How to Create Light Up Cards in an Easy Way

Hello there, Michelle Short here, and I am delighted to be back on the Spellbinders blog today, sharing two cards using the Pear Blossom Press One Light- 2 Pack. These lights make adding fun light-up elements to your cards easy. No circuits involved!

The first thing to know when using these lights is that you do need to do a little forward planning for your card design. Since the light and switch are on the same piece, you need to work out where both will be placed on your card.

MERRY + BRIGHT STAR

I started off by die cutting the star (on my card panel) that I want lit up and used that as a guide of where I wanted to place the other elements on the card, plus where the light and switch needed to be.

There are stamps that say ‘press here’ or ‘push here’, and they are great, but I didn’t really want them on these cards, so I made sure to place elements on my cards that I could tell the recipient (on the inside of the card) to press.

For this card, I will tell the recipient to press the centre of the poinsettia since the switch is located underneath it. Once you get the hang of how to place the lights, they are really easy to use!

To make this card:

• Die cut star from panel of 4.25” x 5.5” Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Place this on top of the card base and use as guide for where to place the light. I drew a faint pencil mark around the sides of mine.
• Place battery inside the light mechanism and add double-sided tape to the back. Adhere to card base. If you used a pencil, erase that pencil line after adhering the light in place.
• Add two layers of vellum behind the opening of the star.

TIP: I used two layers of vellum since I wanted to make sure that you could not see the light mechanism through the vellum when the light wasn’t switched on.

• Adhere star panel to card base using foam tape, making sure to not add foam tape too close to the light mechanism so that the cardstock layer is loose above the switch.
• Die cut poinsettia from Christmas Foliage Etched Dies using Blush ColorWheel Cardstock for the petals, and Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock for the centre. Adhere pieces together using Bearly Art Glue.
• From the same set, die cut holly leaves from Peridot and Rainforest ColorWheel Cardstock and adhere together.
• Die cut greenery sprig from Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock.

• Die cut evergreen sprig from Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Adhere foliage to card using Bearly Art Glue, followed by the poinsettia.
• Hot foil sentiment from Merry Messages Plate & Die Set onto white cardstock using Opaque Black Foil and the Glimmer Hot Foil System.
• Die cut out using the coordinating die. Cut the die another two times from white cardstock and adhere behind foiled one.
• Adhere sentiment to card using foam squares.
• Embellish with Pink Color Essentials Gems.

As you can see, the light shines through the vellum and lights up the star. I placed the light under where the holly falls, so that it gives a softer glow. I will write inside the card “press the centre of the poinsettia”.

MERRY + BRIGHT MICE

My next card uses the same lights, but this time, I thought it would be fun to show how you can use the light in a smaller way and light up the ornament.

To make this card:

• Die cut boy mouse from Steamboat Willie Duo Etched Dies using Raven, Alabaster, Poppy, and Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock. Adhere pieces together using Bearly Art Glue.
• Die cut girl mouse from using Raven, Alabaster, Poppy, Classic White, and Blush ColorWheel Cardstock. Adhere pieces together using Bearly Art Glue.

• Die cut accessories for mice from Classic Mouse Christmas Embellishments Etched Dies:
• Hats from Poppy and Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Holly from Peridot ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Berries from Poppy ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Scarf for boy mouse from Teal Topaz ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Scarf for girl mouse from Tutu ColorWheel Cardstock.
• Adhere to mice using Bearly Art Glue.
• Die cut ornament from Waterfall ColorWheel Cardstock for the top layer and Brushed Silver cardstock for the base layer.
• Die cut a hole in the centre of the base layer of the ornament using the small circle die in the Essential Tags Etched Dies
• Adhere to boy mouse’s hand.
• Place boy and girl mouse onto 4.25” x 5.5” panel of Classic White ColorWheel Cardstock, and using them as a guide, draw a pencil mark through the hole in the ornament.
• Cut hole in the card panel (where pencil mark is) using the same small circle die used on the ornament.

• Place panel on top of card base and draw pencil mark through the hole to know where to place light onto the card base.
• Add battery to light mechanism and then adhere in place with light on the pencil mark and the switch directly above light (to where boy mouse’s nose will be).
• Stamp sentiment from Season of Wonder Sentiments Clear Stamp Set onto panel using Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink (the sentiment is longer than what I stamped, I masked some of the words off before stamping).
• Adhere panel to card base with foam tape.

TIP: I masked off the part so the sentiment I did not want using Best Ever Craft Tape before inking up the stamp. I removed the tape and then stamped it first onto clear plastic, so that I knew if it would stamp well and in the right place, before stamping onto the card panel.

• Adhere mice to card using thin foam tape.
• Push heart out of ornament top layer using Tool ‘N One.
• Adhere small piece of vellum behind heart opening. Adhere to base layer of ornament using Bearly Art Glue.
• Embellish card with Silver Mix Color Essentials Gems.

As you can see, the light shines through and around the ornament. I will write inside the card “press the boy mouse’s nose”.

Some more ideas for these lights would be to use them as car headlights, the star on top of a tree, a reindeer’s nose … so many possibilities!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my projects today and I have inspired you to try adding these lights to projects. Apart from the slight forward planning, they are really easy to use and add a fun touch to cards! Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!

Spellbinders Supplies:

Other Supplies

Thin foam tape, Versafine Clair Nocturne Ink.