a lighting apparatus that includes a flexible circuit board having a plurality of conductive terminals and at least one electronic component attached thereto such that the lengths of the terminals and component are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the circuit board . a plurality of light emitting elements , such as light emitting diodes , is connected to the conductive terminals . the conductive terminals and corresponding led leads may be located on one planar surface of the circuit board or may be distributed along both planar surfaces . each one of a pair of the conductive terminals may be located on opposite surfaces of the circuit board so that the leads from an led will straddle an upper edge of the circuit board . a method for installing a lighting apparatus includes providing a mounting means that will hold the flexible apparatus so that it is in a substantially upright position . the mounting means may include a plurality of slots so that the mounting means is flexible and conform to a variety of linear or non - linear shapes .