Monday, December 8, 2014

We have light(s)! A holiday a giveaway…


There was a time when I religiously strung those tiny white lights on my Christmas tree each year. And because I can be a bit of a perfectionist this task was not an easy one. The lights had to be perfectly spaced and with no ugly cords showing. One year I’d worked so hard getting the lights on the tree that it was nearly impossible to get them off. In fact I didn’t. The whole thing went to the curb. Not a proud moment.

Things took a turn when I received a vintage aluminum tree in 2002, it didn’t need lights since it has a sheen all its own. Still, without the festive glow of holiday lights I have to admit there’s something missing. Like a fire in the fireplace on Christmas Eve the lights add a festive touch…

Which is why when the folks at Gardener’s Supply contacted me about trying out, and giving away, their pinecone string lights I said yes. As I’ve mentioned before it’s rare that I accept an offer like this but these lights checked off all the boxes...
  • they have the same quality look as vintage mercury glass bulbs (they're glass, not plastic!)
  • they are battery powered, no need to string the cord to a plug in
  • the cord is clear, thus easily hidden
  • the lights are LED, remaining cool not heating up (and drying out) the greenery 

I briefly considered using them in a wreath on the front door, or maybe stringing them on an agave outside (taking care to keep the battery pack dry), but instead decided to use them on my holiday mantle-scape.

Of course a few real cones needed to be mixed in.

Along with tilandsia, there are always tilandsia on the holiday mantle.

Needing a little touch of snow (aka the flocked Christmas tree) I added a “Dusty Miller New Look” – seriously, that’s what the tag said, "New Look"...

So yes, I love them, and I think you will too because Gardener’s Supply is allowing me to giveaway 5 strings to danger garden readers, 5! Before you say “yes please” here are a few more details on the lights…
  • the string is 98” long with 10 lights – 9” between lights
  • each cone measures 4” x 1.75”
  • uses 3 AA batteries (not included) and the battery pack has on/off switch
  • for use indoors or outdoors in a protected location

Okay, how do you enter to win? It’s easy...just comment below sharing your philosophy on holiday lights, something along the lines of: “love em, can’t get enough, as long as they’re white.” Or “give me every color known to man and make them twinkle!”… “Can’t be bothered, although these look easy enough for even me.” Or, of course “What are you talking about, I'm Clark Griswold and these would just be the latest addition to my collection”…

Five random winners will be chosen this Saturday, December 13th at noon and announced later that day. You must include a way for us to contact you (blog link or email). Continental U.S. entries only.

And (this is the "fine print") as I mentioned Gardener's Supply shipped me a string of lights to try out, free of charge.
Gardener's Supply Company


All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

57 comments:

  1. YES ENTER ME I Love the idea these are glass and clear wire and I have done business with this company they are great lucky you and lucky me if I am chosen Uniquebridalbtq@aol.com
    Love your blog

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  2. Very nice, would look great on my mantle too! Reminds me a bit of the icicles that my grandparents had hanging on their tree (along with the big, old-style bulbs). I like that they don't need to plug in (hey, they're wearable!), but everybody please use rechargeables! "Disposable" batteries just seem so wrong.

    Twinkling lights are a bit much for me, but all white is too blah.

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    1. I'd love to hear more about the rechargeable batteries you use Alan. The ones I've bought in the past just end up being expensive eventual disposables. After a few charge cycles they are practically worthless (with the exception of my camera battery which just keeps on keeping on).

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  3. Oh my goodness, they are gorgeous! I would love a string of these beauties. Loree, you have the best decorating style, I would hire you if you were hire-able. Those clear wires are cool!

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  4. Those are gorgeous! They remind me of these golden flower lights we always had on our tree when I was a kid, except these are better because pine cones/glass/LEDs :D

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  5. Love these lights and your mantle! LED and battery - -great for anywhere. I am usually an all-white lights type of girl but the old fashioned warmth and look of these is something special.

