Chasing Christmas Mini Lights

We all know the look of traditional mini lights on houses around the holidays. Why not try to make your stand out a little more? We have something called a chasing mini light set. These would be perfect to spice up your indoor or outdoor holiday decor.

These Christmas mini lights come with 140 bulbs per set with a controller that controls the chasing speed. The lights will do just what the name says, they chase. It starts at one end and runs all the way down the string. Fun and festive. 

The chasing Christmas light strings come in many colors from amber to green to clear and everything in between. They have a 4 inch bulb spacing with a 6 inch lead and tail. These sets are for indoor and outdoor use. They will last about 2,500 hours. One more bonus with these lights, if one bulb goes out, the rest will stay lit. 

These chasing light sets are great for the holidays if you are looking for something more exciting to add to your Christmas decor. 

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Hannah

All American Christmas Co. 

Black Out Caps

Have you ever stood back from your outdoor holiday decorations and thought to yourself, "I wish there wasn't all those bulbs hanging down from that window." I think just about anyone that has ever decorated something with mini lights has had that thought. But we have a great solution for that exact problem.

Black out caps are little plastic covers that slide right onto a mini light bulb. This way you can hide all those pesky extra lights that hang down when you plug your lights up. You never even notice them when you turn your lights on in the evening. This will give you decorating a much cleaner and even professional look.

We also have color caps. These will change any clear mini light to a different color. If you have a display or another decoration that needs clear and color mini lights on the same string, this will work perfectly. You just choose the color you need and slide it on you mini light bulb.

It is that simple.

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Hannah
All American Christmas Company

DIY Party Lights

Nothing says "It's party time!" better than festive lighting. Time to amp up your summer gatherings wtih some easy DIY light projects. These simple little tricks will help to light up any  of your outdoor summer fiestas and they will look great indoors all year round.

Let's gather up some supplies.

• Vellum Paper
• Ribbon
• Tissue Paper
• Globe Lights
• String Lights
• Scissors
• Pen
• Ruler
• Tape
• Hole Punch
• Hot Glue Gun

Ribbon Tassel Lights

You can choose any ribbon to match your theme or just solid colors that will work indoors or out all year. Start by cutting your ribbon into 6" strips. Apply a small amount of hot glue all the way around the first globe light socket. Press on a row of ribbon strips. Make sure you press them down and make sure they are very secure. Repeat this process until you have made your way all the way down the socket and you are happy with the tassel. Finish up by gluing a strip around the messy end of your ribbon. This will make it look much cleaner. 

All About Mini Lights

Green Wire Clear Mini Lights

Mini Lights

Mini lights, the small glass bulbs Christmas lights that adorn houses, businesses, restaurants all over the country. These have become a staple in decorating and while they are definitely still commonly referred to as "Christmas Lights" they are in no way just for the holiday season. In 2013 All American Christmas Co. plans to tighten the screws on our Mini Lights and try to simplify the staggering amount of choices there are. 

Differences to consider when choosing Mini Lights

There are a handful of differences between Mini Christmas light strings and if you're not well informed subtle things can dramatically change how you'll have to approach lighting a project. Use the info below to give you a little insight on how to use Mini christmas lights

