Are you stuck at home like many of us in the U.S.? In your newly found quarantine time, get crafty! In this post, I'll show you how to make a paper heart garland.
You'll need:
Scissors or a paper cutter
A ruler or tape measure
Pencil/pen
Stapler
Paper you'll be cutting into strips (I used old book paper but you could use decorative paper scraps, old magazines, or even newspaper [although it will be more fragile than the other options])
String, cord, or twine (17 feet/204 inches for a 9 foot garland with 12 hearts)
Step one:
Measure 9 feet of twine (for your garland length).
Measure 12 lengths of 8 inches each (this is for a garland with 12 hearts; measure more or less according to however many hearts your garland will have).
Step two:
Tie each 8-inch length into a circle; knot.
Step three:
Cut your paper into five groups of strips that are the same width.
Cut 24 strips 2 inches wide by 8 inches long.
Cut 24 strips 2 inches wide by 7 inches long.
Cut 24 strips 2 inches wide by 6 inches long.
Cut 24 strips 2 inches wide by 5.5 inches long.
Cut 24 strips 2 inches wide by 5 inches long.
Cutting 24 strips makes 12 hearts; increase or decrease according to the number you'd like to make. Each heart requires two strips of each size (10 strips of 8, 7, 6, 5.5, and 5 in. long makes 5 total hearts).
(I had two piles of 8 inch long strips on the far right there)
Step four:
Grab two 8-inch strips, and one twine circle. Sandwich the twine between the two strips (ideally, sandwich the twine on the side opposite the knot). Grab two 7-inch strips, and sandwich the 8-inch strips. Do the same with the 6, sandwiching the 7s; then grab the the 5.5, and the 5-inch strips, as shown in the first 24 seconds of the video below.
Your twine and paper strip sandwich should look like this:
Step five:
Staple the sandwiched end of the strips, being sure to staple on the twine (you want the top of your heart to come together above the twine, rather than below, so it stays attached).
After stapling the sandwiched end of the strips, bring the 5 inch pair of strips together away from the twine loop. Do this with the 5.5, 6, 7, and 8 inch pair of paper strips, and then staple them together as seen in 25 seconds through 45 seconds of the video.
Repeat this process 12 times (if you cut 24 strips of each size) until you've made all your hearts.
You should end up with a series of concentric hearts that are stapled on your twine and to each other at top and at stapled to each other at bottom. Your twine should form a loop (you'll be threading your nine foot long string through it).
Step six:
Thread your nine foot long twine piece through the loops attached to your hearts; if you want the hearts to stay stable, knot the nine inch piece as you thread it through.
You're done! Find a place to drape your garland so all may admire it.