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  6. These would look lovely in my potting shed. Much nicer than the bright white lights. Sadly, I can't enter as I am in the UK- but I notice that Gardener's Supply do international shipping. thanks for the inspiration.

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  7. Growing up, my parents always made Christmas a magical time for me. Our trees had bubble lights that I would watch for hours, THEN my mom decided to get an aluminum tree that came with a color wheel. We have had bubble lights on our trees and the magic continues... but I have to admit to thinking that an aluminum tree might be kind of fun! I am becoming my mother!

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  8. I quite love them; they look like glass. Lovely display.

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  9. We wrap the trees and everything else until we run out of lights which takes a while. I remember those aluminum trees were fascinating.

    Those pine cone lights are pretty and would be great with so many different styles as your beautiful mantel shows.


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  10. We love them! In fact my husband has been known to put up so many we have to take some down because they keep tripping the circuits. Seriously, he's crazed! And...all colors, please...

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  11. collecting light strings is one of my things. led lighting can produce a cold color light, so filtering the light through amber glass is a good idea. (we have a string of early led white lights that make a horrific fluorescent blue light.) are you getting warm light from the cones? can someone explain the allure of all-white lighting? i find it boring and pointless, as i often also feel about white flowers. willowcoyote@yahoo.com

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  12. Just found your blog and am reading it ravenously. I love the nostalgic/vintage look of these lights! My Christmas light motto: MORE LIGHTS!

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  13. I love your pinecone lights and your picture-perfect holiday mantle! Now I'm decrying the fact that there's no fireplace mantle in my living room and may have to ask my husband to build one (which, as he's a grinch, isn't likely to be a request that will go over well). I share the frustration of trying to achieve Martha Stewart-like precision in stringing lights (white) on our Christmas tree. Every year I ask myself if this will be the one in which I buy one of those artificial, pre-wired Christmas trees but, as of yesterday, the answer for this year was, again, "not yet."

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  14. I always went for the twinkling white lights with silver and crystal and glass ornaments. Then R came along with his own ideas (nostalgic attachment to the big glass bulbs in all colors. I'm bringing in the big pot with the Abies koreana 'Silberlocke' for our tree this year. It's been asking to go in the ground for a while now, so I will need to get cool burning lights and keep it in the house for no more than a week. I love everything about your mantle, including the lights. So yes, put my name in the hat please.

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  15. In my youth (you know, when dinosaurs roamed the planet and each large light screwed into the string,) I loved multi-colored lights and marveled at bubble lights. When the new smaller lights came out, I was enthralled with all manner of blinking, running, etc. Now, I'm an all clear kind of guy for the tree. Your holiday decor is, as always, perfection. Who would have thought of putting tillandsias with evergreens and cones? (You obviously.) They look great together and the glass cone lights are beautiful!

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  16. These are so pretty. I love that they're glass! My holiday light motto is: You can never have too many. :)

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  17. Oh my, I'm loving your holiday mantle scape Loree, a testament to your stylish ways as always! We may not be eligible but have to say that is one very nice Christmas lights, nice touch too with the glass instead of plastic.

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  18. I'm aminimalist when it comes to lights: a string of old-fashioned blue and green c7s around the door and twinkling white lights for the mantel greenery indoors. But this year, the Mulch Man, in a desperate bid to hold back the darkness, has added multiple strings of white (clear) lights outdoors on the camellias and the Japanese maple - I like it. Those pinecone lights would glam up my mantel nicely, especially since the twinkle lights are ¼ dead already, and I had toyed with replacing them. I might need to buy these from Gardeners Supply if I don't win!

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  19. I love your arrangement, especially the cedar branches. Very tasteful and elegant, and the cone lights inject some classy warmth into the whole display.

    My family used to put up the multicolored Christmas lights, both on the house and the tree. Laziness and a bit of a "bah humbug" attitude gradually saw first the house lights, then even the tree at times, disappear. I've been looking at lights and decorations recently, thinking I need to revive my holiday spirit for myself even if I do come from a family the Grinch would feel welcome in. I love the vintage look of these lights, and of course the botanical inspiration. I'll add my name to the hat! You've got my email and blog.

