Monday, April 16, 2012

Differences in White LED Christmas Lights

Pure White LED Christmas Lights White LED Christmas Lights Warm White LED Christmas Lights

Even though LED Christmas Lights have been on the market for a number of years now the colors of "White" are still confusing. Above are the 3 main colors of White LED Christmas Lights, on the Left we have Pure White, in the Middle we have the old White, and on the Right is Warm White.

Pure White LED Christmas lights are typically the bulb style with the least amount of color to them, they are paper white, and normally fairly colorless. Of course manufacturers can vary and some sets are little blue, but compared to the old style of white they are the most colorless LED Christmas light string available.

Old Style White LED Christmas lights, now this color is slightly phased out but some people call this color Ice White or Cool White, but those terms sometimes refer to Pure white so really you have to have a in hand description if people don't explicitly state what hue the set has. We (All American Christmas Co) only have a few Christmas LED light strings in this color. These sets have a strong Blue tint.

Warm White LED Christmas Lights are the most similar to a filament style Christmas light bulb. These sets have a yellow tint to them and are much "Warmer" than the pure white led light strings. If you want to replicate the appearance of traditional style light strings it's hard to beat Warm White LED light sets.

A little history, The first "White" LED strands were the blue-ish style seen in the middle above, and during these initial runs most retailers got complaints about the color of those sets and because of that the color has tended to fall by the way side. Recently many people want this color (my guess is to replace strings they bought previously) and most companies don't have it made anymore. I tend to prefer the Pure White LED sets, the look of LED Christmas bulbs is so different when compared to incandescent that I think it's nice to go ahead and take advantage of that different look. The main thing to remember with anything you see online is that colors are represented differently on different monitors and operating systems and we can all perceive colors slightly differently so remember that caveat when buying light strings, you can always call us to get our opinion or we'll grab a set out of a case for you if we have them on hand and check what color the sets are.

Click here to check out all our LED Christmas Lights.

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

Monday, April 9, 2012

Globe Lights for Proms and Formals

While we've talked about how great Globe Lights are for weddings and other functions we've not spoken much about how they are also great for Proms and Formals. Globe bulbs are so easy to string up and are such a cool look they are perfect and remain classy for any function.  These also come in a variety of colors to match a theme or motif. 

Globe Lights are great for hanging around walkways heading up to an event, you can use the lights as a way to direct people and "rope" off other areas people don't need to go. My personal favorite look for these lights is hanging them back and forth across a ceiling. This creates a really cool effect, you can mix and match the sizes of globe lights and put a fabric below to have a starry night effect. You're only limited to your imagination when it comes to decorating, one thing I tell all of our customers that ask for tips for decorating is take a step back for a sec and look at your location. Brainstorm ideas, put it on paper, doodle a picture, and get a plan of a attack before you commit to X number of bulbs. ALWAYS measure your location, measure it again after you measured it the first time to double check, nothing is worse than running out of materials at the last minute.

Now I don't claim to be a expert on proms or formals. When I was in high school I was more concerned with playing guitar in my punk band and didn't wan't to do anything what I considered "all too normal" like Prom. And when I was in college the most exciting part of my day was walking to my car which had been baking in the sun for hours and begin my drive home. I always envisioned Proms and what not to be something like the "Enchantment Under the Sea Dance" like in Back to the Future complete with raucous versions of Johnny B. Goode.

Head to our Globe Christmas Lights page to see what Globe lights we have to offer

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

Friday, April 6, 2012

Using Christmas Lights for Weddings

     We have done many blogs over the years about using Christmas Lights in Weddings. Curtain lights, Net lights, Icicle lights, Globe bulbs and more all look great to add just the right amount of light on your special day. By and large our most popular strings for weddings are our Commercial Curtain lights, or Wall of Light sets, these 9.5' tall drops have a great look and the drops are removable/replaceable so they allow you to easily repair drops after years of use or remove drops to customize your string.


Globe lights are another very popular light string for weddings and are perfect for outdoor weddings. We sell Globe screw in bulbs in both a C7 base and C9 base variety, which means you can use our Christmas light strings with most Globe lights we carry. The most popular way to use Globe Christmas lights is to swag a light string (preferably White or Black wire) and use them as a type of ambient lighting. They are also very popular around the edge of tents or to light paths. If you are needing a lot of lights we recommend buying a Spool of Christmas Light wire, this allows you (or your decorators) to custom cut every string to fit perfectly. The remainder can be stored or used for other holiday lighting needs. 


Mini lights are a classic light string that will NEVER go out of style. They easy to decorate with and inexpensive so you can get a ton of lights without spending a ton of cash.We have White Wire Christmas Lights  with clear bulbs in many spacing and styles so you can find just the right set for decorating everywhere during your ceremony and/or reception. We also offer many of these sets with colors on white wire to match the brides chosen color palette, a simple way to ad some accent lighting without blowing your budget. 


We also carry a wide selection of LED Christmas lights, these are a great alternative to incandescent lights and look great. They come in a wide array of colors and styles and can fit exactly your needs. We love the 5mm Wide Angle LED Light strings, they are small bright and have vibrant colors. 


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

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Flicker Flame Bulbs

All American Christmas Co. carries a selection of flicker flame lamps which are great for any occasion or just as a accent lighting. Flicker flames typically go into a candelabra base, which is what a C7 light bulb goes into. These types of simulated flame bulbs are most commonly found in electric candles, these plastic (sometimes wax) candles can be plugged into the wall and are a much safer alternative to actual candles when you are only seeking the look of a flame. We recommend these to anyone needing candles for windows or table arrangements.

We carry a variety of different styles of Flicker flame lamps, and the image above gives an idea of what the bulb looks like once lit.

Check our Special Lights page for Flicker flames and other candle lights!
--
Zach
All American Christmas Co.
www.aachristmas.com
www.allamericanchristmas.com

Monday, March 12, 2012

Warm White LED vs Incandescent Christmas Lights

LED vs Incandescent Christmas Lights

Warm White LED Christmas lights are a great alternative to traditional Incandescent Christmas lights because the color is about as close as one can get to that warm filament lit glow that classic Christmas lights offer. The images to the left is a comparison of Warm White LED Christmas Lights and Incandescent Mini Christmas Lights.

I grabbed the one of each our of craft light cases, these LED set in the picture is our Warm White 25 count Wide Angle 5mm String, the Mini lights are our 20 count Craft Light sets. The LED Light set is on the left and the Incandescent Mini lights is on the right. Now for a caveat, Colors are subjective everyones eyes are a little different and furthermore monitors are a little different, colors on a Mac may not look like a PC, your computers color settings could be different so don't take what your eyes see on a monitor as a 100% accurate representation of what ANY color of something is.

Here are some differences in LED vs Incandescent
  • LED Craft Lights use 2.4 watts a set
  • Mini Craft Lights use 9.6 watts a set
  • LED Craft sets generate no heat
  • LED Christmas lights bulbs are molded in and won't become loose or twisted when inserting into a bottle or block.
  • LED Craft sets have 24" lead wire (the plug to the first bulb)
  • Incandescent Craft sets have either 24" or 36" lead wire

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