A DIY Window Heart is a cute and easy way to decorate for Valentine’s Day!
If you’re looking for a low-key, but very cute, Valentine’s Day decoration, I think you should fill your windows up with hearts! These hearts are quick and easy to make, and they look so pretty and cheerful in a sunny window. I also love how light they are and how little space they take up–perfect for popping into my college students’ Valentine care packages! I made them some in their school colors to make them extra festive, and so they can leave them up for the rest of the semester, if they want.
To make your own set of sweet window hearts in any color you want, here’s what you’ll need:
Materials
- kite paper. Kite paper, a translucent, light origami paper, is a bit of a niche supply, but you can often find it in art supply stores or education supply stores. It’s also SO worth it for this project, as it folds so crisply and allows light to shine through so prettily. I’ve been using kite paper to make window decorations with and for my kids since they were tiny, and I’m still fascinated by it. In a pinch, however, you can substitute tissue paper or thin origami paper… but I wouldn’t glue those papers as willy-nilly to my windows as I do kite paper.
- glue stick. A glue stick is the best glue for this project, allowing you to complete your window heart in minutes. If you don’t have any glue sticks on hand, you can make a good substitute from cornstarch, of all things! I wouldn’t use anything thick like hot glue or double-sided tape for this project; part of why it’s so pretty is how you can see geometric formations in the translucent folds, and you’d definitely also be able to see hot glue blobs or double-sided tape squares.
Step 1: Crease the kite paper squares.
Start with two squares of kite paper. Feel free to experiment, but I think the hearts look best with two squares of the same color. Pro tip: if you want mini hearts, cut your full square of kite paper into quarters, and work with those mini squares!
Fold each square in half corner to corner, being as precise as you possibly can. Take a couple of runs at it if you need to, even, because in a simple craft like this one, precise folds make all the difference for how nice the end product looks.
Unfold the paper, and fold each square in corner to corner the other way, so that the original crease runs perpendicular to this new crease.
Unfold the squares, and you’ll see a set of perfect, tidy, perpendicular creases to guide your next folds. We’ll be working with these squares turned on end to make diamonds, as in the below image.
Step 2: Fold the sides of each square to make the sides of the heart.
Fold two opposing corners in to meet at the center of each square, using the creases to help you keep your folds perfectly lined up. Make the folds on each square, and the squares themselves, as identical as possible. Glue the corners down.
This step is a little tricky, because now your papers are not going to be symmetrical!
One one paper, fold the bottom right edge of the diamond in so that the edge meets the center fold. If you’re working with kids, this is the step that’s challenging for them to wrap their heads around sometimes. Up until now, we’ve been folding corners in, and now we’re folding sides–it’s enough to blow little minds!
Glue the folded side in place.
On the other paper, fold the bottom left edge of the diamond in so that the edge meets the center fold. If you’re working with kids, again double-check their work before they glue this second side in place. If you thought their minds were blown by folding in sides, wait until they find out that their papers are not going to look identical!
Your two papers should now be mirror images of each other.
Step 3: Create the heart.
Keeping the sides with the extra fold on the outside, overlap the two papers. They should meet at the bottom and at the closest top corner, overlapping across the center as in the image above.
Glue the papers together at this overlap, and your heart is complete!
If you’ve used kite paper, you can glue them right to your windows with more glue stick or paste; the kite paper is a little slick, so it’ll come off of the window easily after Valentine’s Day. If you used tissue paper or origami paper, however, you’ll probably be better off using a little circle of cello tape.
Want even more Valentine’s Day projects? Here you go!
