12/15

Try This: Painted Christmas Lights

Celebrate, D.I.Y. Project, Happy Holidays, Home Decor, Renter Friendly, Try This
By Laura Gummerman

Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more) Sometimes I really don’t mind spending hours on a Christmas DIY. I mean, it’s my favorite time of the year and I love to decorate for it, so a few extra hours of making time is no big deal. However, if every decoration you do is a giant project, well, it will be Valentine’s Day before the projects are even done! I saw a picture of some Christmas lights with a gold cord and thought, “Yes! A fast and easy project. Totally doing that one!” Also, it’s kind of amazing how much better the Christmas lights look with a painted cord—why have I never thought of that before?? Mind blown.

Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more) I just removed the bulbs from the cord and stuck pieces of aluminum foil down into the sockets and painter’s tape on the plug connections to protect those areas from paint while I was painting. Of course, your lights should be unplugged the whole time you do this, so wait until the end to plug them back in!

Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more) Once the sockets were plugged up, I laid out the lights on some cardboard and sprayed them in an even coat on both sides with adequate dry time in between.

Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more) I find that spray paint takes a little longer to dry on rubbery plastic than other surfaces, so make sure it’s fully dry and no longer tacky before pulling out the foil and putting the bulbs back in.

Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more)Spray paint light cords gold for a festive look! (click through for more)You can hang the cords as a garland (alone or with some other garlands), decorate a mantel, place them in a glass jar—whatever you like! The gold color really looks pretty with the warm glow of the light and makes the light string look extra special. And with all that leftover time you have from such a quick DIY, you can make an extra batch of Christmas cookies, right?? xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions. 

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