Foam Crafts -Huggy Hearts

Foam Crafts

I am very lucky to have my mom stay in the flat next to ours and though I am "old and a big girl", I tend to rush to her with the slightest worry or problem .Also every evening my daughter gets to spend 2 hours at her grandma's place[that's my blogging time!]Recently my mom went on a religious pilgrimage and we missed her so much!As a "we love u" welcome back present we made these Foam Hearts.

Foam Crafts

These hearts were inspired by these heart crafts and we used glitter foam sheets, glittery pipe stem cleaners,googly eyes,foam punches,dies and magnets to make  our Huggy Heart Magnets.

Foam Crafts

I die cut the hearts and letters for my daughter though she is adept at using the big shot as you can see in this post on Ocean crafts.But she punched the foam hands on her own using her new foam punch[If you have a child crafter buy lever type medium sized punches as they are so much easier for little hands].

Googly eyes crafts

I love foam crafts and the big pluses for me are that foam stays cleaner while crafting unlike paper[a big plus while crafting with kids] and lasts long.The big negative with foam crafts is what adhesive to use.Here my daughter is trying to glue her letters to the foam hearts but they kept swimming away![White glue on foam needs a lot of time and patience!]

Foam crafts

My 6 year old crafter is quite knowledgeable about adhesives now and she said "Amma can we use glue dots?"Using the glue dots her heart faces were all done in 10 minutes!

Googly eyes crafts

We tried pipe stem cleaner bodies and I was thrilled that she was able to twist and turn the chenille stem sticks herself!

Pipe stem cleaner crafts

And here is our first Huggy Heart using foam crafts.

Valentines crafts

We intertwined the sparkly hands and the feet and stuck them behind the foam heart

Foam heart doll

I used the glue gun to stick the foam hands to the pipe stem cleaners

Pipe stem cleaner crafts

My daughter had fun taking her foam heart people all over our house and here on our balcony is Mr L Foam heart man.

Foam Hearts

And this is the young crafter having fun playing with her foam craft heart people

Valentine crafts

I glued magnets on the heart people and Kuttu placed them on her grandma's fridge as a welcome home "Love U" Banner!

Foam Crafts

My mom came home last night and on being greeted by these Huggy Hearts, I dont know who was the happiest one -me ,her or my little daughter ! 

I guess we can celebrate Valentine's Day and Mothers Day all year long!

Supplies : Glitter Foam sheets,Googly eyes,Foam Punch,Glue dots,Alphabet die[Donna salazar], Glitter pipe stem cleaners,Nellie Snellen Heart Die

Heart Shaped Box Tutorial

Heart shaped box

Dear friends I am overwhelmed at the response to my heart shaped swinging box..I never imagined you would like it so much!That shabby chic style heart box was not my usual style and my little 6 year old critique even told me "how dull it looks"!

Heart shaped box

So to oblige my little daughter,for my GD for ICR ,made a more "kiddy style" swinging heart shaped box

Heart shaped box

I printed and cut several bear angels [images are a winnings from Nikki]and made a 3 D decoupage using foam tape.Added silver glitter on the angel bears to make them sparkle!
Like the earlier heart box, this one too is held shut using ribbons threaded through eyelets atop the heart shaped gift box

Valentine Gift box

On releasing the ribbon the box swings to reveal a silver butterfly[Cheery Lynn die cut] inside the heart shaped box.

Heart shaped box

Many of you commented on the earlier heart shaped box that it looked like a tough project.Once you read the tutorial and try it you will realize its actually easy and entirely doable!

Materials required : First of all Nothing fancy is required to make this box!You need just:

• Card stock - the sturdier the card stock , stronger your box
• Scissors
• Glue -normal thick white glue is enough
• Ribbon /twine /thread/rope - to hold the swinging heart halves together
• Scoring tool -use a bone folder/used ball point pen/blunt knife to score and get a crisp fold.

Fancy optional tools: Glue tape,eyelets,Single hole punch, Dies + cutting machine and a scoring board.

1. You need  to cut 4 hearts:Hand cut using a heart shaped template or die cut like I did.You can make all 4 hearts the same size or 2 larger than the other 2. My 2 base hearts are around 3 inches and the outer scallop hearts are slightly bigger.
   

   

   Heart Box tutorial

2. Take 2 card strips and fold up a 0.5 inch strip lengthwise.For this box the strips are 1.5 inches wide and 5.5 inches long.The length will depend on you heart size so keep it long and cut short as required.If you want a box with more depth so as to add fan fold tags like in my first heart box use a card strip 2 inches wide.

   

   Handmade box tutorial

3. Make zig zag cuts on this folded 0.5 inch edge as shown. More examples of Zig zag cuts in making shaped boxes : Pram shaped Box ,Wishing Well,CD recycling Box,& the Oval gift box
4. Apply white glue or stick a double sided tape on the zig zag teeth and stick the teeth on the under surface of a heart starting from the top as shown in the handmade box tutorial.

   

   Heart shaped box tutorial

   You can decorate the inner part of the card strip and add a brad before you stick the strip or do it later.Stick the strip till the tip of the heart.
5. Cut off the excess card at the tip of the heart box half in one half.Repeat step 4 and make another heart box half but this time chop off just the zig zag teeth jutting from the tip and cut leaving 1 inch of card strip beyond the tip of the heart box.Score and fold this card strip at the tip of the heart box.