• Bulb Spacing - This is the distance from bulb to bulb. This detail should come with the largest caveat, spacings are almost never exact and should be taken as approximations. The wire between the bulbs can often be cut at different lengths that will give slightly different spacings. The most common factory spacings are 2.5", 4", & 6" but like I mentioned before the variance in construction can take spacings from 2" to 3" and 4.5" to 5.5" just depends on the production runs. All American Christmas Co. tries to offer the most accurate spacing measurements possible.
• Bulb Count - This one is pretty easy, just the count of bulbs on a light string. There is a varying amount of options for some counts on the spacings and what not but for the most part this is pretty self explanatory.  The number of bulbs on a string range from 10, 15, 20, 35, 50, 100, and 150. The most common counts are 50 and 100, with the majority of bulb spacings being available for those two counts.
• Lead Wire - A "Lead" is the length of wire from the male plug of a light string to the first bulb. This amount of wire can vary depending on the manufacturer with some sets having short leads that are close to the spacing of the set itself and some sets have long leads which easy in decorating with a sing string. Most lead wires are shorter on longer sets and longer on shorter sets.
• Lighted Length - Lighted length refers to the footage from the first bulb to last bulb. This can vary depending on the spacing of the bulbs themselves and the lighted length is pretty easily calculated. Simple take the Total number of bulbs minus one multiply by the spacing (in inches) and then divide by 12 this will give the total footage. Example: (100-1) x 4" = 396" , 396"/ 12 = 33 feet
• Bulb Voltage  - Mini light bulbs are not universal, if you've ever tried to replace mini light bulbs with bulb voltages that aren't the same you'll notice certain bulbs will burn hotter and inevitably will burn out faster. The most common voltage 2.5 volt and are 50 & 100 bulb count strings. As the bulb count drops the voltage goes up, 35 count have 3.5 volt, 20 count have 6 volt, 15 count have 8 volt, and 10 count and have 12 volt. 

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Zach

Mini Lights Description Video

Click here to view our Mini lights page

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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

Brown Wire Christmas Lights

"Our Brown Wire Craft Mini Lights"

All American Christmas Co. is proud to carry a selection of Brown Wire Mini Christmas Lights!

Brown wire mini lights are a fairly popular light string for those that know about them, they are easy to integrate in to many designs and they don't look too "Christmasy" so they are great for using other times of the year. You can incorporate brown wire christmas lights into indoor and outdoor decorations, they hide easily against trees for lighting parties or weddings, and look great lighting for other holidays like thanksgiving.

Our newest member of the family is our Brown Wire Craft Lights sets, these sets feature Brown wire, 20 clear mini lights 6 volt lamps, Approx. 3.5 inch bulb spacing, 24" lead wire, and only one plug. These sets are just like many of the other 20 light sets we carry and since they only have the one plug they are perfect for crafts such as lighting glass blocks or wine bottles.

In addition to our brown wire craft lights in 20 count we also carry the same type of set in a 50 and 100 light count option. These sets are spaced closer to 4 inches apart and can be strung end to end. These are the sets you'd want to go with if you are needing to do long runs of lights and again they are great indoors and out.  We also offer these larger sets in case lots so you can buy multiples and save in the long run!

If you are interested in our brown wire light strings please Click Here to check out what we offer on the site. Be warned that we only have around 100 of the 20 count sets in Brown wire. Our 20 light sets are some of the most popular light strings we carry and these are bound to sell out before we get our new stock for 2012 so order early to insure you'll have them when no one else will!

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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

The Many Non Christmas Uses for...Christmas Lights!

In our industry we call pretty much everything Christmas lights, Mini light strings, LED light strings, C7 bulbs, C9 bulbs, etc but just because they found favor lighting houses during the Christmas holiday season doesn't mean that's their only time to be used. I talked to the boss man about many mini light strings that get tossed and he guessed hundreds of thousands, and I'd say he's right. That is a sad thing because Christmas trees, garlands, and on the hedges outside aren't the only places/things you can use Christmas lights to decorate. Below I've give a little rundown on other uses for these light strings.

All American Christmas Co Coupon & Sale!

For any order over $40 use coupon code SAVE10 to knock off 10% of the product cost! Now is the time to get all your lights so you can have them up and enjoy them this holiday season!

In the coming weeks as the major holiday rush dies down we are going to search the warehouse for overstock and discontinued items and will be revamping our sale section. We are going to offer deep discounts on these products so bookmark www.aachristmas.com and check back often, also keep an eye on this blog as I will keep it updated as well.
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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

How to repair Mini Christmas lights

We get a ton of questions asking if we can or know how to fix Mini lights. Well, we can't fix your light strings, but we can give you some tools and tips on how to fix your own sets.

1. 9 times out of 10 if a new light string is not working it's a loose or twisted bulb. Quickly look over the lights to see if a bulb has came out of the socket or somehow twisted and broke the connection. We get strings back all the time that people say are 100% broken and a bulb has just popped out.


