How to Make Cool Things With Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are not just for Christmas anymore. Strings of Christmas lights can be used for many projects including making hanging lights for the patio or deck to highlight your outdoor partying experience. With different things to go along with the lights, you will have a new patio or deck feature in no time. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to come up with even more ideas for Christmas lights.

Things You'll Need

• Strands of clear miniature Christmas lights, amount will be determined by individual space
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Black electrical tape
• Mini liquor or beer bottles--preferably plastic--same amount as number of lights
• Staple gun with staples

Instructions

1. 

   The extra small liquor or beer bottles can be purchased at any liquor store. When the bottles are empty, wash and dry thoroughly. Discard the lids. You will not need them.

2. 

   Stretch a string of Christmas Lights out to remove the kinks. Make sure the glue gun is ready.

3. Take one bottle and insert one light from the Christmas lights into the bottle, along with some of the green strand until the light is hanging into the approximate middle of the bottle. Wrap a piece of electrical tape around the threads of the bottle where the lid would go and fold the excess tape into the open neck of the bottle, and around the strand holding the light. You will in effect be making a black lid at the top of the bottle.

4. Take the glue gun and put hot glue around the green strand just at the lid opening to glue the strand in place. Let the glue harden completely.

5. Repeat Step 4 with all the lights and with however many strands of Christmas lights you need for the area on your patio you will be putting the lights.

6. With the staple gun, attach the lights to the roof edge of the patio or deck so they will hang around the deck. Make sure you start close to an electrical outlet to be able to plug the lights in when needed.

Tips & Warnings

• With clear bottles, use colored lights.

• Avoid burns from the hot glue gun.