As the end of the year approaches, the days become shorter and shorter and we are faced with long, dark evenings. One of the best ways to make your home feel really festive is by using special outdoor lights.
Many people tend to go overboard and cover just about anything they can find outside their home with fairy lights. However, the secret to creating a great outdoor lighting effect is picking a focal point and using a little imagination. Here are some outdoor lighting tips to get you started.
Highlight the Driveway
Illuminate the edges of your driveway with rows of special free standing lights to really make it stand out. This type of lighting will give anyone who approaches your home a really warm welcome and make your home seem cosy and inviting.
Get Classy with Candles
Holiday lighting doesn’t have to be large and gaudy. Place short candles into glasses to protect the flame from the wind and snow. You can make the candles even more festive by placing holly, mistletoe and other winter plants in the glasses. Of course, you will want to make sure you remember to blow out the candles before going to bed or leaving the house. A slightly more modern and simpler idea is to purchase battery operated candles. These look very similar to the real thing, except that there is a place to the bottom to place a battery. These lights will stay burning for hours and will not pose a fire risk.
Burning Bush
If you have a bush in your garden, you can create a vibrant effect by placing white or red fairy lights in the centre of the bush. This will look really eye catching and provides an interesting alternative to typical tree decorations.
Welcome Signs
Long ropes of lights can be used in imaginative ways to really show off your unique flare and creativity. Inside of simply draping these lights on the roof or other areas of your home, you can use them to spell out words such as ‘happy holidays’. This will give everyone who sees the lights a real feeling of festive cheer any time that they pass by your home.
Festive Lights
Lights created in festive shapes such as stars, icicles and snowflakes can look great if they are used sparingly. You can place these lights around the edge of your roof or in your windows to really make your homes look bright and cheery during the holiday season. Alternatively, use strings of lights to make special star shapes of your own to add an original touch to this festive lighting idea.
Paper Cup Lights
If you are feeling really creative, you can make special lights out of paper cups. This is a great project to work on with the kids, as they can have fun colouring the paper cups in different colours. When you have finished decorating your paper cups, make a small hole in the bottom of each one, take a string of fairy lights and push one light throw the hole in the bottom of each cup. This will create a stunning effect that will really stand out.
