By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Needlepointers.
A paper heart garland is the sort of Valentine's craft you can finish over one cup of coffee. Each heart is a single strip of paper, folded and bent back on itself, and the strips staple together into a chain. No glue, no templates, no drawing. This version comes from the Needlepointers channel on YouTube, where an experienced crafter makes the whole chain on a kitchen table in under three minutes. The channel also keeps written instructions with photos on needlepointers.com.
Every strip is folded in half. The fold becomes the point at the bottom of the heart, and the two cut ends curl down inside to make the rounded tops. The next strip's fold slides in between those ends, and one staple holds three layers at once. So each staple closes one heart and starts the next. Some people call it a heart chain garland, because it goes together like the paper chains you made in school.
She uses construction paper or cardstock. Cardstock (65 lb) keeps a rounder heart and lasts longer. Construction paper is cheaper and fine for a one-season decoration, though it fades in a sunny window. Gift wrap backed with printer paper, old greeting cards, or pages from a seed catalogue all work. A paper trimmer cuts the straightest strips, but a ruler, a pencil and good scissors do the job.
The strips in the video are 1 inch wide. The video does not give a length, so treat this as a range: strips about 8 to 12 inches long make hearts roughly 3 to 5 inches tall. Cut one strip across the long side of a letter sheet (11 inches) for a good everyday size. Each heart adds about 3 inches of garland. A 6 foot swag needs around 24 strips and takes about 45 minutes, including the cutting.
It is an easy project to do with grandchildren. Children of five or six can fold and curl the strips while you handle the stapler. It also dresses a mantel, a doorway, a classroom party table, or a mirror where your spouse will see it on Valentine's morning.
Want single hearts too? Try an origami heart, or a crochet heart for a softer keepsake. A paper wreath pairs well on the door.
Fold the garland back and forth like an accordion and lay it flat in a shirt box with tissue on top. Do not wind it into a ball, or the hearts crush. Kept dry, it will come out ready next February.
6 steps · about 3 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Lay a sheet of red or pink cardstock on your paper trimmer and line up the 1 inch mark. Hold the sheet flat with one hand and pull the cutting head down with the other. Slide the sheet over and cut again until you have a pile of strips. Cut more than you think you need. Two colours of paper make the finished chain more fun to look at.
Tip
No trimmer? Mark 1 inch lines with a ruler and pencil and cut with sharp scissors.
Take a strip and bring the two short ends together. Press down the middle to make a sharp crease. Do the same with every strip in your pile before you start building, so the rest goes quickly. The fold you make here becomes the point at the bottom of each heart, so keep the ends even when you crease it.
Tip
Run a bone folder or the back of a spoon over the crease for a crisp point.
Hold your first folded strip with the fold pointing down and the two cut ends pointing up. Curl each cut end down and in, toward the fold, so the paper rolls over into two round bumps. You will see the heart appear in your hands. Keep the ends tucked together at the fold and hold them there for the next step.
Tip
Curl the paper over a pencil first if your cardstock is stiff and fights the bend.
Pick up a second folded strip. Slide its fold in so it sits against the tucked cut ends of the first heart. Now curl the cut ends of the new strip down and in, the same way as before, so all the ends line up in one neat bundle. Pinch them together so nothing slips while you reach for the stapler.
Tip
Swap colours on every strip so red and pink hearts alternate along the chain.
Push one staple through the bundle of ends, close to the fold. That single staple holds the first heart closed and fixes the second strip to it. Check the front. You should see one complete heart with a half-made heart hanging below it. If the staple missed a layer, add another one beside it.
Tip
A full-size desk stapler goes through three layers of cardstock more easily than a mini one.
Keep going. Slide the fold of a new strip against the open ends, curl its ends in, line everything up and staple. Each round finishes one heart and starts another. Stop when the garland reaches the length you want, then curl and staple the last strip on its own to close the final heart. Hang it with tape or small hooks.
Tip
Lay the chain out on the floor as it grows so you can judge the length against your wall.
Keep going
How to Make an Origami Tulip - Easy Paper Flower With a Stem
How to Make a Paper Heart Garland
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
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