Valentine Craft: Heart-Shaped Dream Catcher

It's that hearty-pinky time of the year again: Valentine's Day! Still in time to be crafty, I came up with a sun catcher that will warm your heart on Monday, Feb. 14. 

What you need:

• Two 12" x 12" sheets of cardstock (I chose red)
• Marker
• Sewing thread and wool
• Beads
• Heart punches or foamies
• Scissors, gluestick and tape
• Scrap paper (my daughter wished for pink and purple)

Directions:

1. Fold one of the pieces of cardstock in half and draw the outlines of half a heart.
2. Cut out the heart frame and use this shape as a pattern to draw and cut a heart on the second sheet of 12" x 12" paper. Don't worry about the marker lines. Paper has two sides, you can just make it the inside later!
3. Take one of your hearts and lay it flat. Tape the sewing thread to one side of the heart. If the tape is wider than the heart rim, make sure it sticks out on the outside, as it will be easier to trim off later.
4. Take a bead and string it on the thread, then string the thread through the bead a second time so it can be secured where you want it and will not slide down. Use as many beads as you want, then tape the string on the other side of the heart rim. 
5. Use as many threads as you want, in crisscrossing or parallel lines. It's up to your creativity. When you are happy with your heart, start working on the heart-tails. I punched hearts with a shape punch, but foamies work very well, too. Attach thread at the bottom of the heart and glue on hearts. I suggest to double them up with the thread layered in the middle, and trim off excess thread. 
6. Now, for the grand finale: Add glue to the beaded heart and place the second frame on top, hold at the bottom and top points and continue pressing down on the outsides.
7. Trim off excess tape, and attach wool string (or use your thread) to hang it. 

TADA! Of course, this craft is not limited to Valentine's Day. Use a circle for any occasion, or a square if you like modern lines.

Instead of using children's beads, use glass or metallic ones. Make the frame of wood, or chipboard, if you have the tools to cut it. Decorate your frame with anything you want — glitter, maybe?

This is so easy to make it took about 40 minutes to complete with my 5-year-old daughter who loved helping. A very fun project!