MichRX7 Posted October 9, 2019 Posted October 9, 2019 So, I'm sitting here at my home office waiting for FedEx to deliver to new blowmolds I purchased, and every time I hear a noise outside I jump from my chair and wrench my head sideways to see if it is FedEx in the driveway. So far, they are taunting me being this late, lol... I was going to take rope lights and add 4 presents to the front of my porch railing, but my wife and I went to an antique show and I found two wonderfully quirky (and fat) toy soldier blowmolds, which made me change my mind on the rope light presents. Of course, since I bought those I had to go online and find two other blowmolds since it was 4 channels of presents. I wasn't all that excited about the presents when I put them in the visualizer, and I'm really excited about the story I can tell with the new blowmolds in the same position. I know it is going to make me go back and do some re-programming, lol... I'm also adding 4 Bells on the top floor windows and making them myself with black corrugated plastic (no one sells bells like I wanted) and (for the first time) 8 dumb rgb trees I made from strips, plastic tubing and tomato cages, finally I am spelling out the words Merry (1 channel) and Christmas (9 channels) on the front middle of the house. Since it is my first foray into dumb rgb I'm very excited to see how it turns out. This really is an addiction isn't it. What else is everyone adding to their show this year? I might get inspired (but not inspired enough to go to smart pixels and S5 in 2019).
Little_b Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 This year's budget was pretty small, but definitely easy enough to go over. I redid all the pixels on my matrix. For the past 3 years I kept growing it and each batch had a different tint to it, so this year I replaced them all and rewired the bad wiring in it. Now it looks consistent and no flickering. The new props this year oddly enough are Arches. I've had an Arch/firestick fountain I've used for years, but this year is the first year I'm putting Arches along the sidewalk and driveway.
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 1 hour ago, Little_b said: This year's budget was pretty small, but definitely easy enough to go over. I redid all the pixels on my matrix. For the past 3 years I kept growing it and each batch had a different tint to it, so this year I replaced them all and rewired the bad wiring in it. Now it looks consistent and no flickering. The new props this year oddly enough are Arches. I've had an Arch/firestick fountain I've used for years, but this year is the first year I'm putting Arches along the sidewalk and driveway. Firestick fountain? How have I never seen one of these before. Have any videos? Now I need a firestick fountain just because it sounds awesome. 😂 Anyone else have any new and/or unique props? I love to see/read what others have done.
tlogan Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 I'm rewiring my old incandescent candy canes with LEDs, so not really new. BUT, I am building 10 wooden lamp posts from plans I got online, adding a cutout of a kissing Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and adding two strings of 50 smart RGB to line the top of the garage and above the front door. I think I'm too old to outline the entire house, much as I'd like to. I keep thinking about some blow molds but I just don't room to store them anywhere.
Little_b Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 48 minutes ago, MichRX7 said: Firestick fountain? How have I never seen one of these before. Have any videos? Now I need a firestick fountain just because it sounds awesome. 😂 Anyone else have any new and/or unique props? I love to see/read what others have done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5i2F72IyBY I explain it at around the 1:50 mark. I have since updated it to each arch being 8 sections. In any of my other videos you can see it as well.
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Little_b said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5i2F72IyBY I explain it at around the 1:50 mark. I have since updated it to each arch being 8 sections. In any of my other videos you can see it as well. Now that is pretty cool. I could see you turning that into a sweet spider if you ever did a Halloween show. I have 4 arches, each are 8' pvc using short rebar to keep each side 6" off the ground for snow clearance. Mine all face outward, so I put screws every 12" creating 7 unique sections and wrapped the lights back and forth and criss-cross to fill it in. I love the way your fountain looks like they are springing outward. Edited October 11, 2019 by MichRX7
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 57 minutes ago, tlogan said: I'm rewiring my old incandescent candy canes with LEDs, so not really new. BUT, I am building 10 wooden lamp posts from plans I got online, adding a cutout of a kissing Mr. & Mrs. Claus, and adding two strings of 50 smart RGB to line the top of the garage and above the front door. I think I'm too old to outline the entire house, much as I'd like to. I keep thinking about some blow molds but I just don't room to store them anywhere. What's this about candy canes? I'm building two Candy Cane "clocks" for each side of my house. I guess I should get off the PC and get at it, lol... 50 smart RGB's, sounds like a ton of work. I'm adding 18 dumb rgb stings and I think that's a lot.
