Hand Crafted Hearts

Print this graphic to paste on your hand made paper hearts.

Today I would like to share how you can make some hearts using simple materials without having to buy scrapbook embellishments.

This is table scatter made by cutting hearts from white construction paper. They will all be different and they look good with the paper doilies.

These paper doilies have become harder to find, and more expensive in just the last week. Also, there are only 6 of the smaller doilies in the package, so it  makes more sense to use construction paper. If you are not familiar with hand making hearts, here is a pictorial instruction section you can follow.

Select the color of paper you like from the children's construction paper, or just use your printer paper. Fold it in half the long way and tear it off. Construction paper tears easily and straight if the fold is good.  Then take each half and fold it and tear it in half again. You will have four strips of paper like this.

Fold each strip in half the long way.

Draw small, medium and large half-hearts on the fold, as you see on the paper above.

Cut each one out, on the fold.

This is what they look like. Don't worry about the fold in the middle of the hearts, as they are supposed to look that way and it makes them more interesting, as they pop up a little.  You can use the piece of paper with the heart holes in it for another project, by gluing it on to a piece of contrasting paper. It might make a card or some kind of banner. This white one would look good with pink in the centers. All that is necessary is to cut a piece the same size and glue it underneath the open hearts.

I interspersed the store-bought doily hearts with the hand made heart scatter.

Now here is a way to make heart doilies yourself.

First cut out a heart on folded paper.

Open it up.

Cut around the heart with deckle-edge scissors; the kind that have shaped blades.

Fold the paper again and cut out a heart from the center if you like. Save it for now. Using a hole puncher, make holes around the edges, so that it looks like the lace doily you buy at the store. Glue your lace heart on to the pink construction paper, and cut it out again, cutting around the scalloped edges to make another lacy edge, Cut a fourth to half inch larger than the white doily, to make the pink paper show around the edge.

This next one is a way to make a lace heart if you do not have fancy scissors (which actually can be found at the dollar store) or a hole puncher.

Cut out a heart. Fold it in half and then fold the top and ends toward each other.  Cut shapes of hearts and diamonds all around the edges and the folds. Save the pieces that fall from the cutting.

Glue it on a contrasting color, and cut out again, leaving a border of the pink and cutting it to follow the pattern around the edges of the white heart.

For the one on the left, cut smaller hearts of graduated sizes to put in the middle. For the one on the right, glue  smaller paper hearts, on the folded sides in various places.  Click on for a larger view.

Glue some cut out hearts on their sides, to the Valentine. Cut out a paper hanger to paste to the back if you like.

If you print out the graphic at the top on card stock you can cut it out and glue it to the middle of the white heart.

Find more free, printable clip art here.

Free nature clip art here 

Free Victorian printable clip art to place in your hand made hearts can be found here.