2. Another common problem is overloading the wire and blowing a fuse. Most Mini light strings only allow 3 sets to be plugged together end to end. If a string has a fused plug then the fuse will blow, or it could potentially burn out the bulbs themselves. Don't think you can light your how house with one continuous run of lights.


3. New light strings have shunted bulbs, so that if a bulb burns out the rest stay lit. Old sets don't have this technology (if you call an extra piece of wire inside the bulbs technology). These older sets require the use of mini lights testers / repair boxes.


4. Using mini light testers, the small handheld mini light tester devices find where the flow of electricity is. You want to take the tester end and put it near the socket, if the flow of electricity isn't found near a socket then you're closing in on the culprit bulbs.


5. Mini Light repair boxes, they will actually repair the light string and any burnt out or problem bulbs will not light. Now, if you have a loose bulb these repair and testers won't solve your problems.

Our Commercial Mini Light Repair box is our best seller and the number one repair box we have ever found.
The Magic Box Isolates Twisted bulbs, empty sockets and bad fuses by forcing electrical current through a non-working set. You can start repairing your defective lights instead of of trashing them. It makes "dollars and sense" to easily repair a set as opposed to to throwing it away. Essential for lighting professionals and crews, this little box will pay for itself in no time.
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Miniature Light Tester Instructions
This special machine is designed to electronically isolate malfunctioning bulbs and/or bad fuses in miniature light sets by sending a controlled current through the string. There is no one particular way that problems are Indicated and it will take a while to become adept at using this testing machine. By following the detailed instructions below you will find that repairing bad sets is easier and faster than any other method available. Please read the following carefully before using the machine.
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Testing Procedure:

1. Plug machine into any standard 110-120-volt circuit.


2. Turn machine to "on" position by flipping toggle switch on bottom left upward.


3. Plug brown 6-ft. extension cord Into the outlet in the middle of machine. Then, plug only ONE miniature light set into the brown cord. (Remember the machine will test only one miniature light set at a time. Do not use on C-7 or C-9 light sets ...or any miniature light set that is operated by a computer chip, for example, chaser or fader sets).


4. The machine is designed to test single circuits. An example would be 35 or 50 light sets, both of which feature only one circuit. Additionally, a typical 100 light set is constructed with 2-circuits (i.e. they have two (2) 50-light sets wired back-to-back). To test 2-circuit sets, you'll need to remove one bulb from the circuit that is working in order to test the non-functioning circuit. When you test a 100-light set that features 5 circuits, pull out 4 bulbs (one from each circuit, which is every 20th bulb and usually color-coded) to test the 5th circuit.


5. If the circuit doesn't light up, push and release the large red button and the set will usually light up Immediately (with all bad bulbs that need to be replaced remaining unlit of course) or one or more of the sockets will make a loud "buzzing sound" which indicates a bad bulb or one which is simply "missing" from its socket. By listening for this buzz and watching for any sign of a socket "lighting up" with the arcing electrical spark inside, you can usually Isolate the problem area right away. You may have to spread the string out to discern just where the buzzing sound is coming from but it should be fairly easy to Identify the problem area. It may require two or more short buzzes for you to realize just where the buzz is occurring. Replace the bulb(s) and the set will light up unless there are other bad bulbs. Sometimes one of the wires is off to one side on the bottom of the bulb (straighten them up and reinsert).. .sometimes the bulb is a "one-legged" bulb (wire broken off) and other times one of the brass contact points Inside the socket is too far down inside the socket for the bulb to make proper contact. If the latter is the case, be sure to unplug the set first, then, pull brass contact "up" to correct position with sharp nose pliers, then re-Insert the bulb.


6. If all the circuits have been repaired and a "buzzing sound" comes from within the male plug, it usually Indicates a bad fuse. Replace fuse and the set should work.


7. If you have tried all of the above procedures and still can not get the set to function, you probably have a improperly wired set or a set with a direct short. Discard the set or return to manufacturer.

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NOTE: The protective plexiglass cover on top of the machine is designed to insulate and protect the user` from any potential shock which may occur when testing a light set with faulty wiring or 'a direct short. To reduce possibility of. electrical shock when using this machine, avoid touching the side of machine when testing. Position fingers on top of plexiglass when pressing the red testing button. Always use caution and work in a dry environment. SOME models have an external plastic enclosure.

