Love Inspired Light-Up Bookmark (featuring Chibitronics)

Looking for a fun, interactive gift to send to the book lover in your life? Try a light-up bookmark on for size! This one was designed by Allison Cope.

Not only is this stunning bookmark easy to make, but it also contains a built-in pressure sensor that makes the lights glow brighter the harder it is pushed!

Electronics Supplies:

3 X Chibitronics LED Stickers in colors of your choice

Conductive Fabric Tape or Strips

3V coin cell battery (CR2032 or CR2016)

1 X Piece of a Pressure Sensitive Sheet

(optional) Chibitronics Craft Stencil

Other Useful Tools & Supplies:

Double-sided decorative paper of your choice

White cardstock

Pencil

Low-tack tape

Scoring Tool

Scissors

Craft Glue

Die Cutting Machine (or cut your own designs by hand)

Circular Die

Heart Die

Rubber Stamps and ink pads of your choice (or do your own artwork by hand)

Misti (if using rubber stamps)

For a complete list of supplies, including the excact dies and inks that Allison used, please visit this link: https://linkdeli.com/view/c977c1ee-ad22-4d58-bf31-8e62c243831c

For a detailed demonstration of how to construct this bookmark, please watch the video tutorial.

Measure, score, and fold a piece of white cardstock to your preferred dimensions.

Use a metal circular die to create a circular card with a hinge on one end (see video).

If you prefer the look of a complete circle, use the die to cut out an additional cardstock circle that you can place on top of the hinged card piece.

Use the heart-shaped die to cut out three heart shapes. Cut one from decorative paper and the other two from white cardstock.

Use glue to back the decorative heart piece with one of the white cardstock hearts.

Glue the remaining white cardstock heart to the bottom of the card, across from the fold. This will create the switch.

Glue the decorative heart on the top of the front, bottom edge of the card, aligning it with the white one.

Use a rubber stamp (or hand-write) a sentiment of your choice on the card front, leaving space for additional artwork that you plan to light up.

Use a rubber stamp (or hand-draw) three side-by-side hearts above the sentiment.

Open up the card front and flip it around to the back side, so that the inside of the card is facing you. Then, place a light underneath both layers to help you see where the LEDs should be placed.

Use a pencil to mark the centers of each heart to help you determine where each LED should be placed. A craft stencil is useful for tracing the triangular shapes of the LED sticker.

Trace your battery in the center of the card.

Then, draw a blue line that connects the negative (pointy) end of the LED stickers, extending into the center of the battery outline. This will form the negative trace of your circuit. The battery will be placed on top of this trace in a later step.

Next, use the image above as a guide to sketch out the positive trace of your circuit. Draw a red line to connect the positive (broader) end of the LEDs stickers, bringing the line down into the white heart. Then, draw a second red line parallel to the first one, extending into the center of the battery outline. This trace will be place on top of the battery in a latter step.

Lastly, use the heart-shaped die that you used earlier to cut out another heart from one of the Pressure Sensor Sheets. Put it aside.

First, adhere a piece of Conductive Fabric Tape to cover the blue line that you drew.

Next, adhere a second piece of Conductive Fabric Tape over the short red line. It should start on top of the battery and extend into the heart. Trim off any extra tape.

Then, adhere a third piece of Conductive Fabric Tape over the long red line, extending parallel to the first one.

Add a spot of glue to the top right lobe of the cardstock heart and place the black, heart-shaped piece you cut from the Pressure Sensor sheet.

Next, adhere three LEDs (in colors of your choice) on top of the conductive traces, ensuring that the broad (+) ends of the stickers are touching the positive trace and the pointy (-) ends are touching the negative trace.

Lastly, test the circuit by pressing down on top of the black heart. The more pressure you apply, the brighter the lights will shine!

Fold a rectangular piece of double-sided decorative paper in half to form a hinged square.

Cut the bottom of the card off at a 45 degree angle, to create a triangular flap.

Glue the triangular flap down onto the other half of the card to create a pocket that will slip over the page of a book.

Orient the opening of that pocket with the open side down.

Then use glue to adhere the round circuit part of the card on top.

Enjoy!