Gadget Master

Here's another interesting one from the ever-reliable Instructables. It's making your own, LED-based light-up table cards, befitting a wedding reception or special Christmas party or some such...

Materials required include: LEDs, binder clips, poster strips, CR2032 lithium batteries, a polypropylene rod, and paper.

Note that the cards they were inspired, says the creator JerseyJ, by the LED Throwies described by the Graffiti Research Lab.

("LED Throwies are an inexpensive way to add colour to any ferromagnetic surface in your neighborhood. A Throwie consists of a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused LED and a rare-earth magnet taped together. Throw it up high and in quantity to impress your friends and city officials.")

Note that making the table cards falls into the hard but not difficult category, warns the inventor:

Before delving any deeper, I'd like to give one cautionary note to anyone thinking of making these.  Though they are fairly simple  to make, (I'm not the handiest or most artistic guy in the world, but I still pulled it off), they are time consuming.

There's also the obvious point that they will not be very impressive if you're having an outdoor, or very brightly lit reception. Dimmed lighting is kind of a prerequisite...

Check out the full steps involved.