tlogan Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 (edited) Cool!!! Can't wait to see that! I took the easy way and just pulled out the incan string and replaced it with a regular old white LED string. I still can't understand why no one is making these with the LED already in them. I can STILL find them with incans or unlit. Edited October 11, 2019 by tlogan
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 5 minutes ago, tlogan said: Cool!!! Can't wait to see that! I took the easy way and just pulled out the incan string and replaced it with a regular old white LED string. I still can't understand why no one is making these with the LED already in them. I can STILL find them with incans or unlit. Yeah, I did thousands of internet searches for led candy canes finding nothing or ones that were stupid expensive. Finally settled buying the empty ones from Party City for $2 each. I wish I could have seen the look on the fulfillment person's face when they got an order in August for 30 three foot candy canes. I'm hoping it looks as good on the house as it does in the S4 Visualizer. I'm pretty psyched about it and is actually (so far) my favorite new prop not having actually seen the new items yet. I have 15 2'x3' black corrugated plastic sheets showing up Monday so I can create 4 "ringing" bells with led strings and the words Merry C-h-r-I-s-t-m-a-s in dumb RGB strips. I did also enjoy the crazy twinkle color changing effects on RGB dumb strings which I guess is not really a "feature", but I liked the way it looked in the visualizer at certain points. I do wish there was an easy way to twinkle down/up on those using just one standard color rather than the randomness. I guess I could "fake it" by really fast timing, dimming and pasting it into my sequences, but that seemed like way to much work.
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 The clocks were inspired last year when I sequenced the Small World Holiday music (we are kind of a crazy Disney family), and I just love the clock face on It's a Small World at Disneyland in California. But when I got them in the Visualizer, there were a million more things I could do with them than just telling time, lol...
tlogan Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 I think $2 at party City is even cheaper than Walmart. Which by the way, already has all the Christmas stuff out, at least here in Northern Virginia.
MichRX7 Posted October 11, 2019 Author Posted October 11, 2019 4 minutes ago, tlogan said: I think $2 at party City is even cheaper than Walmart. Which by the way, already has all the Christmas stuff out, at least here in Northern Virginia. WHAAAAT? Great, now I gotta run to Walmart. That cashier is going to love me when my cart full of light strings comes rolling through. And no, I won't use the self checkout.
dibblejr Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 3 hours ago, MichRX7 said: WHAAAAT? Great, now I gotta run to Walmart. That cashier is going to love me when my cart full of light strings comes rolling through. And no, I won't use the self checkout. It’s great to see some new members here that seemingly have energy. Stay around a while. All of you. We all start out like that but some drop out of the forums after the holidays or their requests for help are over. JR
Little_b Posted October 11, 2019 Posted October 11, 2019 3 hours ago, MichRX7 said: Yeah, I did thousands of internet searches for led candy canes finding nothing or ones that were stupid expensive. Finally settled buying the empty ones from Party City for $2 each. I wish I could have seen the look on the fulfillment person's face when they got an order in August for 30 three foot candy canes. You got me all excited to see them at that price. Unfortunately they only have red. I've been trying to hunt down some Green ones for a couple years now.
MichRX7 Posted October 12, 2019 Author Posted October 12, 2019 4 hours ago, Little_b said: You got me all excited to see them at that price. Unfortunately they only have red. I've been trying to hunt down some Green ones for a couple years now. I believe Wal-Mart has green when they have their Christmas items in stock.
MichRX7 Posted October 12, 2019 Author Posted October 12, 2019 4 hours ago, dibblejr said: It’s great to see some new members here that seemingly have energy. Stay around a while. All of you. We all start out like that but some drop out of the forums after the holidays or their requests for help are over. JR I've done a lot of lurking, but decided to jump into the fray and help where I am able. Even if my order of green vampire plugs and wire wasn't free this year.
MichRX7 Posted October 14, 2019 Author Posted October 14, 2019 On 10/11/2019 at 3:39 PM, tlogan said: I think $2 at party City is even cheaper than Walmart. Which by the way, already has all the Christmas stuff out, at least here in Northern Virginia. Someone call my Walmart and tell them they are behind the game here. I went there Fri-Sat-Sun and they don't have their Christmas items out yet. 🤬😡
dibblejr Posted October 14, 2019 Posted October 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, MichRX7 said: Someone call my Walmart and tell them they are behind the game here. I went there Fri-Sat-Sun and they don't have their Christmas items out yet. 🤬😡 Ours been out for almost a month luckily I have more of their lights in stock than they do. JR
TheDucks Posted October 14, 2019 Posted October 14, 2019 1 hour ago, dibblejr said: Ours been out for almost a month luckily I have more of their lights in stock than they do. JR Both Walmart and Lowes (Have not been into the Depot) have their Christmas decorating stuff out here
MichRX7 Posted October 14, 2019 Author Posted October 14, 2019 1 hour ago, TheDucks said: Both Walmart and Lowes (Have not been into the Depot) have their Christmas decorating stuff out here You're killin' me Smalls. 1
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