DIY: Honeycomb hearts!

I've been at the Museum's Library & Archives looking at old Valentine's Day cards again. And I've run across several that feature honeycomb hearts, so that's what I set out to create! For something that looks fairly complex, they're actually quite simple to construct...

You'll need cardstock, tissue paper, scissors, glue stick, yarn needle, and string.

1-2. Using the cardstock, trace and cut out several hearts of different sizes. Two cardstock hearts are used for each honeycomb heart. 3-4. You'll also use the cardstock hearts to cut your tissue paper hearts. You'll need around 16 to make one honeycomb heart. The tissue paper hearts should be slightly larger than the cardstock heart you plan to use for your finished heart. (That's why I cut several sizes.) So much heart talk!

5. Glue a cardstock heart onto a tissue paper heart. See the size difference? Once we complete the honeycomb effect, the overlap of tissue paper will hide the cardstock base.

6. Now it's time to glue the tissue paper on, layer by layer. The secret to the honeycomb effect is glue placement. For the first layer, you'll be placing glue at the top, bottom, left, and right points of the heart. Like making a cross. Put a dab of glue at each point and then lay one tissue paper heart down.

7. For the second layer, you'll be placing glue at the right and left "corners" of the heart. Think of it as making an X. So, dabs of glue at the top and bottom corners of the heart, as indicated. Lay down the next tissue paper heart. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you've glued down all 16 of the tissue paper hearts.

8. Find the matching cardstock heart and glue it to the top of the layered tissue paper hearts. 9. Apply glue to the face of this heart. 10. Gently fold the glued faces together. 11. Press firmly to adhere.

12. Fold the heart in the opposite direction. The cardstock heart you used as the base is now on the outside, and the cardstock heart you just glued together is now on the inside. 13. Apply glue to the cardstock heart on the outside and fold the two faces together just like you did in step ten. 14-15. To ensure the glue adheres, you'll need to press the two faces firmly. Place you fingers in the honeycomb pockets and pinch the cardstock together until it sticks.

Fluff out of the little honeycomb pockets and you're all set! Adding more layers of tissue paper will give you more compact pockets. Fewer layers will result in wider pockets, but keep in mind that the more stress you put on the paper (like with really wide pockets), the more likely it is to tear.

I strung a few of my hearts up in the bathroom. (It seemed like an excellent idea at the time.) This is where the yarn needle and string come into play. Just thread your needle and insert it down the center of the honeycomb heart--there should be a passage through. I secured the string at the bottom of the heart with a tiny piece of tape. I think there may be a honeycomb heart garland in my future...