These cut paper heart cards come together in minutes and are perfect for Valentine’s Day or any time a sweet gesture is due!
Supplies to make handmade paper heart cards…
Paper- pick pretty paper that you love. I chose AstroBrights card stock for the pics below. I love every color in the assortment- so bright and happy! Copy weight paper would also be just fine for this project. You could even choose patterned paper, or recycled kid’s artwork!
If you want maximum contrast you’ll also want a different color of paper to be the “liner” inside the card and a glue stick to attach it. This is optional but does provide a nice “punch!”
And, lastly, this project does use an X-Acto or craft blade. I used a traditional X-Acto blade for the examples below. For older kids this requires close adult supervision. If you’re doing this project with very young kids you may want to take over for this step! I also just ordered on of these safety cutters. These look like the perfect solution here!
First steps…
Fold the paper in half the “hamburger” way. Then fold one half of the card in half again. Open the fold back up. The side that is folded into quarters is the front of the card!
This example is standard 8.5 x 11 paper. The same steps apply no matter what size you choose to make your card!
Cutting heart shapes…
Open up all the folds. Grab the X-Acto blade now. You’ll also want to be sure you have some type of surface that’s safe to cut on. I use a self healing mat like this one. You can always substitute a stack of scrap papers as a cushy cutting surface.
With paper spread all the way open start cutting on the “quarter fold.” Each half of a heart will start and end on that fold line. No paper is actually cut away- all pieces will remain attached.
If your kiddos aren’t adept at making hearts take a few minutes to practice drawing those half heart shapes! If you’re doing the cutting let your kiddos draw the heart line so they get to be a part of the process!
Finishing your heart card…
Fold the paper into a card shape on that half fold line. If you want that contrasting interior now is the time to add a piece of paper to the inside of the card. We just used plain white copy paper here, attached with a bit of glue stick.
On that quarter fold, where the cut hearts begin and end, fold the heart shapes back the opposite direction. Leaving the paper attached creates a nice shadow effect.
Want to follow along as I make my own heart card…
If you’re a visual learner this video is for you! Follow along as I show you how to make a heart card in just a few simple steps!
When you see me make my own heart card I hope you can see just how easy the steps are!
More cut paper fun…
Try making your own pop up card with this free printable template!
Shake up the traditional cut paper snowflake with this Japanese inspired cut paper snowflake!
