Lighting technology has come a long way in just a few short years. ENERGY STAR Advanced LEDs are replacing traditional incandescent bulbs because of the huge energy and cost savings (as much as 75-90%). Now that LEDs are available in a range of colors and brightness levels, you can have the warm and cozy feeling you get from incandescent bulbs, but at a fraction of the cost.

But did you know that that technology has extended into the realm of holiday lighting as well? Gone are the days of energy draining mini-light strands with loose bulbs that would result in the entire string of lights going out. LED lights are long lasting, shatter proof and most importantly cool to the touch. This puts them at a huge advantage over traditional incandescent lights.

For this project I used LED string lights for just those reasons. Safety, cost savings and the fact I could re-use this string for as long as 20 years!

LED Lighted Burlap Garland

Supplies:

Strand of LED mini lights
Burlap (for a strand of 70 lights I used 1 1/2 yards, 48" wide)
Rotary cutter and self-healing mat
Scissors

Cutting Instructions:

My strips were about 1 1/2 inches wide and 12 inches long. (Those dimensions meant I could fit 2 knots between the bulbs on the light string.)

Fo a 70 light string, I needed 140 strips. Since my burlap was 48 inches wide, I could get 4 strips from a single width of the burlap. Therefore I needed 35 strips the full width of the burlap. The fastest and easiest way was to cut this with my rotary cutter.

I cut those 35 strips into 4 even pieces, giving me 140 12x 1-1/2 inch strips.

Tying Instructions:I only tied a single knot in the burlap. Because the tails were long enough and the burlap would fray slightly, I wasn't worried about it untying.

If you wanted to trim the ends of the strips at an angle or point to make them more decorative, that is also an option, but I liked the rustic frayed square ends.

I love how it looks all lit up. And the lights stay cool to the touch!
Plus I am not worried about LED bulbs shattering when I hang them up or if they accidentally get hit. Here I swagged them over the door frame and down to the floor.
And I don't feel guilty leaving them on, since they are using only a fraction of the energy that an incandescent strand would have used.
So grab a set of LED mini lights and replace those old energy guzzlers! Since everyone could use a little more cash in their wallet during the holidays!

And don't foget to extend those energy and costs savings past the holidays! Switch over to Advanced LEDs for your everday lighting. You can pick up standard sized LED bulbs directly from the PG & E marketplace (That is Pacific Gas & Electric if you aren't a West Coaster!) They have a great rating system which explains a bulb's energy use, brightness, financial savings and even user reviews. Changing out lightbulbs around your home for energy efficient LEDs means you can cut down on your energy use every day of the year!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PG&E. The opinions and text are all mine.