Welcome to the hobby!!
Hi XJ5. I'm fairly new to this forum, but not at all new to electronics. The only advice I can give you, is to go through the steps, slowly. Whilst some components can give you spectacular sound and light (and smells) displays if connected up wrong, it does get expensive. Consider getting yourself a proto-board, or breadboard as it is sometimes called and wire up a few circuits on that. But to wet your appetite, please see the attached file which I have done for you. I have a small company doing products for the model railway fraternity, and this is a level crossing flasher circuit. Why I chosen this circuit is that it is far more educational in that it doesn't use ICs like 555s, but rather discrete components like transistors etc.It also has some other unusual aspects in that it uses electrolytic capacitors wired back to back to give you what is called Bi-Polar Electrolytic capacitors.
1)Print out the PDF file onto a sheet of Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper with a laser printer.
2) You then cut out the circuit board layout, the one of the copper tracks, and get a piece of copper laminate blank circuit board.
3)Thoroughly clean the board with a kitchen scourer pad and with rubbing alchohol, sometimes called Isopropyl Alchohol
4) Use a normal clothes iron and iron the paper onto the blank board using the hottest setting. Really work the paper with the iron. The copper will get really hot so be carefull of those fingers. This could take several minutes of ironing.
5) Finally, drop the whole thing into warm water and leave it to soak for a few minutes. You should be able to then peel the paper off the copper leaving the traces intact.
To etch the board, I use good old Ferric Chloride, but there are other postings here of other chemical formulations. I normally pour a little ferric chloride into plastic container, and pop this into the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up a bit, but only when the missus isn't around. The warming (not heating!!!) helps the ferric chloride do its job. Please wear gloves and goggles with this stuff. It's nasty. And don't pour it down the sink. Your pipes will go, and it would not be considered very Green of you. Returned the used chemical to the bottle it came in. In can be used over and over.
Hopefully you've got a small drill, to drill the holes, but if your gonna do this hobby, it might be an early acquisition if you want to make your own boards.
6) What I then do is iron on the component side (notice this is a mirror image) so you know where everything goes, but you can also just use the component overlay on the PDF i've given you.
If you want to tackle this project, I'm sure you will have lots of questions. Just email me (steve.verwey@vodamail.co.za), or better still post them, and I will reply. If you ask me nicely, I will even knock up a board for you.
View attachment Composite.pdf
Incidentally, the circuit design is not mine. I can't remember where I got it from, but thanks to that person. The board layout is mine however.