So I was new to LOR this year...here's what I've learned

[Roxxxtar]

So I started with LOR back in the Spring. I started with Showtime Central, two Controllers and ordered a 3rd (which hasn't arrived yet) during the Summer sale.

I had already been playing around with the demo software and watching youtube vids before I had any LOR products.

Believe it or not, I found the sequencing to be fairly easy, though very time consuming. My first sequence, I didn't know how to even use the "select, copy and paste". lol So you can guess how much time I used on that.

I have finished 6 original sequences, and altered 4 others that I found using google that I messed around with so that they fit my house.

I actually think I am done for this year.

 

My main problem is figuring out which lights to buy and from where, and what they will actually look like when they are up.

I'll worry about RGB next year.

So far I bought 30 strands of C9's from christmas-lights-online.

I bought one rope light from orangetreetrade.

Then I have various other lights, all led's that came from Lowes, WalMart etc... after Christmas last year.

 

I have a few questions for anyone willing to answer them

1.Does anyone have any experience with those "Neon rope lights"?

 

2. I have 13 windows on a two story house. I DO NOT want to build anything, so what is the best way of hanging lights around each window, noting that I have vinyly siding and vinyl trim around the windows. Command strips? Other suggestions?

 

3. Also what kind of lights would YOU personally use for the windows which measure 3x6

 

Thanks for reading and I appreciatte any response.

 

 

[dgrant]

I would and do personally use about %90 LED lights. Its amazing how nice they look and the electrical cost savings makes up for slightly higher costs up front. As for how to decorate various things on your home, its all in your own thoughts as to how you "wish" it to look. None of us can tell you how to make that happen. To get lights around a window, you'll need to attach them somehow. In my case, I made some very simple wood frames to fit and each is custom since this is a brick home. Then hang the lights on the wood frame itself, which makes for easy take-down and storage. Plastic suction cups on the glass, probably won't stay up so you need to consider something more robust. My frames are just super cheap wood that I brad nailed together. Look terrible in the day but at night, you can't see it, just the LED's on them.

[tomsusie]

Not sure about using it on vinyl but electric glue guns work well for attaching lights to brick and they are relatively easy to remove.  I would suggest trying a small spot in an inconspicuous area to see if the glue would harm the vinyl.

[sax]

Command strips work good for me and my snowflakes on the house. Around windows will probably be ok.

Suction cups...I used some last year for some frames of canes and Santa and thought they would let loose. But nope, they stayed up the entire 6 weeks. Not one feel off. I still can't endorse them, but makes me at least a little closer.

I have wood siding. Where my window are, there is a wood frame around them. I have used the roof clips to slide under those frames to hang lights.

And lastly, you might get away with magnets. Through glass is possible depending on how thick....but my fear is breaking or scratching the glass. I do use magnets as much as possible in other areas. Nothing faster for up and down of display and they hold good.

Sax

[Al Saunders]

Hi Roxxxtar,

 

Welcome to the hobby/addiction!

 

1 - Never used, sorry.

2- Depending on how your framing is around your windows you might be able to clip on those universal clips that are sold everywhere once the Christmas lights and other stuff is in stores. You might be able to wedge them in or under a tab here or there. Then just hang the lights on the clips and for the ones at the bottom of the window try and pull the string tighter to both hold the strings in place and add a little tension on the clips to help hold them in place. One other option is Target and probably other retailers have these 'C' clips that have a small sticker on the back to stick them on and you can snap a incandescent bulb in it or just use it to hold the string. These are not removable though like Command Strips. So that may be an issue. I use them on my aluminum window framing and have them on the side to be a little less visible.

3- This as mentioned above is really your taste. But since you are asking others opinions, I use regular incans on my window frames. I have about 80-85% LED but still have a few props that use incans. I really like the pure white LED's and kinda like the warm white LED's but my opinion is for lighting a large portion of the house I really like incans if you plan on all white around your windows. If going multi color then I'd say M5/6 LED's for sure. You will notice maybe even after a few weeks of your show this year that some colors on incans will dull. You will be buying these lights again next year if using incans in multi. If you do go the M5 LED route I'd suggest getting some black out caps in case you have a few extra bulbs after framing your windows. They work great and are super easy to put on and take off if needed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Later,

Al

[mpageler]

What lihts you use/buy, depends on the look and feel you are after. Different look from mini lights to C9 and the various options in between.

Could pick up a few strings of mini or smaller bulb led strings so you can compare the look to your c9 and rope.

BTW, when you say "worry about RGB next year", that would mean getting DC controllers and not trying to use your current AC ones.

I looked at neon rope for my singing faces because of the look.  But it costs more and  just used a tradional rope light.  Again, rope has a certain look and feel, so depends what you're after.  Rope definately has a use for certain elements where curves are needed and particularly for singing face elements.

For future sequences, the copy/paste is a powerful tool.  Aflows you to take "shared" sequences from others and copy/paste in pieces of those squences that can fit into your sequences.  I expanded over 30 halloween/xmas sequences this year and did very little sequencing from scatch. Did a ton of copy/pasting from my library of "shared" sequences that I colected over the past year from the LOR and other forums.

[zman]

Welcome to the addiction. Keep asking questions

 

1. I attempted to review that stuff years ago. Tough to control with our controllers. You are better off with LED or incandescent rope light

 

2. Best advice here, suck it up and build frames. You will be happier with them in the long run. My first few years I folded LED Multicolor M6s over and zip tied them to keep them some what uniform. Things looked a ton better making a frame of some sort.

