Christmas Light Boxes

Having made some of these earlier, I decided to add a few more for the Christmas season.  These light boxes, or signs are easy to make, very low cost (the only thing I have to buy is the lights).  Lights used are mini-incandescent lamps that are low watt, low heat regular Christmas lights.  If purchased at the end of the season, strings can be had for as low as $1.00 each! No "wiring" is required, just use the lamp strings as purchased.  Be aware, that these lights should not be left on unattended.

Step 1: First Cut Acrylic or Glass For The Front of the Sign

I have a lot of picture frame acrylic and glass that is no longer used for pictures, so I use this instead of buying some new material. To cut acrylic, a special tool is available, but can be cut by scoring with a craft knife or box cutter and snapping on the line. For glass, a glass cutter is needed.

Comments

[maricolley]

Really cool! Hmmm...how well do you think that'd do outside? How would one go about weather proofing it i wonder...?

[corycar]

Do you use any kind of diffuser between the xmas lights and the words?  It seems there is something - otherwise you would see the lights right through where the words are.

[Creativeman]

Yes, there are diffusers in place. I have used colored paper, white paper, painted glass, some frosted plastic sheet material that is no longer available, etc.  Many things work, it's just a matter of your preference.  I would like to get some colored acrylic and or colored sheet plastic, but it's not that easy to find.  Thanks for your interest. Cman

[Bosun Rick]

You can find flexible colored plastic sheeting at most florist shops. It is about the same weight as 2 sheets of regular paper for your computer printer, but a little stronger. I used some in dark blue to make a "Sky" backdrop for our Christmas Village scene a few years ago. It can be had in sizes large enough to cover a 4' sheet of pegboard, and is pretty inexpensive. I used some twinkling lights that had 'mustard seed size bulbs (Wal-Mart wedding stuff). I stuck the bulbs thru ther pegboard, then covered the pegboard with the colored sheeting. sett he light controller to a "sparkling" setting, and it was perfect!

[Creativeman]

Thanks for the tip, and thank you for your service! Cman

[anibioman]

i made a massive one of these for my school musical it was actioned for quite a big price too. i think i might make a much smaller one for my girlfriend for Christmas with her initials

[Chromatica]

How hard was the Blue Christmas?
I plan on doing "White Christmas".

[Creativeman]

Very easy. Cman

[Chromatica]

Okay thanks.

[dexusno]

Sorry if I was a little vague in my previous comment.. Overhead sheets are letter sized plastic sheets used to make overhead projector prints.  You may find them in a office supply store, or ask at your local highschool where you could find some.

[Creativeman]

Never thought of that, may be worth a shot. I wonder how permanent the ink would be?

[dexusno]

Well.. If you use good ink (ie original or good quality cartridges), it should last fine.. The sheets are made to withstand heat, as the overhead projectors use pretty bright and hot lights..

[dexusno]

A tip for getting colored plastic:  Buy some inkjet printable overhead sheets.  They are basically letter sized plastic sheets that you can print on with a regular color inkjet printer.  That way you can print color patterns as well as solid colors to add to the effects..

[winslow121]

cool

[james.mcglashan]

what fonts did you use i cant seem to find them???

[Creativeman]

Blue and Merry =Vivaldi; Christmas=Arial Black...Noel????? Cman

[Chromatica]

Can you give me the .ttf
Its in your font folder
Search "Fonts"

[Chromatica]

Please

[Creativeman]

Why do you need that?  I just go by name, and you can too. If you have microsoft, those fonts are standard, pretty much.  If you can't find them by name, they are not on your comp.  You can download other fonts, or those as well. Sorry I can't help you with that. Cman

[Chromatica]

It is not on mine.
I can't seem to find a reliable source to download.

[Chromatica]

Never mind.
Downloaded a program to install it for me.
I'm so doing this for my mom!!!

[Creativeman]

Good for you! Good luck with your project and I admire your perseverance!  Cman

[Chromatica]

Thanks!
Means a lot coming from you.

[geekazoid]

 Wow! You just literally beat me to this by a matter of days! Of course not exactly the same, I basically built a lighted screen behind which you can illuminate silhouettes. Great job!

[cowscankill]

Those look great! Any other ideas on how this can be used?

[Creativeman]

Thanks. By changing the word(s), any sign can be made...possibilites are infinite! Cman