Let There Be Light…String Lights!

If you’ve been reading RYGblog for anytime at all, you’ve probably heard me talk about “Scott Family Farm”…which is really just our side yard that we’ve redeemed from the waste of a space it used to be. (If you’re just tuning in and are interested in seeing more of what I’m talking about, check out these posts: “Scott Family Farm”, chicken coop).

Anyway, I love this space…partly because that’s where my fancy new potting bench is (that I built out of repurposed porch flooring) and where our chickens live. But probably more than that…it’s the spot in my yard that’s been most redeemed. Again, it’s our side yard on the far end of our property. We literally never went over there before we started raising chickens and now we’re there several times a day…and really just love the space.

But I had a problem…after the sun went down, I couldn’t go back there without stumbling into the coop. It was pitch black…I had no lights! However, a couple of weeks ago I fixed all that…I hung up several strands of string lights.

Now…not only can I collect the eggs from our faithful feathered friends after dark, but I can also finish whatever project I may have been working on. Whereas before, I’d have to wait until the next day or the next week…whenever I could find the time.

However, what I love more than anything really…now with these string lights, is that it’s a really cool space to hang out in after dark. In fact, it’s not unusual to find me and Britt or me and one or both of my little darlings back there enjoying a little music and dancing just before bedtime. I know…sounds a bit odd…but with these lights, the space is just so cool…and really inviting. And that’s even with 14 beady little chicken eyes watching every move you make!

Anyway, if you need to add some light around your chicken coop…or if you don’t have chickens, but you do have a space that you’d like to enjoy after the sun goes to sleep…I’d highly recommend that add a few strands of string lights.

I bought mine at Target, but you can buy them at a number of other retailers…or online. Here are some like the ones I bought…

These cost me only about $30 or $35 per strand…but you could go as cheap as $15 or $20 if you shop around a bit.  However, if you were looking for a more substantive, vintagey look and are willing to pay as much as $100 per strand, you could also try these…

Since I needed 5 strings, I went the cheap route…and so far so good…especially since it saved me $300 bucks!

So if you were wanting to add a cool nighttime vibe to one of your outdoor spaces…I’d urge you to do look into creating a canopy of string lights. It’s easy to do and relatively cheap (vs. other lighting options). And if you do…you can look forward to winding down your day redeeming a bit more time outside.

So again…let there be light!

Take care,