 

3. I am over 125K lights, most of which are LED. Made that decision 12 years ago and never regretted it. I still have incandescants but I only add LEDs now. I think eventually going with an RGB type C9 product looks traditional, and you have all the control over color you will ever need. For now, until you get into RGB, C6, C7 or C9 LEDs are nice. You will gets tons of opinions about what looks good.

 

Get a spreadsheet to manage your display. I faithfully use Quartz Hills Christmas 50 controller version. I was sooo happy when Rick after fixing my 25 version 2-3 times finally came out with that one. Get a Kill-A-Watt to boot to measure the wattage on your inventory.

[Roxxxtar]

What lihts you use/buy, depends on the look and feel you are after. Different look from mini lights to C9 and the various options in between.

Could pick up a few strings of mini or smaller bulb led strings so you can compare the look to your c9 and rope.

BTW, when you say "worry about RGB next year", that would mean getting DC controllers and not trying to use your current AC ones.

I looked at neon rope for my singing faces because of the look.  But it costs more and  just used a tradional rope light.  Again, rope has a certain look and feel, so depends what you're after.  Rope definately has a use for certain elements where curves are needed and particularly for singing face elements.

For future sequences, the copy/paste is a powerful tool.  Aflows you to take "shared" sequences from others and copy/paste in pieces of those squences that can fit into your sequences.  I expanded over 30 halloween/xmas sequences this year and did very little sequencing from scatch. Did a ton of copy/pasting from my library of "shared" sequences that I colected over the past year from the LOR and other forums.

Thanks for your comments. About RGB......all I meant was I wasn't even considering using anything RGB related this year as it's my first year with LOR. All LED this year for me.

[Roxxxtar]

Hi Roxxxtar,

 

Welcome to the hobby/addiction!

 

1 - Never used, sorry.

2- Depending on how your framing is around your windows you might be able to clip on those universal clips that are sold everywhere once the Christmas lights and other stuff is in stores. You might be able to wedge them in or under a tab here or there. Then just hang the lights on the clips and for the ones at the bottom of the window try and pull the string tighter to both hold the strings in place and add a little tension on the clips to help hold them in place. One other option is Target and probably other retailers have these 'C' clips that have a small sticker on the back to stick them on and you can snap a incandescent bulb in it or just use it to hold the string. These are not removable though like Command Strips. So that may be an issue. I use them on my aluminum window framing and have them on the side to be a little less visible.

3- This as mentioned above is really your taste. But since you are asking others opinions, I use regular incans on my window frames. I have about 80-85% LED but still have a few props that use incans. I really like the pure white LED's and kinda like the warm white LED's but my opinion is for lighting a large portion of the house I really like incans if you plan on all white around your windows. If going multi color then I'd say M5/6 LED's for sure. You will notice maybe even after a few weeks of your show this year that some colors on incans will dull. You will be buying these lights again next year if using incans in multi. If you do go the M5 LED route I'd suggest getting some black out caps in case you have a few extra bulbs after framing your windows. They work great and are super easy to put on and take off if needed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Later,

Al

Thanks for your suggestions. I took the regular gutter/shingle clips that I found at Hobby Lobby, and was easily able to wedge them under every other piece of vinyl siding around the windows. I was just experimenting.....but two clips held up 15 foot of c9's easily. So thanks to your suggestion, I think I've solved my window problem.

[Roxxxtar]

Thanks everone for the comments and suggestions. I'd also like to add I've been stocking up on my lights using the vendors listed here. However also using a suggestion in the forums, I've been going to Hobby Lobby daily (it's not far) buying a strand of 25 C9's which are normally $7.00, and using the Hobby Lobby app, which gives you 40% off. So the lights were a little over 4 bucks. So over the last 5 days, I've spent less than 25 bucks and have 75ft of C9's.

[Jaynee]

Thanks for the tip on Hobby Lobby and their app!  Will have to head over there myself!

[Bigfrog 59]

Hi Roxxxtar, Like yourself I just got started in this addiction last year. A couple of things I found when I was looking for lights for my display may be helpful to you and to others.

1. Put a little money in a separate savings account for light purchases (even if it's only a few bucks a week) for after Christmas sales. You would be amazed at how many stores don't have room to store inventory for a year. I got lucky last January when I went to the local Peavey Mart store. There entire Christmas shipment came in late so they had quite a bit of inventory left over and no where to store it. The after Christmas sale was 65% off on all there stock, so as a joke I told the manager that I would take every thing is she gave it to me for 85% off. Well I ended up having to go home to get the stock trailer to load it all, ended up with $8795.00 worth of lights, 3D deer, Snowmen etc. for $1320.00 (entire inventory was 100 % LED).

2. Think rope lights for around windows and doors. It gives a nice clean look and they come in a various colors (if your not doing RGB). Check on EBAY for suppliers in the U.S. You can get rolls of rope lights up to 300' and you can custom cut them to fit. They usually come with 4 to 6 extra power cords, end caps and you can also get a variety of fittings (90,s tees, etc.) They also have a clear plastic C track that's around 3' long with double sided tape for mounting on window frames, this gives you the option of leaving the track on or removing them when your done.

 

Just a couple of thought that might be helpful, Happy decorating

[dgrant]

Also consider BigLots for lights. I've got a bunch of their's and they work nicely. The best part is if you lose any, cheap to replace.