Light Up (Electrified) Cobweb Card With a Reed Switch (Normally Closed)

Cobweb cards were a popular mechanical structure popularized during the Victorian Era, a time when people spent a lot of time and resources making and sending each other elaborate (often hand-made) Valentine's.

Seeing one of these interactive cards in action on the Met Museum's blog gave me an idea!  What if, in addition to revealing a hidden image, my card could also light up when the lacy cobweb layer was lifted?  

That is where the "normally closed" reed switch comes in!

If you'd like to learn more about how reed switches work, or how to make your own light up cobweb card, please visit my tutorial on the Chibitronics website:

 Magical Magnetism:  Intro to Reed Switches (Normally Closed)

Here is a sneak peak!

Magic Wand & Reed Switch (Normally Open)

Did you know that you can use a magnetic component, called a reed switch, to alter the behavior of circuits, including paper ones? 

If you'd like to learn more about how to use a reed switch in a paper circuit project (or how to make a quick paper wand), please visit my tutorial on the Chibitronics website: 

Magical Magnetism:  Intro to Reed Switches (Normally Open).