Hello Crafty friends! Oh boy do I have a treat for all of YOU! Yes, I have a video today but also so much more!
As my subscribers and followers will know, I LOVE interactive cards and above all I think it is SO FUN to add a little sparkle and shine to my cards using Chibitronics Circuit Stickers!
The wonderful gang over at Chibitronics create fun LED Circuit Stickers which make it possible to combine arts and craft with technology! Here are a few of my previous projects using the fun lights!
- Light Up Fox Shaker Card
- I Lava You – Light Up Volcano Valentine’s Card
- Little Pick Up – Multicoloured LED Light Up Truck
I am super-de-duper excited to (finally) let you guys in on a little secret! HungryHeffyCrafts will be joining up with our friends over at Chibitronics to bring you EVEN MORE fun projects over the next couple of months, with lots of inspiration and even fun giveaways!
To celebrate this wonderful match, I am delighted to be sharing a new video tutorial using the Chibitronics circuit stickers, and today we are also launching the start of a GIVEAWAY, sponsored by our friends at Chibitronics, where you can win your very own Chibitronics Starter kit!
Check out the full details on how you can enter this fabulous giveaway at the bottom of this post!
Before we go into the details of the giveaway – lets take a look at todays tutorial! I will admit that today’s card is more advanced than the basic one-light cards such as the Fox Shaker Card and Lava You cards linked above. If you have mastered these cards, you could move onto the next level and check out the Pick Up card which has multiple lights on one card. Today’s card however, is another step above, as it features a Slider Switch technique.
This card was inspired by these cute Christmas trees – a stamp that I have had in my stash for a while, and I thought they would look amazing with a little illumination! I wanted to recreate a twinkling effect, just like real fairy lights, and the SLIDER SWITCH is perfect to achieve this look! Here’s a quick peek!
To make the stamped panel of my card, I worked on some dark grey cardstock and used the MISTI tool to stamp and emboss the trees in black. Then I masked the trees with a little post it tape whilst inking up the background. I used distress inks to give a nice blended effect – and I must say that I was impressed by how much colour showed up against the dark grey cardstock. The reason I used a dark cardstock for a background was because I wanted to use some Artquest Stargazers paints. These have a gorgeous pearlescent sheen that really pops best against a dark colours. In the video you will get a better idea of how shiny and pearlescent these trees are – they’re gorgeous, when you move them under the light, and it is even more fun to reveal the LEDs! Here’s a closer look!
Once coloured, I used an old eyelet setting punch to make holes in the trees where my lights would go. I decided to mix up the colours for added fun, and also because my husband declares that all Christmas trees look better with coloured lights rather than just white ones! 🙂
I then traced the placement of the holes / LEDs onto a piece of cardstock which was my base, so I could lay out my circuit. This is the tricky part, but with a little practise you will soon get the hang of it I promise!
What makes this card different is the fact that the lights flash – or at least they appear to! Let me tell you what is really happening (it’s always fun to take a peek behind the curtain!)
Each of the lights are placed on a vertical strip of copper tape, and the top of each tape is connected to the negative side of the battery at the top left via a horizontal line of tape. Below each light, the bottom of each vertical strip of tape is left unattached, which means that the circuit is not complete. The positive side of the battery has a long piece of copper tape running vertically down the left edge of the card, which then runs along to the left, stuck to a piece of copy paper that I adhered on the side. This long bit of paper is then folded over the vertical strips and stuck to the top of a few foam pads. The foam pads makes sure that the circuit isn’t always complete which would mean the lights are always on, and would drain the battery before long. You can then simply run your finger over the card – just a gentle pressure will be sufficient to connect the copper tape pieces – and as you draw your finger across the card different circuits will be completed and therefore different lights will illuminate, resulting in a fun flashing light effect!
Confused yet? That’s okay – because I have a video showing you exactly how I made the whole card!
Take a look (and don’t forget to leave a comment for an entry to the giveaway – more details below!)