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  20. I love string lights, but I need them to be warm, these look perfect for my mantle too, which I've been trying to come up with a solution for, since we've added a mantle clock, and I didn't know how to work around it, until I saw your beautiful mantle.

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  21. Lights are nice, your mantle looks great!

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  22. My absolute favorite lights are the c7 twinkle lights. They make ever changing shadow patterns on the ceiling above the tree and I used to lay on the sofa watching them while trying to wait up for Santa.

    And as others have already said, your mantle is so lovely! I think I'd like to use the lights swagged from the mantle in a garland.

    As far as rechargeable batteries, there are a lot of bad ones like you said. I've had good luck with I think the brand is Sanyo? I'll double check and reply if I have the name wrong.

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  23. Sanyo eneloop are the batteries. They often sell packs at Costco around this time of year.

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  24. These might give my Xmas decor that much needed touch of class. I think they'd work very well with my vintage stuff.

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  25. lovely retro cool lights ....just festive enough without being to cutesy.

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  26. You have such a talent for decorating. I love the tilandsias added in with pine branches and pine cones....the glass lights really make it sparkle. I wasn't such a big fan of light especially outside but I think that is because I couldn't get anyone to help me put them up. Then two years ago my baby sister died from multiple myeloma and I was devastated. I didn't know how to grieve and it was the middle of November. One day I remember she loved decorating for Christmas, half her garage were boxes of decorations. So I decided to find a good source of out door lights and decorate my Victorian house so it showed so bright she could see it from heave! And I did with the help of our crew, who love putting up Christmas lights. Well every year we have added a bit and now I am working on the inside. The little strings with batteries are perfect for tucking into the bows that I put on side boards etc. I got some tiny lights on copper wire from Restoration Hardware last year.
    Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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    1. Oh Laurin, thank you for sharing your Christmas tribute to your sister.

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  27. Holiday lights can be stressful! This issue brings to light (ha!) the classic conflicts and clashes in a relationship: white vs. colored lights, how best to put them up, blinking vs. not blinking. But once they are up, they are the best way to dress up the home for the holidays!

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  28. Oh the wonders and joys of holiday lighting. I love the lighted balls on the front porch along with old vintage glass hall light covers and the cool white and blue lights strung on the gutters. Ahhh! Becky L. email wundrwman@comcast.net

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  29. That display is so wonderful as always. And I can't enter obviously but I love those lights!

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  30. Those cone lights are gorgeous, and perfect for a mantle! And what a mantlescape you have created! So beautiful with your mix of gray plants and glitter and warm glow.

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  31. My mom would love these so I'm entering for her. I have two Christmas light philosophies: (1) Go to Lowe's the week after Christmas and stock up when they are 25 cents a box and (2) Wrap them around palms, bananas, agaves, tree ferns, scheffleras, and tetrapanax plants when an arctic freeze hits. If you have any left over you can use those for decorating the Christmas tree.

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    1. Thanks for the morning laugh (tinged with a touch of fear, something I always feel when reading, or hearing, the words "arctic freeze").

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  32. I'll admit to liking the giant obnoxious colored lights although these would certainly be a lot classier. I guess I like em all! But not necessarily all in the same room ;-)

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  33. They look wonderful among your Tillandsias. I will love them among my bromeliads in the greenhouse.
    nelljeancam (at) gmail.com

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  34. Love these lights! It doesn't feel quite like Christmas without some lights, preferably white ones.

