With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd post something easy to do that would be a nice valentine to give to others. I found this really cute tutorial for a Valentine Heart Book on
About.com and I hope you enjoy making at least one of these cute books to hold special mementos from this year's Valentine's Day.
On another front, we started to decorate the nurses' station at work yesterday, but decided that it looked too much like a baby shower because we could only find pink and green valentine cards and pink streamers. We just gave up and went to the store next door for rootbeer float supplies instead. I think the floats were a hit!
Here's the tutorial. Enjoy. After you make this book, go to
the original site and see all the other wonderful templates and tutorials they have to make beautiful boxes and cards.
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Folded Paper Heart Book
Folded Paper Heart Book
Kate Pullen This folded paper heart book is deceptively easy to make. The book is formed from a single piece of paper. When the cover is added the book contains four pockets, each providing a space to hold a heart shaped billet-doux or love note. If you don't want the book to contain pockets then simply glue the pockets together. Although this book is small in size, it contains plenty of space for decorations, small photos, special notes and more.
The heart book is made using this free printable template -
Heart Book Template. While I normally suggest printing templates onto scrap paper and using these as templates to transfer the design to best paper, in this instance, where the folding and cutting needs to be reasonably precise in order to get a neat finish, I suggest printing the template onto best paper. I have included two versions of the template, one in black and the other in a light gray. The gray template is ideal for use on lighter paper. Although the print is on the reverse of the book, the light gray ensures that the folding lines will not show through the paper and this is ideal if you are using a lighter weight paper.
Materials Required
- Template
- Paper and card
- Scissors, glue, paper folder or folding bone and ruler
- Ribbon
- Rubber stamps, inks and other embellishments as required
Cut Out the Template
Cut around the template
Kate Pullen Print the
template directly onto best paper or onto scrap paper and transfer the image to best paper as required. Cut around the edges. Add decorations to the paper now or at a later stage if more appropriate. This is the best time to stamp on the paper as it is still flat.
Fold the Paper
Fold the Paper
Kate Pullen Use a paper folder or folding bone to score and fold the paper. With the right side facing, fold the first heart under and continue folding the rest of the hearts in concertina style. This will give you a book with four pockets. Folding it the other way will give you three pockets. I prefer the four pocket version, however this is just a personal choice.
Make a Cover
Make the Cover
Kate Pullen Cut a cover from a piece of paper or card stock. Use the hearts as a template to cut the cover, making it slightly larger than the hearts. Score and fold the cover.
Attach the Ribbon
Add the Ribbon
Kate Pullen The ribbon that ties the book is sandwiched between the cover and the first pocket. Cut two lengths of ribbon. Mark the point on both sides of the cover where the ribbon is to be attached. Glue the ribbon in place on the inside of the cover. Glue the cover in place.
Make the Inserts
Make Inserts
Kate Pullen Cut four heart shapes for the billet-doux inserts, these need to be a fraction smaller than the heart pockets. Add any decorations as required and attach a ribbon tab to each insert.
Put the Inserts into the Pockets
Place the Inserts into the Pockets
Kate Pullen Add any decorations as required on to the inserts. Place the inserts into each pocket. If you are looking for inspiration for things to write on the inserts, take a look at these
short love poems or why not turn them into fancy conversation hearts!
Finish the Book
Add any finishing touches as required to the book. I added a row of beads around the edge of the one in the photograph.
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