Olioboard Inspiration: Creative Christmas Outdoor Lighting Ideas

Entry #3094, December 12, 2013

Today we continue Stagetecture’s feature ‘Olioboard Inspiration‘. Before you were inspired by – ‘Decorating with Themed Christmas Trees’ from Sam Holloway. Today, I feature John Nuter who is a member of the the Facebook Olioboard Fan Room group and he helps you tackle those pesky Christmas lights! See his ideas to make your outdoor home come alive and watch an awesome video of a lighting show put to music.

To see all the past Stagetecture’s Olioboard Inspiration members on Pinterest click here.

Olioboard Inspiration #56

‘Creative Christmas Outdoor Lighting Ideas’ – Jonn Nuter

Festive outdoor lighting

When I was younger, after Thanksgiving dinner it was a holiday tradition in our family to go see Candy Cane Lane, which was a nearby neighborhood where everyone went out of their way to out decorate each other’s yards. Cars would be lined up as far as the eye could see and slowly drive through the neighborhood and enjoy the decorations. I always remember it as a magical experience and it was the reason I chose to write about Festive Outdoor Lighting. Think of it as a Christmas present to your yard, a great light display that puts a smile on the face of everyone who passes by. Ready to trip the light fantastic? Here’s what you need to know.

Choosing the right string lights

Lighting strings come with as few as 25 bulbs and can go up to as many as 200.Lighting clips make installation easy and are designed to work without damaging surfaces they are attached to. There are even specialty lights designed to add lights around windows and even ones to grab onto brick surfaces. Choose clips on the size of the bulbs you’ll be using, as well as what you will be attaching them to.

Christmas Outdoor Lighting Ideas

Simple keys to successful lighting

• Map out lighting plan ahead of time.
• Use only light strings and extension cords approved for outdoor use
• When plugging light strings together, never use more than 3 strings on one run.
• Never connect different lengths of light strings, they are rated for different amperages.
• If you need a measurement to light a post or tree, use a string first, then lay flat to measure the length of lights you’ll need.

Incandescent lighting versus LED

And the winner is… LED! A string of LED’S may cost twice as much as the same sized incandescent, but because they are so long lasting the price difference is erased after two to three years of use. LED’S use about 10 percent of the electricity that incandescents use because incandescents use 90 percent of their energy to heat up the filament. LED’S sip energy and produce very little heat which also reduces the risk of fire. Many LED lights meet Energy Star guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency. LED bulbs are typically made of lightweight plastic and are less likely to break than glass incandescent bulbs. Incandescents are generally brighter, but LED’S have more bulbs per string, so call this one a tie.

Lighting your outdoors

String your lights in the evening, with them plugged in so you can see the effect as you build your light scheme. If you have a nice evergreen in your yard that you would like to illuminate, it is best to use larger bulb sizes. The industry rule of thumb is 100 lights for every vertical foot of tree. larger trees may need more.  Evergreen bushes are perfect candidates for lighting nets, crisscrossed networks of wires and mini lights. Toss them over your bushes, plug them in and viola! Mini light strings are great for spirals of light on posts or trees, the bark is usually rough enough to hold lights in place however, pushpins can be used for support. Don’t drive in a bunch of screws or nails as it can harm the tree.

Display Overboard!

For you adventurous types there are music synchronization kits that turn your yard into a virtual Christmas disco. A standard 30 amp plug-and-play system divides your display into 16 separate channels and can include weatherproof speakers. Pre-synced music and simpler sets can be bought that come with a small speaker and 10 pre-loaded songs.  The end result is really quite impressive(and your electric bill will be also)

Check out this video that shows a great use of outdoor lighting synced to music. It’s AMAZING!

Link to the video –> Decorating your Outdoor Christmas lights.

Let me end by wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. – Jonn

About John Nuter

My name is Jonn Nuter and I live in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. I have always been interested in interior design/decorating, yet only did it in a limited capacity for friends and family. After a bout with cancer 9 years ago, I was inspired to throw convention to the wind and live the rest of my life doing something I was truly passionate about,so I went back to school and I’m proud to say,recently received my diploma in interior decorating from Penn Foster University. I am capable of working with all styles of design, but I tend to lean towards modern/contemporary. I am currently looking to obtain a position in the design field while i work towards starting my own design service. That is where Olioboard comes in as an invaluable tool for creating your own designs whether you just like to experiment or you work in the design industry. It has not only provided me with a place to network,find advice and get support, but I’ve made some great friends.