DIY Projects

If you’re a Christmas enthusiast looking to up the ante on your annual light display, it can be difficult to know where to start. Maybe you’ve done a little digging, and have discovered the open industry secret that is empty socket light line. You know that the key to clean a display with no trailing lines is measuring out the...[...]

Some would say that there are two types of people in the world, crazy Christmas people and crazy Halloween people, so maybe this just makes us crazy people but we love both! A fully decked out holiday home is just as important as a super spooky one in our book. Plus, decorating your home for Halloween is a great way...[...]

Fairy lights may arguably be the most versatile lighting style for decorating any time of the year. Their bendable wires allow them to be twisted and turned into any shape around anything and they have a perfect soft twinkling glow. However, their time to shine brightest is definitely during autumn! Fall brings back the romantic feeling of a crisp breeze and...[...]

If you haven’t looked at LED lights in the last few years, their uses in your home might be limited to holiday lights. We love that LED Christmas lighting has earned a top spot in holiday decorating for their durability, ease, and longevity, but there are many uses for LED lights. LED Christmas lights can provide your home with beautiful...[...]

A statement lighting fixture can really step up the style of a room, but it's hard to come by a light that's both bold and inexpensive. When it comes to making a decision to splurge or save on statement lighting, you should always consider a high-end do-it-yourself option. Using everyday items such as string lights in innovative ways can produce results that look as...[...]

From pool parties to Christmas cocktail parties, a glowing garland is a perfect solution for any event's decor. It can be hard to find a string of lights for every theme, but the good news is you can make one yourself for just about any occasion! You just need a simple string of lights and a little imagination—it's easy! Here are some...[...]

Ah, the Parisian cafe, a locale which possesses a level of ambiance admired by all, with tables and chairs that keep friends and lovers seated close together placed on richly charactered cobblestone street side patios. And oh the lighting! Strings of glowing bulbs swag and arch back and forth to create a ceiling of light that perfectly lights the faces next...[...]

Keeping your spaces glowing through the holidays and beyond is easy, in fact, you can install string light displays that can stay put during the holiday season and every season between. These looks can be permanent fixtures of your interior décor that keep your home illuminated and warm. Here are some easy installations to get you going and glowing! Classic String Light...[...]

Halloween Porch from Better Homes & Gardens   Halloween offers the potential to go about as crazy with décor as any holiday could. For as much as we know that there are Christmas enthusiasts, we know the die-hard Halloween folks are out there, too. The tough part about it is, it’s truly only one night. While Christmas seems to have...[...]

It can be so difficult to find winter decorations that don't shout Christmas. Here are a few ideas around the house for tasteful after-Christmas winter decorations. Winter Home Decor Winter Decorations from The House of Smiths   Winter Mantle Decorations   Winter Tablescape   Winter Mudroom Winter Vases Vases make fantastic decor items because they can be placed anywhere around the...[...]

No holiday is as fun and exciting for kids as Christmas. And a big part of the Yuletide excitement comes when it’s time to put up the Christmas tree. Christmas trees symbolize the magic of Christmas, and for kids, breaking out the Christmas tree ornaments means that the Christmas season has officially begun. You can make it even more exciting...[...]

Christmas time is fast approaching and with it comes the time to start decorating!  For those full of the holiday spirit, decorating is a fun and creative time, and for those who are not quite in the holiday spirit, this time of year can be full of stress and hair-pulling. Regardless of which category you fall into, these 17 ways...[...]

Many people wonder how, as professional installers, we're able to quickly attach Christmas lights to brick, concrete or stucco. These surfaces can be difficult to work with and time consuming to install. This is where hot glue comes in. Using hot glue to attach lights to solid, non painted surfaces is quick, easy and very effective. This type of installation...[...]

Pretty globe string lights are no longer used just for decorating the house and yard for Christmas. Many designs for outdoor areas, and a few inside, have come together using globe string lights, hung in an array of patterns to fit any area or event. Canopy Patterns When designing the canopy for any space, the first thing to decide is what...[...]

When deciding the main use of a pergola, people tend to focus on furniture needs, such as dining tables, outdoor patio chairs, and couches, or barbecues and fire pits. And at times, lighting is not decided until the furniture is picked out, and must then fit in with the rest of the décor. Whether looking for something simple, elegant, or...[...]

Christmas is fast approaching, and for those still engulfed in decorating, the last couple weeks left may be more panicked than usual, especially for those trying to think outside the box for this year’s holiday décor. But all one really needs is an idea, one tiny detail, that just may bring together an entire room, or in this case, a porch...[...]

Long chains of leaves or flowers, known as garlands, have been around for centuries. They were originally used in religious ceremonies, but over time were more commonly used as decorations in homes and other buildings at times of celebration. They were worn during weddings, festivals, and placed on adorned statues. Today, garland is most commonly used to decorate homes for...[...]

First impressions are important. A wise old saying tells us that's true. And modern-day scientific research supports the wisdom of the old saying. That's why many homeowners associations spend a considerable chunk of change on making entryways appear elegant and stately. They understand that first impressions really are important. They understand that the entryway to their HOA can quickly plant...[...]

The kids are back in school, there's a nip in the night air, and football season is underway. That means that Halloween is right around the corner. And that's good news for most Americans. Everyone knows that the most popular holiday is Christmas. But did you know that the annual Fall Festival of Fright ranks third in popularity, just behind...[...]

