Here Be Dragons! For all my fellow dragon-loving readers, this light-up bookmark is for you! Did you know that cartographers inscribed “Hic Sunt Dracones (Here Be Dragons)” in a copper globe over 500 years ago? On the back of this bookmark is a map near the edge of the Northern Hemisphere, and on the front […]
Flattening Octagon Tunnel Book Featuring Chibitronics
Make a Glowing Book That Fits in an Envelope In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create an octagon-shaped illuminated tunnel book that collapses flat. Tunnel books are three-dimensional works of art that feature cut paper images. When viewed through the front cover, the layers appear to unite as part of a cohesive […]
Light Up a Faux Gingerbread House with Chibitronics LEDs (by Emily Brooks)
Candy for the Eyes! Did you know that November 4th is National Candy Day? What better way to celebrate this sweet part of the season than with a light-up gingerbread house using some recycled materials, some hot glue, some circuit stickers, and some imagination. Materials Required: Directions: Step 1: Print and Cut Out Template Step […]
Guest Post: How to Make a Light-Up Pop-Up Birthday Card
Guest Post: Krafti Karma Today’s video tutorial was created by an enterprising young crafter, Taryn, who creates under the moniker Krafti Karma. Based in Northern California, Taryn is a high school sophomore who enjoys traveling, volunteering for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, and teaching kids at Peninsula Bridge. A recipient of a […]
How to Make a Flickering Jack-O-Lantern with Chibitronics White Fade LED Stickers (by Emily Brooks)
Video Tutorial For everyone that knows that Halloween is a season, not a day, this light-up pop-up jack-o-lantern card video tutorial is for you! Watch the video to see how to make your own paper pumpkin pop-up! Materials: Step 1: Prep Your Jack-O-Lantern Piece Choose one of the four options below to create your Jack-O-Lantern. […]
PopUpTober: Light-up, Slot & Joint Mechanism (featuring Chibitronics)
Slot & Joint Video Tutorial: Introduction: In this video tutorial for #PopUpTober, I’ll show you two different methods for building a light-up pop-up mechanism called a Slot and Joint. A Slot and Joint mechanism is useful for creating pop-ups that appear to jut out from a parallelogram adhered to a base card. This type of […]
Meet the Maker: Ryan Jenkins
Tinker Extraordinaire This month, we are excited to introduce you to a brilliant educator and author, Ryan Jenkins, the cofounder of Wonderful Idea Co., a design studio focusing on STEAM education. The time was right to feature Ryan, because he has a brand new book coming out this October, The Tinkering Workshop! A colorful chapter […]
PopUpTober: Light-Up Floating Plane Pop-Up Mechanism Featuring Chibitronics
Video Tutorial Introduction: In this video tutorial for #PopUpTober, I’ll show you two different methods for building a light-up pop-up structure called a Floating Plane. A Floating Plane is useful for creating large pop-up shapes that appear to float upon a flat plane that rests upon three parallel supports. A Floating Plane may be folded […]
PopUpTober: Light-Up Double-Pivot Pop-Up Mechanism (featuring Chibitronics)
Video Tutorial Introduction: To celebrate #PopUpTober and #LightUpPopUpTober, I’m sharing a fun way to combine light with an engaging pop-up mechanism, to create a “smore-themed” pop-up spread! This type of mechanism has a lot of visual interest, with arms that move and rotate whenever a card is opened. The Double Pivot mechanism, found on page […]
Make 4 Simple Pop-Ups Glow With Chibitronics LEDs
Research a Critter: Tell Its Story with Pop-Ups and Paper Circuits Engage your students with a fun and educational project that combines science, technology, art, and engineering! This blog post will show you a way to combine paper circuits with a series of pop-up foundation shapes. Individually, each mechanism may be customized to stand alone. […]
How to make light up swivel Christmas card. ~ Type 2. The background glows. ~
Hi crafty friends! This is Eiko. I made two types of light up cards using Chibitronics and Lawn Fawn swivel surprise dies and stamps. Next, I will show you how to make a Christmas card. I used the reed switch and animating white blink LED from Chibitronics for this circuit. When you open the card, […]
How to make light up swivel Halloween card. ~ Type 1. The moving circular part glows. ~
Hi crafty friends! This is Eiko. I made two types of light up cards using Chibitronics and Lawn Fawn swivel surprise dies and stamps. First, I’ll show you how to make a Halloween card. I used the reed switch on this card. When you open the card, the small circular part moves and a reed […]