DIY HACK FOR TANGLE FREE FAIRY LIGHTS
Picture the scene. You’ve set up your Christmas tree and you’re ready to decorate. If there is one thing guaranteed to pop your festive bubble, it’s discovering a messy ball of lights that require untangling before you can even put them on your tree.
Or like me you may also use fairy lights for other seasonal holidays and special occasions, including New Years, Halloween, baby showers, Weddings and birthday parties…actually any parties look better when lit this way.
As a stylist I have various types, lengths and colours of fairy lights in my collection, and as much as love decorating with them, I don’t love wasting time untangling them.
If you want an easy stress-free storage solution to packing away your fairy lights, I have this simple hack for you. As a bonus, by storing your lights this way, they take up less room, last longer, and are ready to go every time you want to use them.
What you need
A firm piece of card (I like to recycle the back of A4 writing pads)
A pair of sharp scissors
Instructions
Step 1
untangle
Untangle your fairy lights and loosely spread out.
Step 2
prep your card
If your card is a little flimsy, fold it in half length ways as you want it to be stiff enough to support the weight of the lights
Step 3
cut notches
Cut two notches in your piece of cardboard at either end of the longest side.
Step 4
secure the end
Secure the non plug/battery end of your lights in both notches at one end.
Step 5
start winding
Neatly wind your lights around your card.
Step 6
secure at the end
When you reach the other end, secure the wire in the other two notches.
Step 7
repeat
If you still have more lights (as I have here), start winding your lights back up the cardboard to create another layer of lights, and secure in the first two notches
my top tip
When using this storage method, if your lights are for your Christmas tree, I advise to start at the non-plug/battery pack end and finish at the plug/battery end.
This is because when I am decorating Christmas Trees I always start at the base of the tree (where the plug or battery pack will go) and work my way up.
Ready to learn something new?
Discover my online self-paced course, How to Style Your Christmas Tree Like a Pro.
