How to Light Up a Card with EZ-Lights

Handmade cards bring lots of joy and lighten the heart. Imagine what happens when you press a button and the card itself lights up! EZ-Lights from Pear Blossom Press make adding this interactive element to your project super easy. Our stellar design ambassador, Daniel, is here with a fun and beautiful EZ-Light card that really shines.

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Hello there! Daniel West, here, with a gumball machine that has gum drop hearts and lights up, too! I am so excited to share with you that Ellen Hutson now carries a personal favorite of mine — EZ-Lights from Pear Blossom Press. What an exciting product that really makes cards glow and adds a thrilling touch of interactivity, too!

I created a video tutorial for this project over here. But I thought a photo tutorial on the lights may help someone, also.

To begin, I die cut the gumball machine with the detailed die from the So Chewy Dies several times out of thick white cardstock. I stacked these layers with liquid adhesive to form a housing for my lights and embellishments. I also cut out a piece of acetate for the window of my gum ball machine.

Then, I cut out a backing with the outline die for the back of the housing and adhered to the back of the stacked detailed die cuts. I used a sharp poking tool to add three small holes to the backing.

TIP: EZ-Lights are really bright and can shine through cardstock to varying degrees depending on thickness. If you want more light, pierce the cardstock where you will place the LED element (light) and it will shine brighter. If you want even more light, poke the LED element through the hole. If you want less light, tape it just to the side of the hole.

TIP: For an even softer, more distributed glow, use vellum over the lights.

Next, I added a battery (included with the EZ-Lights) to the battery housing and began taping down the wires on the back with double sided tape. I leave the backing of the tape on.

After creating the gum ball machine housing, I stamped out the the gu ball machine from the So Chewy stamp set in Cranberry Fizz and Samba Inks from Catherine Pooler. I inked up the gum ball machine stamp on the left side with Cranberry Fizz and softened the edge of the ink line directly on the stamp with a blending brush. And I added Samba (a lighter red) on the right hand side in the same way.

TIP: To create a gradient of ink directly on the stamp, ink up one side with one ink and knock back the edges of the ink with a blending brush and stamp it down. Then, ink up the other side of the stamp with another ink and knock back the edges of the ink line and stamp it down. VOILA! You just blended ink directly on the stamp.

Next, I dried the ink and stamped the line details of the gum ball machine with VersaMark ink and melted White Detail Embossing Powder of it with a heat tool.

Then, I stamped the chrome parts of the gum ball machine with VersaMark and melted Silver Embossing Powder over it.

To create a bit of dimension where the gum ball would dispense from the machine, I added some R56 and R89 Copic marker.

After that, I poured some Jelly Drop Hearts (mine are an old mix but try the linked ones and add Sugared Soiree for color) from Trinity Stamps into my gum ball machine housing, covered it with the acetate die cut, then the stamped front, adhering it all with liquid glue.

Next, I die cut different sized circles out of vellum and white cardstock with the Essential Circles, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies. I inked three of them up with Catherine Pooler Bellini, Tiara and Samba Inks. I die cut the shape of the gum ball machine out of the large white circle and stamped the word PRESS from the My Favorite Things Interactive Labels stamp set on the left hand side with Cranberry Fizz Ink.

Then, I used the Snowfall Background Waffle Flower Stencil over a card base to add more of the same colors lightly with blending brushes, masking off the top and bottom of the front of the card.

I adhered the gum ball machine to the front of the card base with a tape runner. And attached the battery housing to the left of it with tape runner.

Next, I added the left hand side of the white circle die cut over the battery housing, popping it up with foam tape to hide the button.

After that, I added the other circles to the front with foam tape at varying heights.

Then, I stamped the sentiment out on some Ballet Slipper cardstock with Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink and melted some Clear Embossing Powder over it. Next, I cut it out with some Tim Holtz Snips in a pennant shape and popped it over the front with more foam tape.

Finally, I played with the light until I nearly ran the battery out. hahaha. It’s so much fun to see the project light up. You’ll have a blast with it. I hope you enjoy these lights as much as I do!

Thank you for joining me today. There’s a grid of the supplies below for your convenience. And the supplies are linked throughout this post as well.

I’d love to connect with you on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, too.

Have a crafty week!

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Supplies