A Creative Use for Christmas Lights
One of my favorite parts of the Christmas holiday season is the decorations, particularly the lights. I love the warm, soft light they emit and the way they sparkle cheerfully, especially during the dark, cold Winter nights. I actually got to where I would procrastinate for as long as possible before taking our lights down, so I decided to look for ways to use Christmas lights all year round.
I found everything from decorating ideas such as placing the lights under the tablecloths at a wedding reception for a romantic glow, to general purpose ideas such as using them to light up a dark closet. Whether you are using white lights, colored lights, big lights or small, finding a way to use Christmas lights to add subtle and creative lighting to your home is a great idea! And why not? They are easy to use, inexpensive and easy to find – I bet you have some right now somewhere in your home! And if you don’t, you can easily find them online all year round at sites such as such as ChristmasLightsEtc.com.
Cupcake Liner Party Lights
While searching online I came across so many cute ideas that it was hard to pick just one. However, since my niece’s birthday party is coming up soon, I decided to take one particular idea I had found and adapt it for my use. The original idea I found on Oh Happy Day was to take cupcake holders and your leftover Christmas lights and make a strand of Cupcake Flower Lights. However, instead of cutting out the cupcake liners into flower shapes, I decided to find some cupcake liners with a bright, colorful design, and use their natural shape to make miniature lampshades. It was incredibly easy and took maybe 15 minutes to make (great for busy moms who have a birthday party to set up!)
Supplies:
– Christmas lights – white or colored
– colorful cupcake liners
– an exacto knife
Instructions:
– First, straighten out the strand of lights so it is not curled up or kinky
– Next, using the exacto knife, make a small ‘X’ shaped cut in the bottom of the cupcake liner (I found using 2 liners together made the colorful pattern stand out better)
– Place the bulb through the ‘X’ in the bottom of the liner, then slide the liner all the way down the light so that it is almost to the base of the light, not on the bulb. Do this for every other light on the strand. Of course you can also place a shade on every light, but I found I liked the way it looked better if I used every other bulb.
That’s it! You are now ready to hang your party lights!
I cannot wait to see how they look strung between the trees with balloons all around and coordinating tablecloths and party supplies! These would also be perfect for a backyard Easter party using bright, pastel colors or even a Fourth of July party using alternating red, white and blue cupcake liners. Could you imagine having strings of these across the ceiling in your bedroom for light as a little child? The possibilities are truly endless!
What are some of the ways you can think of to use your Christmas lights all year round?