   

   Heart shaped box tutorial

6. Stick a same size / large heart on the other side of the box to hide the zig zag teeth .This can also be done later after completing the swinging heart box.

   

   Heart shaped box tutorial

7. So you have 2 halves of your swinging heart box [made in step 5]which look the same except for the card strip flap on the tip of one half of the heart box.

   

   Heart shaped box tutorial

8. Invert one heart box half as shown apply glue on the inside of the folded flap[I have shown it here without the heart atop the zig zag for better clarity]

   

   Heart shaped box tutorial

9. Stick this flap to the other half of the heart box aligning the tips as shown and you've made a swinging heart shaped box!

   

   Swinging Box tutorial

10. To give more strength to the hinge of the box ,add an extra piece of card stock at the tip of the heart box.

Gift box tutorial

You can punch holes and add eyelets on the hinge if you want to secure your fan fold tags like I did in  the first heart shaped box.

Heart shaped box

I have no photos of how I made the fan fold tags..they are easy but if anyone wants me to do a tutorial on the accordion fan fold tags do tell me in the comments.

Heart shaped box

Supplies : Nellie Snellen heat scallop die,Cheery Lynn Butterfly die[Priya]
Edited : This tutorial was featured on Totally Tutorials

Heart Shaped Box with Fan Fold Tags

Heart Shaped Box

Dear friends I am not a big romantic but thoroughly enjoyed making this downright romantic heart shaped box.

Heart Shaped Box

Most boxes open from the top ,this heart shaped box swings open

Heart Shaped Box

You can add some candy or handmade flowers inside the heart shaped box.

Heart Shaped Box

I made an accordion of tag pockets to hold lot of tiny love letters to put inside my swinging heart box

Heart Shaped Box

The box halves are held in place with shimmery  ribbon threaded through brads on top of each half of the shaped box.

Heart Shaped Box

On untying the ribbon,the box swings open to reveal a fan fold of tags in pockets as in the view from the top of this handmade valentine box

Heart Shaped Box

You can take out the fan of pockets and take out each tag /love letter.I threaded a pearl string through the fan fold to secure it to my hand made box

Heart Shaped Box

Added a golden glittery peacock feather on the bottom of this handmade gift box.

Heart Shaped Box

I recycled the beautiful packaging of Itsy Bitsy flowers to make this box

Recycling crafts

I was fascinated when I saw this box by the Gentelman crafter and though he made his project in a ready made heart box ,I made mine from scratch using just card stock, glue and scissors in yet another recycling craft!

Recycling crafts

Here is the tutorial link: heart shaped box tutorial.

Heart Shaped Box

Apart from the recycling, this creation is not my usual style..so please do tell me how you like it.
Details:White flowers are parchment flowers I made, The pink rose is a baloon punchcraft rose.The stick pin is handmade.Punches used : MS double loops and deep edge heart.Paper used: Itsy Bitsy Cupid.Dies : Nellie Snellen hearts and Cheeryl Lynn Butterflies
Edited : This project won at the Happy Campers challenge

This box was also chosen as Top 2 at Use it Tuesday theme "Fasteners-buttons/brads or eyelets"

and also came top 3 at BGC's Shabby chic valentine theme

and also came top 3 at Feb Crafters Corner expressions of love theme,

Recycling Crafts - Valentine Shadow Box

Cardboard Doll house

Recycling crafts are a  passion of mine more so because it gets a lot of  appreciation from my hubby to whom most of my other projects merit just a "hmm"!
I hate to cut up pretty paper and to feel better about it, I converted a cardboard box into a shadowbox in this recycling craft

Recycling craft

I cut and glued the flaps of the box to make the compartment of my shadow box

Recycling craft

I used pattern paper to  line the compartments of the box in this recycling craft.

Recycling craft

Here is the side view of our shadow box

Shadow Box

My daughter claimed the shadow box as her Valentine present and promptly upgraded it into a doll house.

Doll house

On a die cut banner added some quilling and punchcraft flowers

Quilled Flowers

I really managed to stretch a single 12 x 12 sheet of pattern paper here..I die cut it, punched it, cut borders out of it and also used it to make punch craft flowers

Punchcraft flowers

My daughter loves all things cute and cuddly and she added some furry friends to the doll house

Doll House

My kiddo sculpted a "valentine" play dough rose for the bunny in her doll house

Playdough rose

We added a romantic pair of hedgehogs in one "room" of her cardboard doll house!

Shadow Box

I stuck a scallop and flowery border on the "terrace" of our recycling craft house

Shadow Box

Here is a closeup of the homemade stick pin

Stick pin

Most of you may be knowing how to make one..but I made my first pin only recently and was surprised how easy it was.

Stick Pin Tutorial 

Choose a long pin the kind with a bead or crystal on one end. Add jewelry caps and beads and the trick here it to secure them firmly with a dot of hot glue so that the beads dont fall off!

Stick Pin Tutorial 

Easy wasnt it!

Recycling crafts

If you are on pinterest you can pin the collage for easy reference later on.

Shadow Box

Edited : This project was selected as honorable mention at  Crafters Corner expressions of love theme