bulb spacing will give you a pretty glow without being completely overwhelming in any room of your home or even outside your home.

Light Up Your Headboard - We have all seen those pictures on Pinterest with the headboards that are lit up from the behind. Well, now you can create the same look with little effort. Get rope light in the color of your choice, anything that would match your bedroom decor. You can use electrical tape or other heavy duty tape to attach the light to your headboard. Then you just have to plug it in and enjoy the ambient light.

Transform Patios and Decks - Using white rope light to light up your deck or patio will really make your favorite outdoor space sparkle. With all the benefits of long life, great light and so much more. All you have to do is wrap it around rails or posts with zip ties and turn it on. You will love the elegant glow it gives to your favorite outdoor space.


Light Up Your Kitchen Cabinets - This a great way to add a little something to the top or bottom of your kitchen cabinets. You can line the top or bottom with clear or even color rope light. All you have to do is measure, cut, tape and turn it on. It will be fun and will help you light up a space without it becoming overbearing.

Now we would like to share some of our favorite tips and tricks for how to use your rope light for many projects.

Give it Some Slack - When measuring out how much light you'll need for any project, be sure to give it a little extra. 15% is the best idea of how much extra you need. You always need a little wiggle room and it is always better to have too much rather than not enough.

Make a Twine Outline - Using twine to outline your space that you want to use the rope light will help in the measuring. You can lay it all out and get a great idea of how much lighting you will actually need, without waste.

Brown Wire Mini Lights

Have you ever thought about doing a lighting project, but you can't find a light string with a wire color that will be easily hidden? Well, we have a solution for you, brown wire mini lights. With the different options in these unusual light strings, there will be a set for most of those projects you have been wanting to make.

There is a brown wire craft light set with 20 clear mini light bulbs with an approximate 4" spacing, you can use them for all those small projects. Try using them to wraparound a wicker wreath for a fall event. Use them to light fall style garland with leaves, they will blend right in. You can even use them to light wine bottles that are a brown type color. The wire will blend right in with any of these small lighting projects. 

You will find a 50 clear bulb count brown wire mini light set that has about a 3" spacing. These light would be great to light up your porch for an outdoor party or just for you to enjoy on those warm summer evenings. Wrap them around tree trunks for a fun sparkle at an outdoor event. These 50 count brown wire light strings can be used almost anywhere. 

The last set that we offer is a brown wire light string with 100 clear mini light bulbs with an approximate 3.5" spacing. You will find that these longer strings will be great for lighting up roof lines, fences, in trees and many more projects that you want to hide the wire. You can even use them to make a garland with twine balls. Put the lights in the balls and hang it up. 

All of these light sets are high quality and will last for seasons to come. Check out the whole selection here. 

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Hannah

Christmas Lights Central

Incandescent VS. LED Christmas Lights

If you are looking for something will replace your traditional Christmas lights with the same color and style but with all the energy savings and benefits of LED lights, we have what you are looking for. We offer a selection LED light strings, such as mini lights, globe lights, C7 and C9 lights and more, in a color called "Warm White" that has the exact same glow of traditional Christmas lights, but without the hassle or high energy costs.

Here you will find a comparison of the two style of lights we have been talking about. We only used these selections as an example to show you some of the differences you will find in LED and incandescent Christmas lights.

• LED craft lights use 2.4 watts of power, while mini craft lights use 9.6 watts of power.
• LED light strings generate no heat.
• LED craft sets have bulbs that are molded into the socket, there is no risk of them twisting or coming out. 
• LED craft Christmas lights have a 24" lead and incandescent craft lights have a 24" or 36". 
• LED Christmas light sets are more expensive up front but will cost less over time.
• LED lights are made with high grade plastic that will not break unlike the glass mini lights.

We hope this helps you figure out what light strings are best for you. 

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Hannah
Christmas Lights Central

Christmas Lights Central

Patio Lights for Wedding & More

Watch Zach walk us through the differences in the most common patio and globe lights. Learn about G30,G40, G50 and other various bulbs as well as the more popular types of light strings we offer.  Like, Share, & Subscribe for more great videos we're going to continue to make!

How to Calculate Amps for Christmas & Patio Lights

Check out this video Zach made on how to calculate amps for your lighting projects. These tips work for Christmas and patio lights and will help you make sure you don't get in over your head when starting a decorating project! Like, Subscribe and Share with your friends!

Learn About Mini Lights

The most popular and simplest to use Christmas light strings are mini lights. There are so many options, wire color, bulb color, spacings and so on. These tiny glass fairy lights are also not just for your Christmas tree, these mini Christmas lights have a so many different uses. We want to help you find just the right lights for your project.

Here are some differences to consider when picking out Mini Fairy Lights:

Bulb Count: This is a pretty easy thing to figure out. With mini fairy lights there are a few different count options. Craft light strings would be available in 10, 15, 20, and 35 bulb counts. You can find 50 or 100 count in premium mini light strings. These are the most popular mini light bulb counts. Although it always depends on what project you are using them for to decide the perfect count for you. 

Bulb Spacing: This is the distance from bulb to bulb on the light string. This can be the most confusing detail about mini lights. You will see that none of the spacings are perfectly exact. The most common factory spacings are 2.5", 4" and 6". But like I told you, they are not perfect, this can be caused by because the wire between bulbs can be cut a little different, and this will cause the spacing to be a little off. This can take spacings from 2" to 3" and 4" to 5.5". This will be based on the production and factory. Although, we do try to offer the most accurate spacings and check these light strings to make sure we give the most accurate information. 

Lighted Length: This is probably pretty self explanatory also, but this will cover the length of wire that has bulbs. This way you can measure and decide how many strings you will need to light certain projects and spaces. This is very easy to determine, all you have to do is some simple math and there you have the lighted length. Bulb Count - 1, multiplied by the spacing and then divided by 12, and you have the lighted length. Exapmle: (100-1) x 4" = 396", 396" ÷ 12 = 33'. 

Lead Wire: The distance from the plug to the first bulb. The length of this lead is van vary by the manufacturer and the different batches that are made each year. Sets that are longer have usually have a shorter lead and shorter sets usually have a longer lead. Craft mini lights sets will have longer leads, about 36" and premium mini light strings have about a 4" lead.

Bulb Voltage: Bulbs on mini light strings are not universal. You can't switch the bulbs around from set to set. The bulb voltages are not always the same. Usually, the shorter strings have a higher voltage per bulb and longer strings have a lower voltage per bulb. With the longer 50 and 100 count mini light sets, you will find a 2.5 bulb voltage. With the shorter craft light strings you find anything from 3.5 volt to 12 volt. 

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Hannah
Christmas Lights Central