If you’re a Christmas enthusiast looking to up the ante on your annual light display, it can be difficult to know where to start. Maybe you’ve done a little digging, and have discovered the open industry secret that is empty socket light line. You know that the key to clean a display with no trailing lines is measuring out the...[...]

Some would say that there are two types of people in the world, crazy Christmas people and crazy Halloween people, so maybe this just makes us crazy people but we love both! A fully decked out holiday home is just as important as a super spooky one in our book. Plus, decorating your home for Halloween is a great way...[...]

Fairy lights may arguably be the most versatile lighting style for decorating any time of the year. Their bendable wires allow them to be twisted and turned into any shape around anything and they have a perfect soft twinkling glow. However, their time to shine brightest is definitely during autumn! Fall brings back the romantic feeling of a crisp breeze and...[...]

If you haven’t looked at LED lights in the last few years, their uses in your home might be limited to holiday lights. We love that LED Christmas lighting has earned a top spot in holiday decorating for their durability, ease, and longevity, but there are many uses for LED lights. LED Christmas lights can provide your home with beautiful...[...]

A statement lighting fixture can really step up the style of a room, but it's hard to come by a light that's both bold and inexpensive. When it comes to making a decision to splurge or save on statement lighting, you should always consider a high-end do-it-yourself option. Using everyday items such as string lights in innovative ways can produce results that look as...[...]

From pool parties to Christmas cocktail parties, a glowing garland is a perfect solution for any event's decor. It can be hard to find a string of lights for every theme, but the good news is you can make one yourself for just about any occasion! You just need a simple string of lights and a little imagination—it's easy! Here are some...[...]

Ah, the Parisian cafe, a locale which possesses a level of ambiance admired by all, with tables and chairs that keep friends and lovers seated close together placed on richly charactered cobblestone street side patios. And oh the lighting! Strings of glowing bulbs swag and arch back and forth to create a ceiling of light that perfectly lights the faces next...[...]

Keeping your spaces glowing through the holidays and beyond is easy, in fact, you can install string light displays that can stay put during the holiday season and every season between. These looks can be permanent fixtures of your interior décor that keep your home illuminated and warm. Here are some easy installations to get you going and glowing! Classic String Light...[...]

Halloween Porch from Better Homes & Gardens   Halloween offers the potential to go about as crazy with décor as any holiday could. For as much as we know that there are Christmas enthusiasts, we know the die-hard Halloween folks are out there, too. The tough part about it is, it’s truly only one night. While Christmas seems to have...[...]

It can be so difficult to find winter decorations that don't shout Christmas. Here are a few ideas around the house for tasteful after-Christmas winter decorations. Winter Home Decor Winter Decorations from The House of Smiths   Winter Mantle Decorations   Winter Tablescape   Winter Mudroom Winter Vases Vases make fantastic decor items because they can be placed anywhere around the...[...]

No holiday is as fun and exciting for kids as Christmas. And a big part of the Yuletide excitement comes when it’s time to put up the Christmas tree. Christmas trees symbolize the magic of Christmas, and for kids, breaking out the Christmas tree ornaments means that the Christmas season has officially begun. You can make it even more exciting...[...]

Christmas time is fast approaching and with it comes the time to start decorating!  For those full of the holiday spirit, decorating is a fun and creative time, and for those who are not quite in the holiday spirit, this time of year can be full of stress and hair-pulling. Regardless of which category you fall into, these 17 ways...[...]

Many people wonder how, as professional installers, we're able to quickly attach Christmas lights to brick, concrete or stucco. These surfaces can be difficult to work with and time consuming to install. This is where hot glue comes in. Using hot glue to attach lights to solid, non painted surfaces is quick, easy and very effective. This type of installation...[...]

Pretty globe string lights are no longer used just for decorating the house and yard for Christmas. Many designs for outdoor areas, and a few inside, have come together using globe string lights, hung in an array of patterns to fit any area or event. Canopy Patterns When designing the canopy for any space, the first thing to decide is what...[...]

When deciding the main use of a pergola, people tend to focus on furniture needs, such as dining tables, outdoor patio chairs, and couches, or barbecues and fire pits. And at times, lighting is not decided until the furniture is picked out, and must then fit in with the rest of the décor. Whether looking for something simple, elegant, or...[...]

Christmas is fast approaching, and for those still engulfed in decorating, the last couple weeks left may be more panicked than usual, especially for those trying to think outside the box for this year’s holiday décor. But all one really needs is an idea, one tiny detail, that just may bring together an entire room, or in this case, a porch...[...]

Long chains of leaves or flowers, known as garlands, have been around for centuries. They were originally used in religious ceremonies, but over time were more commonly used as decorations in homes and other buildings at times of celebration. They were worn during weddings, festivals, and placed on adorned statues. Today, garland is most commonly used to decorate homes for...[...]

First impressions are important. A wise old saying tells us that's true. And modern-day scientific research supports the wisdom of the old saying. That's why many homeowners associations spend a considerable chunk of change on making entryways appear elegant and stately. They understand that first impressions really are important. They understand that the entryway to their HOA can quickly plant...[...]

The kids are back in school, there's a nip in the night air, and football season is underway. That means that Halloween is right around the corner. And that's good news for most Americans. Everyone knows that the most popular holiday is Christmas. But did you know that the annual Fall Festival of Fright ranks third in popularity, just behind...[...]