Light Up Valentines Day Card

Valentines Day is coming up quick, and all of your usual gift ideas have become dull and predictable. Maybe it's time to try something different that will really catch the eye of your Valentine this holiday. In this Instructable I will guide you step by step on how to make a great card that lights up a personal message that you created yourself for less than a card from the store would cost you. Not only is this card easy to make, it will also get you the bonus points of making something personal for the one you love instead of giving the same thing as everyone else!!!!!

You will need:

2 pieces of card stock or construction paper

a string of 3-4 LED lights connected in parallel (you can usually find them at the dollar store)

2 AA batteries

1 razor blade

1 pair of scissors

school glue

Glue gun with glue (Not pictured)

push button switch (not pictured, you can find them on any toy that has a "Try Me" button)

left over tissue paper from that pile of gift wrap stuff in your closet.

Using a stencil or if your a great talented artist, draw your personal message onto one sheet of card stock. Make sure you can see your letters especially if you are using black paper. (Hearts are a great thing to add to your message!)

Using one of your valentines favorite colors or whatever color you have laying around, cut out and glue pieces of gift tissue paper to the back side of the paper you just cut the letters out of. (make sure to glue it to the back side because if you don't the letters will be backwards in the end.)

Connect the LED string in series to two AA batteries and the push button ( a switch can be used in place of the push button) solder the connections if you are comfortable doing so, if not electric tape should be fine. Test and retest the connections by pushing the button to make sure they are good. The connection is good if the LED string turns on.

If you don't have the push button, you don't have to connect the batteries at this time.

Poke a battery sized hole in the bottom corner of the card and carefully pull the LED string and batteries through the hole. leave the push button over the hole. The button should stay pretty good because it's bigger than the hole you made for the batteries. you can paint the button or put a heart sticker on it so it doesn't say Try Me.

If you don't have a push button, you can run the positive and negative leads out the side of the card and not worry about the hole at all.

Using a hot glue gun, secure the batteries to the bottom of the second piece of card stock, place the LEDs one by one in the best places to light up your message. test the LEDs at this time just in case you have to fix them.

If you don't have the push button, just secure the LEDs in the best places to light up your message and run the positive and negative leads out the side of the card

Place the card with your message on it over the card with the LEDs and hot glue the two cards together sandwiching the batteries and LEDs between the cards.

Congratulations you have now finished your light up valentines day card with a very personal message for your valentine!!! Now go and enjoy all the hugs and kisses you will get after you give this great personalized gift.

The button-less card can be lit with a simple battery pack. (An LED uses 2-5 volts so two or three batteries in series will work great.)