Crafting under pressure is irresistible. This year the Craftzine gals suggested an ornament swap– 12 days before Christmas. With a lot on our plates we all agreed to make time for crafting eight handmade ornaments each, and the deadline made it even more intense. Cheers to speed crafting!
Spray paint some scrap cardboard — I chose silver.
Sketch out your robot designs, either in a notebook first or directly on the cardboard.
Cut out your robots’ bodies.
Cut legs and arms from small strips of cardboard.
Glue on arms and legs.
Keep a bowl of ice water nearby when using a hot glue gun.
Pierce two holes for each LED with an awl.
Feed the LED legs through the holes, minding the polarity. The long (+) leads should both be facing the same way.
On the back, twist the two long leads (+) together, and twist the two short leads (-) together. This is called wiring the LEDs in parallel.
Look for the (-) symbol near one side of the battery holder. Stack the holder on top of the LED leads matching + to + and – to -.
The circuit is the same as my LED shoe clips project as well as my firefly embroidery project.
Use pliers to twist the LED leads around the battery holder legs, and insert a battery to confirm the circuit illuminates the robot’s eyes.
Use hot glue to secure the battery holder while it’s still on.
Slide a strip of paper between the battery and the holder to provide a pull-to-start tab.
Insert the battery in the holder, pinching the paper strip between.
Write “pull here” on the paper strip.
Draw buttons, dials, the current year, or any other decorations on your robot.
Don’t forget to sign the back!
Glue on a loop of string for hanging.
Merry Xmas!
