2015 Holiday Gift Guide Series. Last week we looked at great ideas for the custom bobble heads designed to look like the recipients are a fun gag gift that is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

If your active grandparent hasn’t discovered the outrageously fun sport that I can only describe as a cross between tennis and ping pong, then gifting them with their own bluetooth tracking tag that hooks onto your keyring (or anything you find yourself losing often) solves the problem brilliantly. Use this little gadget to locate your phone with the push of a button. Or, locate your keys using an app on your smart phone. 

But what if your grandparent doesn’t have a smart phone or device? Get them one! My parents love to sit down with their tablet and look at photos of my children that we send them digitally. You can find tablets and e-readers for less than $100 these days.   

As we age, eyesight diminishes and adequate lighting becomes more important than ever. If your grandparent enjoys curling up with a good book, reading the morning newspaper, or knitting sweaters, a stylish night lights that match their decor or motion activated this one in the shape of a tree ring. There are a number of online resources that will help you uncover your ancestry. Once you’re finished, a battery operated Blurb.com or head down to your local drugstore to have your book made.

Do you have an epic entertainer in your family or circle of friends? Come back next week to get great ideas on holiday gifts for your favorite host or hostess.

*Prices and availability are subject to change.

Large foyer chandeliers and pendants make a true design statement, while providing plentiful illumination for the perfect introduction to your home or commercial space.

Your Guide to Finding the Perfect Foyer Chandelier

Whether you live in a cozy cottage or expansive mansion, fine lighting shines through more than any other home accessory or decorative piece.  A well-chosen foyer fixture creates a welcoming atmosphere, lending ambient illumination and decorative appeal to your home entryway.

1.  To achieve the desired effect, you need to size and install your foyer fixture properly.  A large foyer chandelier or decorative pendant fixture is especially enchanting if your home contains a defined foyer area with a raised ceiling or a glass picture window over the front door.

2.  To determine whether to use a semi-flush fixture, hanging pendant light or multi-tiered large foyer chandelier, you must know your ceiling height. The overall height of a foyer fixture should allow for a clearance of at least 7 feet from the floor.

3.  In a two-story foyer, if there is a window above the front door, center a larger foyer chandelier so that it may be seen from outside.

4.  If the foyer is extra-large, the addition of complementary wall sconces will supply additional illumination. Sconces should be installed 60 inches from the floor and at least 6 feet apart.

5.  Create a seamless flow by coordinating your large foyer chandelier with matching flush or semi-flush fixtures in hallways and powder rooms, or carry a unique design theme throughout by pairing an expansive foyer chandelier with a mini-chandelier in the powder room or extended archway.

The newest Corbett model, “Inertia” is a one-of-a-kind fixture, complete with polished stainless steel prisms and crystal.

This illuminating work of art by Jeff Andrews is prominently featured in the Kardashian’s “Dash” store in Los Angeles, California.   The “Inertia” fixture is provocative and stunning; with a 48-inch frame and eight lamps, this large foyer chandelier embodies a striking and sophisticated design.

The Kardashian family chose to feature the spectacular “Inertia” from Corbett Lighting to enhance the chic feel of the store and provide an eye-catching illumination for their clientele.

Maybe you’d like to put a little star power in your home entryway with a large foyer chandelier? Luxury lights and the latest decorative foyer chandeliers await customers at Capitol Lighting.   Receive one-on-one guidance with professional lighting experts who will help you find the perfect foyer fixture for your home or commercial space.

Find the exquisite “Inertia” series at Capitol Lighting stores or visit 1800lighting.com.  At Capitol, Corbett Lighting is a top-seller, and now with celebrity recognition.

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Strips with more LEDs per foot will consume more power.

In short, if maximum energy efficiency is what’s most important to you, choose a light strip with smaller LEDs and fewer LEDs.

In order to ensure your LED power supply doesn’t overheat and fail prematurely, we use this general rule of thumb:

Make sure the total wattage of your LED strip lighting is at least 20 percent less than the power supply’s rated wattage.

For example, if you have an LED strip light that requires 80 watts of power to run, you’ll need a power supply that’s rated for at least 96 watts.

The vast majority of our strips include wattage per foot right on their product pages.

power supplies range from six watts to 1,500 watts for compatibility with a wide variety of LED strip lights.

Let’s take a look at an example:

It’s important to verify that the voltage of the power supply you choose is compatible with the voltage of your LED strip lighting. Also, be sure that the power supply’s input voltage matches that of the location it will be installed in. If you have an LED strip with 12-volt DC operation that you wish to use in a 120-volt AC home wiring system, you’ll need a power supply that includes 120 volts in its input range and has 12-volt DC output.

Another factor to take into account for longer runs is voltage drop. A significant voltage drop is present after a certain distance of LED strip. After this distance, there will not be enough voltage present to light the next length of strip. This varies depending on the type of strip and length being used. Usually, a single-density strip (nine or less LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 32 13/16 feet (10 meters). A high-density strip (18 or more LEDs per foot) will need to run back to a power source every 16 3/8 feet (5 meters). Please refer to “Max Run” in the specifications table of the strip light to determine how many can be run continuously without a parallel run back to power.

3) the 4) if you want your strip to be dimmable

power supply calculator on the product pages of all of our LED strip lights!

There are a few steps involved:

Step 1: Select your strip and the length you need.

Step 3: Click the green “Power Supply Calculator” tab, and select your product by choosing it from the list OR by pasting the exact part number in the search bar.

Step 4: Enter the number of strips at the desired length you’ve selected and voila! You’ll see a list of all compatible power supplies with the best match at the top of the list!

When dealing with electronics, safety is paramount, and you want everything to work like it’s supposed to. So if you’re still not sure which power supply to use for your LED strip lighting project, just reach out to our technical support team or customer service department at 866-590-3533. Our teams are available from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. CDT Monday-Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Across the country this week students strapped on their backpacks and headed out for an exciting new year of school. But in the midst of that back-to-school glee, one word still strikes fear in both parents and students … Homework. What if there was a way to make the homework battle less stressful, dare I say enjoyable? Today I’m sharing five dread-busting homework stations with creative lighting that may actually make your student want to do homework.