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Valentine’s Day is just a few days away! If you need a festive paper craft with plenty of charm, consider having your little charges make origami heart valentines. The simple craft is showcased in two different designs so everyone can experience success.
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Supplies To Collect
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Gather the following supplies for this Valentine’s Day paper craft:
- origami paper
- craft ribbon
- metallic confetti
- yarn
- lace
- buttons
- white cardstock
- markers
- glue stick
- white glue or a glue gun
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Making the Origami Hearts
The first thing to do is select paper for this craft. You can use origami paper which comes in a square shape. Or pick out any kind of colored paper and cut off the ends if necessary to make squares.
There are two basic ways to paper fold a square into a heart. The first design is the easiest to create and is the best one for little learners to try. Here is a link to an excellent blog post by green kid crafts with clear instructions for making it.
This paper folded heart is the bigger of the two. If using a 6-inch x 6-inch paper square, the finished paper heart is 4 inches wide and 3 ½ inches tall.
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Once children master the first origami heart, they may wish to try a second method of paper folding a heart. An easy-to-follow YouTube video by EZOrigami shows how to make a beautiful heart with a few more paper folds.
Origami Heart (Folding Instructions)
The finished paper heart is compact and keeps its shape nicely. It is a little smaller than the first design. When using 6-inch x 6-inch origami paper, the heart is 3 inches wide and 2 ½ inches tall.
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Decorating the Origami Heart Valentines
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Once the origami hearts are completely formed, they are ready to be decorated to become valentines. Craft supply scraps are perfect for decorating since you only need a few bits and baubles to fancy up the hearts.
Use white glue, a glue stick, or a glue gun to
- fashion string and craft ribbons into bows and adhere them to the hearts.
- add bits of lace or metallic confetti to the paper folded shapes.
- add paper-punched shapes or buttons to the crafted hearts.
- use markers to write messages and adhere them to the hearts.
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The decorated origami hearts make sweet valentines, but can also be used in garlands and mobiles. And they make pretty bookmarks or gift toppers.
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More Valentine’s Day Crafts
Woolly Sheep Valentine’s Day Craft
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[Read more…] about Origami Heart Valentines