Card Cupids Valentine's Day Appreciation Blog Tour

Welcome to the Card Cupids Appreciation Blog Tour!

 If you have just hopped on the tour, please go to the first stop Card Cupids (www.cardcupids.org/blog).  If you have arrived from Heather's blog, http://franklintngirl.blogspot.com/  then you are in the right place. Thanks for stopping by! 

Card Cupids mission is to provide encouragement and joy by sending Card Cuddle Care Packages to children who are facing difficult challenges in their young lives regardless of their economic background. Card Cupids believes that every child needs to know that they are loved. A stuffed animal to hold, along with cards that share a positive message can help lift the spirits of children that are faced with difficult challenges. Card Cupids collects handmade cards to be sent to children along with new stuffed animals, coloring books, activity books, crayons and markers. Card Cupids hopes to provide numerous Card Cuddle Care Packages to children in hospitals, foster care, homeless shelters as well as children facing difficulties.

Our Blog Tour theme today is Valentine’s projects for children.   

The name of the Project I will be showing you today is Heart Strings

Items needed:
Heavy cardstock/cardboard
Pen or pencil
Scissors
Valentine's paper (solid colors will do)
Adhesive
String or twine

Optional:
Decorative scissors
Embellishments


The exact project that I am using for my photos today is a heart string made by myself and my two year old son, Huck.  I did the cutting, he "helped" with the adhesive gun, and he put the embellishments where he wanted to.  Needless to say he thought it was the coolest thing in the world. 

The first thing you will need to do is cut out a pattern for your hearts. Just free hand draw it, you can also use a large punch if you would like.

  

Next to make cutting faster and more uniform, first triple your fold, then trace your pattern and cut.



   

After you cut out three hearts for each piece on your string(you need a minimum of 12 hearts), fold the straight line of the heart in toward the center to form a small flap. Repeat this on all the hearts.

 Once all are folder you are going to apply adhesive on the white side of the tab and adhere it to a second one.

Repeat this with two more hearts.

                                           Connect your three hearts together to form a circle.          

Repeat with at least three more heart sets. Making sure that there are pairs of two in size.

Cut out two pieces of heavy cardstock or cardboard. I am just using some scrap cardboard.  Keep in mind the longer they are the winder your Heart Strings will be. Poke medium size holes about one quarter of an inch from each end and through the middle of both.  They do not need to look clean because you will be covering them with paper.

Poke small holes in each of your hearts where the centers dip down, and thread equal length strings through them. Find the ends of all threads and string through one of the holes in the end of your cardboard piece. Repeat with a three piece heart of the same size on the opposite side of the cardboard piece. Then repeat the entire process with the other cardboard strip.  Then adhere paper over the cardboard to cover the knots.  Then adhere the two pieces of cardboard into an X shape. 

You can very the lengths of the hearts however you choose.  Tie a loop through the middle holes of the cardboard for hanging. If the Heart String is not balanced then simple put a few pieces of paper into a heart to even it out.

Huck chose scraps of lace, pink ribbon, pearls and rhinestones to decorate his hearts.

This is a simple and nice decoration that can be made both for and with a wonderful child in your life. It is also able to be folded down so that you can ship it fairly easily in the mail.  Of course you can also make them much more decorative, but I love the feel that the touch of a child makes on anything and I think imperfection is perfect!     

Blog candy

I am offering some blog candy for grabs!!! Here is a picture of part of the prize, a mini album, with another surprise gift not pictured. Total prize is worth over $15 dollars. To enter you need to become a follower if you aren't already and leave me a comment.  That simple.

Thanks for stopping by today! The secret word from my stop is children.  Remember, to win the Blog Tour prize you have to email the secret sentences to info@cardcupids.org by 11:59 pm February 14 with subject: Blog Tour Prize.

Now hop back on the tour bus to visit your next stop Janet at her blog http://paperhoot.blogspot.com/, I know you will just love her site! Come back and visit real soon!

Card Cupids is collecting handmade cards, new stuffed animals, coloring/activity books, crayons and markers for Absolutely Incredible Kids Day on March 15 as well as cards for Kate and Christopher and their siblings.  If you would like to donate handmade cards or care package items, please visit Card Cupids (www.cardcupids.org) for more information.