home decorating ideas outside
it's that time of year. the food, the presents,the mistletoe and this year, you're determined to have the best christmas lights on the block.here are some easy tricks to get the house looking merry and bright. before you even start, it's best to take astep back and develop an overall game plan. start by identifying a focal point for thelights. next, measure any straight line you want to adorn with lights. this will helpyou figure out how many strands you'll need. also measure the distance to the power source.the last thing you want is beautiful light display and no way to turn it on. if you want your house to be seen from space,you'll need to stagger two sets of lights
side-by-side, or look for lights that arespaced closer together. denser lights, equal brighter lights. for mounting, forget your previous methodsinvolving staples, clothespins, and duct tape. this year, light clips are your new best friendslowe's has a light clip for every surface now for the big question: how many lightscan you string together? turns out, most leds can connect up to 25 strands, whereas incandescentlights may only be able to connect 3 to 6. believe it or not white lights are not allthe same color. led lights typically have a bluish tint, whereas incandescent bulbsare slightly orange. hang them side-by-side and they will look mismatched. there are tonsof different light types and colors. just
make sure to group the same light-type together. so now that the prep is done, its time totest your lights. do this on the ground, since the last place you want to find out your lightsaren't working is on top of a ladder in the cold. go ahead and attach the light clipsat this point and make sure they're the lights are all running in the same direction. now you need to work from the ground up: bushes: try using net lights. they are likea blanket of lights. simply lay them on the bushes and you're done. trees: when hanging lights in a tree, tryusing a hanging pole. they're also great for
hard to reach areas or if you just don't wantto climb a ladder. windows, doors & railings: deck clips easilyroll onto railings to hold lights securely without damage.step back as you go and makesure everything is shaping up the way you want it. attach lights to the gutters, byusing an all-purpose light clip. they can connect to the strand or directly to the bulb.this would be a perfect place for those icicle lights! now that the lights are up, plug them intoan outdoor timer to save energy. some even have light sensors that automatically turnon at dusk. that's it! time to flip the switch and admire your work!