Click Here to view our Mini Light Tester Box

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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

10 Count and 15 Count Mini lights now available.

We carried 15 count mini lights for a long time and for a little while the manufacturers halted production for a limited time but now they are back and better than ever! Not only are the 15 light count an option but so is a 10 count mini light string, these are for the decorators or craft makers who want fewer number of lights and less wire inside their craft projects. We are selling individual sets in Clear on White or Green wire, and selling cases of 50 strings in Colors on White or Green wire.

The 10 count mini light strings we carry have a 36" lead wire, 10 bulbs, 3 inch bulbs spacing, Stack-able plugs, No End Connectors, and are approx. 2.5 ft long.

The 15 count mini light strings we carry have a 36" lead wire, 15 bulbs, 3 inch bulbs spacing, Stack-able plugs, No End Connectors, and are approx. 3.75 ft long.

These sets are great for lighting Glass Blocks, Wine Bottles, and since they are smaller light strings they could fit into even smaller blocks or bottles! Lighted Beer/Liquor Bottles would be very cool!

Click here to view our Mini lights page

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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

Wedding light ideas

     There are a ton of great products to use for a Wedding ceremony and/or reception! I've gone on and on in previous blogs about how popular Curtain lights are and how great they look for weddings. I'll get to them but first I'm going to give some details on some other great lights for weddings.

White Wire Mini Lights

Click here to see our Mini Lights

     White wire mini lights come in a variety of bulb spacings and bulb colors! Bulb spacing can vary from 2.5 inches apart all the way up to 8 in some cases, and Mini light bulbs come in all the standard colors; Clear, Frosted White (show), Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Amber, Teal, and Multi. Mini lights are a great way to accent the colors of wedding party and a great for table decorations. Mini lights are also great for hanging from the ceiling creating a swag effect!  Mini light strings vary in bulb counts from 20 all the way up to 150 lights per string so unless you're lighting a football stadium chances are mini lights will meet your lighting needs!

Globe Lights

Click Here for Globe Bulbs
They are on the bottom of the C7 & C9 Page

     Globe lights are pretty common for decorators, they are the quintessential outdoor decorative light! They come in a variety of colors and sizes but it's hard to beat a clear or pearl white color Globe lights especially for a wedding! These lights go in either C7 or C9 light line which you can custom cut from a spool to fit almost any need. Globe lights are perfect for hanging outside outdoor tents and are killer for lighting walkways if you're doing a dusk/nighttime wedding. The standard size is called G50 and can fit into either C7 or C9 base,  G50s are approx. 2" in diameter. Some people complain about price (around 16 bucks for 25 bulbs) but these bulbs will last a long time if maintained.

Rope Light

Click here to view our Rope Light

     Rope light is a great form of accent lighting. It's compact, attractive and easy to decorate with! Rope lighting is great for going down walk ways or aisles, for wrapping columns or hand rails. Rope light comes in spools of 150' with all the accessories you would need to make multiple runs of rope light for your special day. Just like mini lights rope lights are great to make swag lights.

Curtain Lights

Click here to view our Curtain Lights

     Curtain lights for weddings are super popular! Many decorators and the like rent out curtains lights but if you're a do it yourself-er like many of us are and want to save and buying your own to use and reuse on other holiday projects. We offer a smaller light curtain thats around 5 feet tall and a larger one that's around 9.5 feet tall! Like the picture on the right shows these curtains are great for going behind tables at a reception, they are great behind the bridge and groom during the service. A great effect is had by putting the light curtain behind some sheer fabric, this hides the wires slightly and looks great!


If you have any questions please visit the site or give us a call Mon-Fri 8-5 CST

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Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

Mini Light Description Video

Click here to watch on Youtube.

Here's my video giving you a run down on mini lights, stay tuned for more videos! Thanks.

