How to Do Temporary Outdoor Lighting
Creating temporary outdoor lighting can be a fun and easy project for holiday or party lighting. This project provides lighting for the whole area and decorative lighting for table top as well. The area lights are placed on poles to provide soft, even light. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 5-foot Long Hardwood Dowels
- Wooden Disc Circles 1-1/2"x1-1/2"x3/16"
- Small Paper Globe Lanterns
- One Larger Paper Lantern for Each Table
- Hot Glue Gun
- Battery Powered LED Lights
- Velcro Dots
- A Hammer
- A Small Saw
- Black Paint
- Choice of Fresh Flowers
Instructions
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Making the area lights
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1
First determine how many area lights you will need. A good rule of thumb is to place the pole lights around the perimeter of your party area at about six feet apart.
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2
Saw across the bottom of each wooden dowel at an angle to make a sharp edge.
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3
Use a hot glue gun to attach a wooden disc circle to the top of each pole. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before starting the next step.
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4
Paint each pole with the black paint and allow them to dry completely. Painting the poles black will create the illusion of lights floating in the air.
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5
Attach one half of a Velcro dot to the wood disc you attached to the pole. Place the other half on the bottom of a paper lantern.
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6
Put up the area lights next. Use the hammer to gently tap the sharp bottom into the ground until it is steady. About six inches should do it. Keep them spaced evenly apart and about the same height.
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7
Turn on an LED light and place it in one of the small paper lanterns. Attach the Velcro on the lantern to the Velcro dot on the pole. Repeat this step until all the pole lights are lit.
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8
Place the large paper lanterns in the center of each table. Turn on and place two LED lights in each large paper lantern. Surround the lantern with flowers to make a pretty centerpiece.
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1
Tips & Warnings
To make table tops even more decorative, place battery-operated fiber optic sculptures on the tables. These come in many shapes and colors.
Another decorative touch is to put a rotating three-color lens over the LED light in the large lantern for a cool color changing effect.
Always be careful when using tools. Wear safety glasses when sawing and keep all tools away from children. Paint the poles outdoors or in a well ventilated area.
