How to Hang Patio String Lights

Happy Thursday, everyone! We have almost made it to the end of the week!

Thursday is the day when I say to myself “you only have to wake up at this ungodly hour one more time this week…”. Good pep talk, huh?

Apparently, this is backyard week around these parts. It wasn’t the plan at first, but it kinda unfolded that way. Today, I’m going to show you how I hung my beloved patio string lights. This is a great way if you don’t have a tree or some other tall object near by to string them on. We do have a big, gorgeous live oak in the back, but it’s a bit farther from the house than I wanted to string lights. I really wanted them to just surround the actual patio area.



I also didn’t want them to be permanent {cemented into the ground}, so I found this patio lighting solution. I set out to create two posts for the back corners of the patio, and strung the lights between those and the house.



For each post you will need 2 different sizes of terra cotta pots, a wooden posts {mine are cedar 1″ x 2″ x 8′}, quick dry cement, eye hooks, cable ties, potting soil and plants of choice.

The very first thing you will need to do is to screw an eye hook into the top of the post. This is super easy and you shouldn’t even need a drill for this part.



Next, start mixing your cement in the smaller terra cotta pot per the directions on the package. This was the first time I worked with cement, and it was much less intimidating than I thought it would be. The bag….was much heavier than I thought it would be.



While the cement is still wet, you could place your post in the center of the pot. My directions called for first pouring in the dry concrete mix, so I stuck the post into the dry mix before pouring in the wet portion. While it is still wet, use this time to ensure the post is in straight.



It is a good idea to have something near by, which help to hold the post straight while the cement is drying. Unless you want to hold it straight for the duration of the dry time {which actually doesn’t take that long if you buy quick-dry cement}. Once everything is dry, you are going to stick the smaller pot inside the larger pot.



Before doing that, I put a small layer of soil in the bottom so that water was still able to drain. Put the smaller pot and post in and start packing in the soil around and above it. Pack it fairly tight so it doesn’t have much enough room to wiggle over.
You can plant seasonal flowers or other plants around the base of the post to make it all look a bit prettier.



The last thing to do is string the lights! I used cable zip ties to attach the lights to the eye hooks on both the posts and the side of the house. They look nice with a slight swag, but do not make lights hang too low. There needs to be enough clearance for taller people to walk under them.






I really am loving these lights! The one thing I wish I would have done is by thicker posts. You can tell in some of these photos that the weight of the lights bends the wood a bit. You live and learn, though. They don’t bother me too much {and the bend actually looks more dramatic in pictures for some reason}. If it does start to drive me nuts, the good thing is these are CHEAP. I can always build a thicker, sturdier post for just a few bucks.

After all of that work in the backyard this weekend, I’m planning on taking it easy this next weekend {I’ll probably work on something small. I can’t not work on a project!}. What do you want to tackle this weekend?







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