7 Ways to Give Your Party Ambiance With Lighting

With spring upon us, the time for party planning is here. Even if the natural light stays longer, that is no reason to stop the party at dusk. There are so many ways to light up the night both indoors and out and give your party that extra added ambiance. Create a memorable experience for your guests and have a good time yourself!

Electricity Available? 3 Ways to Use Christmas Lights

1. Decorate Your Trees

Do you have a tree or multiple trees in your yard? Wrap the trunk with a string or two of Christmas lights, and then hang full strings from the lower branches. It will look like the lights are raining on your party…without getting wet. For even more fun, you can make a light maze to walk through if you have several trees close together.

2. Make Use of Old Hula Hoops

An ingenious idea is to take a hula hoop and string icicle lights around the hoop. Hang the hoop from the ceiling (or from trees or a set of poles) and voila! -- your very own DIY chandelier. Another use for the old hula hoop (get a couple differently sized hoops) is to create big circles of light by spray painting them black. Once the paint dries, use string lights around the edges, and then hang them up using fishing line. They will look like big circles of light just suspended in air.

3. Create a Wall of Lights

If your party is indoors, drape string lights from the ceiling to the floor along one or two walls. Turn out the overhead lights and use just those two walls for mood lighting.

No Electricity Available?

4. Use the Power of the Sun -- at Night

Solar lights are a great way to light up a pathway so your guests can find their way back to the bar. They are fairly inexpensive and easy to install. Just poke them into the ground, let them charge up during the day, and have some simple mood lighting for the evening.

5. Glow in the Dark With Paint

Glow in the dark paint is another option if you have no electricity available. Spray paint some rocks and line a path in your yard or create a fun glow-in-the-dark rock sculpture.

6. Decorate With Glow Sticks

Another non-electric way to light up your party both indoors and out is with glow sticks. Find some decorative jars and fill them three-quarters full with water (add food coloring if you like). Then, break open a glow stick and add it to the water. Instant romantic light.

7. Burn Candles in Wine Bottles

Are candles your thing? They give off great light, but can easily blow out with the slightest touch of a breeze. Here's a way to prevent that from happening:

Gather up some old wine bottles and cut off the bottoms. To easily cut the bottoms off glass bottles:

1. Soak a piece of string in nail polish remover

2. Wrap the string where you want the bottle to break

3. Light the string on fire

4. Rotate the bottle so the flame spreads evenly

5. As soon as the flame goes out, plunge the bottle in ice water -- it will break off right where the yarn was.

6. Sand the edges of the break smooth.

Note: Always wear safety glasses and gloves when dealing with fire and sharp edges.

Place the candles where you want them, light them up and place the wine bottle over the top. The candles will stay lit because they are getting oxygen from the open top, and they won’t blow out because the bottle protects it from any little breeze. Get creative with these. You can place them on every other rung of a ladder to add height, or on a table for a centerpiece. You can even use Citronella candles to chase away the insects.