Choosing the Right Christmas Light Clips

The holidays will be here before we know it and it will be time to hang those lights again. We know that is only August and it might be a little early to start thinking about your holiday decorations, but you can never be too prepared. Hanging Christmas lights on your roof and windows can be time consuming and frustrating. Especially, being at the top of a ladder and just barley being able to reach that last light to get it just right. Why not try to hang your lights like the professionals by choosing just the right Christmas light clips for your decorating project. Let us give you a few tips for choosing.

Clips for C7 and C9 Lights

A lot of people like the look of a traditional C7 or C9 Christmas light bulb for their home holiday decor. If this is your choice of bulb you will need a clip that can hold a the larger bulb and to set the light in the direction you choose. The best clip for this application is an all application light clip because it can be on gutters, shingles, allows bulbs to  be hung in different directions on gutters or shingles and has folding tabs for a tight grip.Use one clip per bulb for a clean and straight roof line.

Hanging Lights on Shingles

A shingled roof can present a unique problem if you do not have the right clips to hang your lights. Shingle tabs will easily slide neatly right under your roofing shingles. They will stand upright to perfectly display your lights and will not damage your shingles. 

Clips for Icicle Lights

Icicle lights are a traditional look for the holidays. It always puts me in the holiday spirit when i see people in our town putting up there icicle lights. You have to be sure when you hang them that they are hung properly with the right clips, that way they look their best. Multi application clips will work perfectly for this application. These clips will hook onto gutters in a traditional horizontal position, where the icicle wire will run along the bottom of the gutter without sagging. These clips can also hold mini lights, C7 and C9 light strings, which allows you to hang your regular Christmas lights at the same time from the same clip. This will save space, time and give you a layered look. 

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Hannah
All American Christmas Co.

USA Made Christmas Light Clips

New USA Made Christmas Light Clips

At All American Christmas Co. we try to buy American made products as much as possible and recently we got in contact with a company making Christmas light clips right here in the USA and we are proud to be carrying the majority of their clips! These new American made Christmas light clips are made to very exacting specifications and offer new designs to hang a wide variety of lights, from C7 and C9 bulbs to Mini lights and Icicle lights to LED Christmas lights. These new clips are made from stabilized UV plastics so they will outlast the older imported clips when left outdoors. Perhaps the best part is that their prices are not much higher than the older imported clips we had been carrying so you get all the functionality at a competitive price!

We recently put almost all our older style clips on sale so if you still want to stock on the old style and save do so now! But consider trying these new Made in the USA Christmas light clips!

Here are some of the styles we carry:

• Speed Shingle Tabs and New Flat Roof Adapters - Holds C7, C9, and LED bulbs under shingles or along flat roofs
• L-Clip - the updated C clip, great for putting along roof lines to hold any screw in bulb socket
• All New All in one style clips - Variety of clips for holding sockets and strings under shingles or along gutters. Something to fit anyones decorating needs
• New Mini light adhesive clips - Holds Mini lights and smaller LED sockets, great for outlining doors, windows and more.
• New Suction cup clips and Hangers - Great for hanging lights in a window
• New Light Stakes - Incredibly tough light stakes for holding lights along walkways and windows
• New Rope light clips - Really cool clips to attach rope lights to a surface, can hook together to create unique displays

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Zach

20 count Craft Lights back in stock!

Craft Lights

20 Count Craft Lights are back in stock! Our short lead sets (17" lead) quickly sold out this year but they are back. Our 20 count mini light sets are some of the most popular strings for use in lighting glass blocks and wine bottles. These incandescent craft christmas lights are available in individual sets or in cases of 24 sets.

Our Green and White Wire sets are available for immediate shipment (as of 7/10/13) so order early and get all the lights you need for your craft projects in the coming months.

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Zach

DIY Decorating Luminara Battery Candles

Who doesn't love battery operated candles? You can turn them on and forget about them, without worry of something catching on fire or you candle wax melting and spilling over onto the carpet. They are a great source of ambient lighting and they are perfectly safe. You can use them in centerpieces for holidays, in kid's rooms and even for special occasions, like weddings. But there are times that we all think, I wish this candle had a little more pizzazz. There is a way to dress up those plain candles, you just have to get creative.

Photo: Crafting Rebellion 

All you have to have for this project is Luminara battery operated candles in any sizes (white or ivory is best), some tissue paper in a pattern that will match the decor  of your room or event, modge podge, scissors and a foam brush. That's it and you are ready to get crafting!


Get out your candles out to measure them. Stand them up and measure them with a ruler. Be sure to leave just a bit of extra length on your tissue paper. It is always best to have a little more than too little. Then cut out your rectangle of tissue paper.

Time to get out your modge podge and cover about 1/3 of your candle. Now lay your paper over the modge podge and gently smooth it out. Tissue paper is very fragile so be sure not to touch it with sticky finger or your paper will lift right off. Just continue on with the same pattern of adding modge podge, paper and smoothing it out until the candle is covered.

When you get the candle covered and find where the edges meet, you need to trim any excess off so that you have very little overlapping.

Photo: Crafting Rebellion

After you have let the candle sit and the modge podge has dried a little you can trim around the bottom of the candle to clean up any edges. If you have any loose edges at the top just add a little more modge podge and smooth it out.

Now, let your candle sit and get really dry. Then you will want to add one more coat of all over modge podge to seal the outside of the candle. The more layers you add, the glossier it will appear and any wrinkles will become less noticeable.

There you have it, a simple and fun way to spice up those plain Luminara candles for any occasion! Now it is time to sit back and enjoy.

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Hannah
All American Christmas Co. 

Lighted Wedding Backdrop

We have all seen the pictures with those beautifully lit backdrop, using Christmas lights and fabric. We might have even been a little envious that we cannot all have one at our wedding or event. Well now with all the DIY projects out there, you can have the photos you've always dreamed of and you won;t have to break the bank for it. I know some people are out there thinking, what lights would I use? How would I attach them? Well that is exactly what we are here for. There are a few perfect lighting options for this project.

Curtain Lights

Curtain lights are great for a project of this sort. They have a uniform look, which is great for backgrounds of head tables and cake tables at weddings. Most people won't want too much going on behind them as far as a pattern of light goes. Simple is better.  These look stunning when draped with a little sheer fabric to soften the glow just a bit. Curtain lights come in white, green and black wire with white (clear) lights.

Globe Lights

Globe lights are a wonderful choice if you want something a little more outside of the box. These lights are something that you could use for a background of a photo booth or even for a wedding ceremony. Since globe lights come in different sixes, you could even consider mixing them up a bit. Try using G40 and G50 bulbs alternating on the string for a whimsical feel. You also might try using clear and pearl white to give your lights a little more depth. These look great hanging in front of sheer fabric or even just right against the wall.

Fairy Lights

Fairy lights, the faithful light string. These are a tried and true form of lighting for all occasions and events. These would make a great background if you wanted something that was much easier to customize. You can buy as many strings as you like and hang them in any pattern you choose. There are many lengths and colors to choose from. There would be something for every budget and decor. These look great in front of or behind fabric.



We have found a great DIY backdrop frame blog too. It's simple, very easy to understand and it is very inexpensive. This is great project for those that want to build their own instead of renting one, which could end up costing hundreds of dollars! Check out, Dandelions on the Wall.

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Hannah
All American Christmas Co.