Today we talk about a couple inexpensive, easy, DIY projects that help spruce up your outdoor space for summer. The first is our LED outdoor string bulbs from Leclstar (yeah, I don't know who the hell they are either, but it's a quality product).
Installation is simple, I just used some short wood screws to hang the bulbs. Each bulb has a rubber piece toward the top with a hole in it that makes mounting with a screw, or through a hook super simple. As I discuss in the video, don't be an idiot like me, don't install the bulbs until AFTER you mount them. Seriously, just don't do it. I thought it would be fine and broke 5 bulbs. Fortunately, these are standard medium base led edison bulbs you can pick up at any hardware store. I have heard that some string lights use difficult to find and often expensive replacement bulbs, so at least my mistake rules that out as a possible issue you will face. The color temp is 2700K, so these are toward the warm end of the light spectrum. Each string of lights has 15 bulbs, in total they cover 49 linear feet, and the end of the string has a plug so you can attach multiple strings together (like I did here). In total these pull 40 watts of power from the wall with 2 strings and 30 bulbs on full brightness.
Speaking of brightness, you are going to want a dimmer for these unless you like basking in the sun at 2am when you are pounding beers on the porch alone, after the kids are in bed because its the only peace you get in your day….. Not that I have ever done that, but if I had, I wouldn't want the brightness cranked to the point where my neighbors can see my sadness. So, I picked up this in-line wireless dimmer from Instantpark (again, no clue who they are, but impressed with the product).
This thing does exactly what you would hope. It installs in about 5 seconds….seriously, you just plug the thing in. It comes pre-loaded with a battery and even comes with an unheard of 6, yes, 6 additional replacement batteries. Mounting is easy, you can use the included screws, double-sided tape (included), or the magnetic mount. Personally, I just throw mine down onthe couch cushions so I am guaranteed to lose it or find that one of my kids has buried it in the garden in the hopes that it will sprout some sort of electronic monster plant that takes over the city with light dimming powers.
Finally, we have an outdoor rug by Nourison. It comes in great colors, and just about every size you could possibly imagine. I went with the 10'6″ by 7'10” rug and couldn't be happier. My dog doesn't have to lay on the concrete like some kind of animal, and my wife can chillax and get some work done all while enjoying the fresh mountain air… Well, if we didn't live in the city at least.
If you enjoy these, use my links and hit that subscribe button on the Youtube video. I'm just getting started, so I suck, but it will probably, maybe get better…. or not.
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