Light strings come in all sizes and fashions, miniature bulbs to medium globes, cowboy hats to mini paper lanterns to chili pepper contours. Don’t store them for Christmas. Use those trails of twinkles in an enlightened way — to bring some sparkle to your patio, brighten a dull bedroom, then create circles of light in unexpected places or outline a architectural detail. Because you can find light strings which run off solar batteries or power, your decor is limited only by your own imagination.
Star Ceiling
Pull the heavens down to hover just above your patio or backyard retreat with strings of white or LED holiday lights. Stretch two lengths of clothesline from trees, trellises or an outside wall into a fence. Hang parallel strings of lights from the clothesline to create a ceiling of stars over a table or conversation area. Combine each string into the following at the clothesline, securing the plugs unobtrusively into the line using twisted cord or plastic wire ties. Plug the final light string into an outdoor extension cord which reaches a power socket. Bring power into your garden clearing any distance from the home by burying a sturdy weather-resistant extension cord in PVC pipe which runs from the outdoor outlet to the location in which you need to plug in lights.
Wreaths and Garlands
Hang a line-up of holiday wreaths on your hallway or garland the mantel in twinkling greenery without worrying about a nearby electrical outlet or concealing extended awkward extension wires. Wind strings of battery-operated clear or coloured lights across a bare grapevine wreath, a little wreath of twisted cedar, or a pine-cone wreath, dusted with artificial snow and glittering with tiny lights. Simply hang the wreath in which you want it and then flip on the light string after dark. The identical benefit allows you to garland the mantel with seasonal greenery, twined with light strings. Turn on the battery-powered lights in the garland and light a few pillar candles on the mantel for a sparkling hearth.
Informal Dressing Room
A rustic ladder made from branches does double duty in an all-white bedroom when you hang a gorgeous silk robe or several parts of romantic vintage clothing off one side and lean it against the wall next to a full-length mirror. It is ideal if an electrical outlet is at the foot of the ladder or the mirror but , otherwise, you can always catch a extension cord. Drape one or two white-wire, large-white-bulb light strings over the rungs of the ladder on the side next to the mirror. Wind the strings around a few of the rungs to fasten your casual draping set up. When the lights are turned on, they make a beam of light which illuminates the mirror and adds an unanticipated decor touch to the space.
Shine on Shapes
Use light strings to outline a indoor arch, creating a magical portal into a party room. Dazzle the neighbors using a bare tree, wrapped in outdoor light strings that glitter across the trunk and main branches. Stick to a single shade wax for maximum architectural impact — the archway or the tree shines as if its aura is shown if the lights are about. Discreetly tape the ends of the strings, and their connections, to make them less visible and hold the lights in place. Attempt to link to an extension cord close to the tree base or the baseboard to improve the illusion without drawing attention to how it functions. Hunt for solar-powered light strings to decrease the expense of illuminating the tree.