L.E.D Reindeer Greeting Card

Stephanie has a really fun one for us today! I think kids would love to get in on making a card like this! Here’s Stephanie:

How to make an L.E.D Reindeer Greeting Card

I thought I would add a little “geek” to our greeting cards this year, and add a simple circuit to create a light-up reindeer!

Supplies

recycled card blanks and envelopes
1.6V red l.e.d
3V button battery
self adhesive copper tape (I used the type sold in garden centres, as a slug repellent)
electrical tape
recycled card in light brown, brown and white
glue stick
additional decorative elements such as ink pad, stamps, glitter etc. (optional)

Instructions

Cut out your reindeer template from the light brown (body) and brown (antlers) recycled card

Stick the reindeer to the front of the card blank and add additional decorative elements as desired. Make holes by the reindeer’s nose to insert l.e.d. pins.

Insert l.e.d and bend pins away from each other. Create circuit using copper tape, referencing image below.

Tape a piece of copper tape to the battery -ve side (copper side needs to be facing battery).

Tape the +ve side of the battery to the +ve side of the circuit (the side with the longer l.e.d pin-I actually realised after I stuck mine down that I had stuck the +ve side of the battery to the -ve side of the l.e.d, but it is easily remedied by flipping the battery over!).

Tape everything down with electrical tape apart from a small exposed part of the circuit gap. Cut out space for slider from card blank and cut out slider from recycled card in white. Attach copper tape to the slider and an additional piece of card to the back of the end with copper tape (this will help bulk it out so that the copper tape is pressed down enough to close the circuit). Fix two side pieces either side of where slider will fit as well as an end stop.

Put slider in place (copper side facing down), cut another piece of card (make sure to add the cut out) and glue to the side and end stops. Tape it down with electrical tape.