Martin, if your looking to make something like Wayne has posted, then you want battery operated led lights. I use Danson Decor brand for my projects, they operate off of three double AA batteries. They can be set to operate off of the timer, or, they can be set to stay on. I buy my lights at a dollar store, and I buy the twenty light sets. But, you can buy sets with fewer lights if needed. Personally, I don't think rope lighting will work, I don't know if it's the proper type of lighting. I think that the rope type of led lighting is to bright, I don't know if you would get the shadows to work the way they should to make the project to look right. The light sets that I use don't use a lot of power, the batteries usually last for 5-6 days before needing to be recharged. That's with the lights being turned on for about 6 hrs daily, and I use rechargeable batteries.
Len