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  35. Considering that my and Michael's FB user pics are always Clark and Ellen for December (minus my Krampus run), I should defer to the last choice. :)

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  36. I need glowing lights to make it feel like Christmas. Your blog is lovely. -Susan (susyqmattson@yahoo.com)

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  37. I enjoy reading and viewing your blog. Pine cone lights would be the perfect addition to my inside alpine Christmas tree, which is loaded with all kinds of birds: owls, doves, geese, turkeys, ducks, and a mix of exotic birds from different countries. They accompany chipmunks, squirrels, a very vintage flocked baby deer and a very vintage flocked squirrel with real fur for the tail. I added a set of amber lights which gives it a warm glow. Three dozen or so vintage style glittered glass pine cone ornaments in white, silver, green and gold add to the woodland theme. My holiday lights decorating style is inherited from my father. I am one of six children and he always decorated the outside of the house with the old C9 lights along the roofline all the way around the house. Every few lights would be the "twinkle" blinking clear colored bulbs. We especially loved those "blinkers" and wanted them placed outside our bedroom windows where we could see them as we dosed off to sleep. The trees and shrubs in our yard were strung with mini twinkle lights in all different colors. Alas, he has been gone 12 years this Christmas Eve, but those good memories live on in the C9 size LED lights along the entire roofline of my house and the mini LED lights on my trees and shrubs. Cheers! janenned@netzero.net

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  38. I'll throw my hat into the ring and reduce everyone elses chances at the same time (grinch). That is, if it is not too late....
    johnnybc@cox.net

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  39. I LOVE a good smattering of lights! We mostly do outside lights and then outline the windows but I'd love to try some indoor lights!
    beastbunny at hotmail dot com

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  40. :) I can be reached via my google account :)

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  41. Living near the 49th parallel, I always look forward to getting my holiday lights up and changing the vibe from dark and gloomy to colorful and festive. The cones are so cute, especially in that lovely setting with the real cones and boughs.
    tjsky23@gmail.com

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  42. Christmas lights are what light up the dreary winter night for me! There are pretty much only 6 hours of sunlight these days, which is downright depressing. The lights give me something to look forwards to. I love seeing them!

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  43. Aiya, I forgot to tack my email on to the end in my excitement to getting a chance to win glowing cute pinecones...

    le.paradis.found at gmail dot com!

    thanks for the chance and sorry D:

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  44. Orange and silvery blue: always a gorgeous combination. I love your mantle and wouldn't mind if mine looked half as good. Please enter me into the drawing. sutterw@gmail.com

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  45. Ooooh, these are awesome and would go great with my blown glass ornaments on my tree! We have a garland that I always put at the top of my bookshelves in our family room and this lighting would be Just. The. Thing. I would love love love to win these! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  46. These are some good looking pine lights. I love these! Would be perfect for my woodsy northwest decorative theme.

    Anne
    creep4ward at outlook dotcom

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  47. It's all white lights for me. The pinecone lights would work in great, however. jmlauhonhorton@hotmail.com

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  48. Love all types of Christmas lights - and these are gorgeous!
    Melody
    annlee at wildmail dotcome

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  49. I love to have holiday lights throughout the house and am not too picky about color or style as long as those cords are camouflaged by beautiful greenery. These would make my mantel very happy! jill.gregory@gmail.com

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  50. Oh, I love these lights. Please add my name to the hat!

    I'm something of a design snob where my own stuff is concerned, but I'm delighted with just about any style of holiday lighting folks choose -- I think our DNA encourages us to put lights up in the dark season. Three big DIY lighted Christmas balls in a giant, flaming red Japanese maple look awesome, if you ask me. (Those lights are hanging over my agaves and opuntias at the new place now.)

    (Profoundest apologies if this comment is posted twice. Computer settings have been tweaked. Please delete as needed.)

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    1. Excellent timing! You just squeaked in before the contest closed.
      (and there was only one comment)

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    2. Thank the powers!! I was starting to panic -- afraid I'd been banned [shudder]. Half convinced myself I'd never be able to comment here again, as punishment for entering a contest before taking the time to tell you how much I love your blog. So: thank you for Danger Garden. It's a force for Good, and more powerful than you can imagine. Really and truly. [runs off to buy some of them lights]

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  51. I love the pine cone lights,especially the way you displayed them using real pine cones along with them. sometimes the way lights are used can really look awful, but your display makes me want a set of my own!

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