Spooky Haunted House

Hello Folks! Kelly from Notable Nest here to share a spooky project just in time for Halloween! Of all the holidays we make cards for, I think Halloween is one that most benefits from Chibitronics lights … flickering jack-o-lanterns, a glowing moon, eerie ghosts, and haunted houses all become so much more special when you add light. Let’s take a closer look …

Before starting to build the circuitry, I find it’s helpful to quickly sketch it out so you can make sure it will work, to give you an idea of spacing, and so you don’t forget where things should go. I traced the house die on the black cardstock, including the windows so I knew exactly where to place the lights. I wanted the lighting to come from the bottom of each window, like landscape lighting on a house.

Then I simply followed my pencil lines and started running the copper tape where I wanted each light to go. You’ll notice that this card controls the lights by way of a slider. I have to give credit to Maya Isaksson who shared this in the recent Chibitronics and Honey Bee Stamps World Card Making Day Blog Hop (be sure to check out all the amazing cards on the hop if you haven’t already!)

Here you’ll see that the battery is connected to the copper tape permanently, but that does not cause the lights to turn on because there is a break in the copper tape (see the right track). The lights are actually turned on when you pull the tab, and the copper bars slide over the copper tape that has the break in it, completing the circuit. Having multiple copper bars allows you to turn the lights on and off just by pulling the tab out.

To aid in the slider tab’s smooth operation, foam tape is adhered on each side to create a channel for the slider to move back and forth. As Maya points out, you want to make sure to not remove the backing on the foam tape around the slider so that it can freely move about. The remaining foam tape backing can now be removed to attach your top panel.

Most of these stamped images are from Winnie & Walter … the trees are from A Tree for all Seasons, the house is from This Awesome House , and the spooky bat and sentiment are from Moonlight. The adorable “pull here” is from Heffy Doodle’s Interactively Yours set, which is really the perfect companion to any Chibitronics creation, with all the instructive sentiments it contains.

Then when the tab is pulled, the already spooky mansion turns completely haunted, especially with the lights going on and off abruptly!

To allow the windows to glow, I removed the glass portion of the windows from the cardstock and backed them with deep purple vellum. To add more detail, I stamped the house on the vellum and embossed it in black. This allows the grills of the windows to show through.

Positioning the lights just outside the vellum opening, behind the cardstock window frame, allows for the light to illuminate more of the window. The light is now diffused, and the card is complete.

So what Halloween projects are on your list this month? I’ll bet there are a few of them that would really shine with some Chibitronics lights! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Kelly Griglione