DLTK's Holiday Activities
Norwegian Woven Hearts

These cute little heart shaped baskets are filled with small candies and hung on the tree in Norway at Christmas time but we use them as cute little Valentine's hearts.  Slip a message or small candies inside the pocket of your woven heart and give it to someone special!
 

Materials:

• two different colors of paper (gift wrap or construction paper both work)
• scissors,

Instructions:

• Stack the two pieces of paper on top of one another and fold them in half.
   
• Cut a large U shape (so the straight part of the U is at the fold).
   
• Unfold and make sure they look right.
   

• Refold and hold in a heart shape to ensure you're happy with the shape.  Trim a bit if needed.
   

• While still folded and stacked together, cut two slits starting at the straight edge running about 2/3 of the way up the U shape.
   
• To sort out how far up to cut, imagine your U shape is a square with a half circle on top.  Cut up to where the half circle starts

• Now it gets a bit complicated:
   
  • Take the red and "open" the top loop.  Take the white and stick the first end down inside the top red loop.
     
  • Now (on the same end) open the white loop and stick the second red loop partially through.
     
  • Stick the white end through the last red loop.
     
  • Keep weaving the loops together to form the heart shape
    
  • Fill with candy and and a note to a loved one -- you can punch holes and lace a ribbon through, tying a bow to hold the candies in if you like.