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Zach

All American Christmas Co.

www.aachristmas.com

www.allamericanchristmas.com

Mini Light Black Out & Color Caps

Black out caps have been a popular product for many years, they are a black cap that slides over bulbs that you don't need lighting. They are perfect for cleaning up decorating projects. Lets say you want to outline your homes windows with mini lights if you connect the strings end to end there will be extra mini lights hanging between the windows, and with black out caps you can black out the lights for cleaner decorated look. The picture to the left shows the difference before and after. There has been a growing popularity for caps for mini lights, and color caps have been showing up more and more.

Color caps work best of clear mini lights bulbs and are used to of course change the color of the bulb. Color caps are a translucent rubber that is colored and they come in all the most common colors. These are great for doing custom displays or decorating projects so you can get the perfect combination of colors. Using color caps is easier than changing out actual bulbs and cheaper too!

Click here to check out all our caps!

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Zach

All American Christmas Co.

www.aachristmas.com

www.allamericanchristmas.com

Craft Lights! Perfect for bottles and glass blocks.

We here at All American Christmas Co. are proud to carry the best mini light and LED craft light strings. For Mini lights our 20 count and 35 count light strings both are made with only one plug, we call these sets No End Connector sets (or NEC for short). These light strings have the male plug with up to 3 feet of lead wire (wire from the plug to the first bulb) and they end with a bulb instead of a female plug. So with these sets you cannot plug them end to end, which makes them great for decorating glass blocks or bottles.

Our 20's and 35's, as we call them, come in a variety of bulb colors with all the standard mini light colors being represented. These lights come on both Green and White wire. These strings are relatively short so you wont have a mile of wire inside your craft project, or have to have lights hanging outside the craft either, using sets that made for this type of project will help make a cleaner looking end product! Our 3 foot lead sets are great because you don't have to use and extension cord to plug the craft in in most instances!

We have a couple options for LED craft sets, we have two 25 light count sets that come on either white or green wire with Warm White leds. The sets are NEC and are a low power & long life alternative to mini lights. They have a higher upfront cost but are going to last over 10 times longer! We also have battery powered LED sets, they will last Approx 30 hours with 3 AA batteries, and would be great for decorating without having to worry about a wire running down the wall.

Click here for Mini lights & LED Craft lights!

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Zach

Mini Lights

Christmas Mini Lights have been and will continue to be one of the most popular Christmas lights strings available. They are a simple, relatively hassle free light string that comes in the same variety of colors that makes large bulbs so popular. Our Miniature Christmas lights come in a variety of spacings; 2.5 Inch Spacing, 4 Inch Spacing, 6 Inch Spacing, and 8 Inch Spacing are standard. There is also a large selection of bulb counts for different strings. All spacings come in 50 bulbs and 100 bulb per string sets, but the 4 inch spacing sets come in 15 light, 20 light, and 35 light.

The smaller mini light strings have been gaining a huge following in the craft market. The trend of lighting glass blocks and emptied wine bottles is becoming more and more popular, using 20 or 35 light count, a glass drill bit, and a little ingenuity can lead some nice looking results. These smaller bulb count strings generally do not have any sort of end plug, we call them NEC sets ( No End Connector sets) and they are probably our most popular light string.

At the complete opposite end of the spectrum our Commercial 6 Inch spaced lights are the toughest and longest mini light sets we carry. Unlike most other mini lights these sets allow you to connect 6 sets end to end, these sets allow for LONG decorating runs without having to worry about extension cords. Generally standard mini light sets only allow for 3 sets to be plugged end to end.

Many of the past problems that plague mini light users have been remedied. In the not so distant past when a bulb would burn out it would usually kill half the string. Current production strings have a simple fix, a shunt. If a bulb is shunted then it has a small piece of wire wrapped around the filament leads, if the filament burns out the shunt continues the flow of electricity through the bulb. This simple little strand of wire keeps burnt out bulbs from killing half of your light strings. Now, if a bulb is loose or twisted then generally it will also kill the string. Usually this can be fixed by a light push on the top of the bulb if it's just loose, for twisted bulbs you have really inspect each bulb.

I hope this blog has given you a little insight into the world of Mini Lights, please visit our mini light page to view our selection.

Christmas Mini Lights Product Page