Now, on to the giveaway details!
Thanks to our friends at Chibitronics, you too will have the chance to WIN A CHIBITRONICS STARTER KIT – this gives you everything you need to get started with building your own paper circuits, and making fun light up projects!
Here’s what you can do to enter! You can do any of the below, or a combination – multiple entries are allowed, and international applicants are welcome! <3
- Follow me @hungryheffy on Instagram, and add a comment on the giveaway post tagging a friend and make sure you add #heffytronics16
- Leave a comment on the YouTube Video for today’s project over at the Hungry Heffy YT channel
- You can also leave a comment here on this Blog post
The giveaway will remain open until 31st December and the winner will be announced on January 1st 2017. Wouldn’t it be fun to start the New Year as a winner!? I certainly think so!
To find out more about Chibitronic products, distributors and to see lots of fun projects – head on over to their website at www.chibitronics.com. You can also follow them on Instagram at www.instagram.com/chibitronics
The great news is that I will be sharing even more Chibitronics tutorials and more giveaways in the future, so make sure you stay tuned! Follow me on social media to stay in the loop!
Thanks for stopping by! As for me, I have some last minute Christmas shopping to do! Ciao!
GOOD LUCK!
Lesley
x
Lesley, what an awesome card. Never thought to use more than 1 light. I love this colorful card and especially on the gray Cardstock!!! Thanks for the tutorial.
Gayle
SQUEAL!! How FUN is this!! =) I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Card and the Video!! THANKS for sharing and have a FABULOUS WEEKEND!! =)
I wish I could create cards like yours. They are all stunning.
What a beautiful card! The bold colors of the distress inks, the sparkly shine of the stargazer paints and the twinkle of the chibitronics are a perfect combination. Love it!
SQUEAL!! How FUN is this!! =) I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Card
Love the card! It’s full of fun and the light slider is very creative! Thank you for sharing this!!!
Goergeous card!
I have to say this is greatest card I’ve seen using chibitronics. I would love to get my hands on this great product and see where it brings me. Love these videos. Thank you so much for your time.
This is so perfect. I love the shine look of Xmas trees and the glided lights.
This is to much fun to handle. I would lovvvvve to try this! Makes you feel like a kid! Wow! So cute! Xx
I absolutely feel like a kid in a candy store! I love your blinking trees! Your tutorial was very clear and I think it is a bonus to have photos as well as the directions! Thanks for sharing!
I love Chibitronics! These lights are super sparkly and bright! Thanks for the tutorial Leslie!
Love the slider switch. What an amazing card
Really cute card with the lights. A card with a big tree with lights like a Christmas tree would be really cute too. Just recently subscribed to you on YouTube and enjoying your lovey creations.
awesome 😀
These are so cute! Love the addition of lights!
Oh! Fabulous I finally understand how easy it is to add LED’s now.
I’m so going to add this to the summer camps and my automaton classes I teach at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Thanks for the great tips
I love so much what you can realize with this amazing kit!!! Awesome card and great video! Follow you on Instagram as raggiodiluc3 and on YT as Arianna Barbara .
Awesome tutorial! One of my New Year’s resolutions is to learn to use Chibi lights! So this is perfect timing, and an awesome card! Thank you for the inspiration!
I love this kind of craft with light and would be so happy to win it.
I love that you combined the slider and light up idea in one card. I am in awe while I was watching the video. Thank you for sharing. 😀
Oh, my! What a fun card, and I can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks for a the opportunity to win a starter kit.
This is gorgeous and the slider switch is genius! I’ve loved every Chibitronics project I’ve seen sms have had them on my wishlist for over a year. Really hoping to get to try them one day!! Thanks for the chance!
Love your cards! Thank you for sharing. What fun it would be to win a set of these lights.
I love this idea. What a fun way to connect a love of science and card making. I can’t wait to try this out, I have so many ideas.
Thank you for sharing and Happy New Year.
Take care
Tracy