add a heart (with Fiskars tools)

Fiskars makes the best heart shaped tools and that are so easy to use for endless projects!  From templates to punches to stamps- there are quite a few options to add some heart with your Fiskars tools. I put together four fun ideas for you to show those tools some love this February. 

The first idea is to create beautiful window decor using the heart shape template, Super Sized Heart templates, and the Ultra ShapeXpress. I ripped out some pretty pages from an old J.Crew catalog I had saved, making sure to pick ones that were full of color. I also cut out some hearts and strips of a newspaper I grab every morning, so the main supplies for the project were free! 

 After cutting them out with the templates, I added some trimmed some strips of Heidi Grace patterned paper and kraft cardstock . 

After adhering the strips to the hearts, I added a small stitch with brown thread from my sewing machine.  The hearts were then strung onto white thread, making sure that they were all different lengths.  For a few strings i put three hearts onto one, just adding a piece of tape so the hearts would stay at different lengths.  Once they were all strung, I taped them to the window sill so they could hang down onto the window pane. 

The hearts look great at night, but they look amazing during the day when the light shines through the window.  It's such a colorful, happy way to cheer up a room during the grey winter!

The next idea is to create some beautiful butterflies using heart shapes from Fiskars tools.

I had purchased this cheap 1 ft x 3 ft shadowbox at IKEA, but it already had photos in the frame that I wasn't crazy about. With some help, I took backing off and pulled the mat out to alter it.  After measuring white cardstock for the background, I cut out a variety of hearts from Cloud 9 patterned paper using the shape template and Ultra ShapeXpress.

To make the top of the butterfly wings I used a larger sized whole heart shape, and the bottom wings are a smaller heart shapes cut in half.  Adhere down the two small half pieces onto the cardstock first, then adhere the two big whole hearts for the tops of the butterflies. The bodies were cut from the butterflies shape template.  I used a brown backside for most of the butterfly bodies, especially when paired with the more busy patterned paper, but I also had fun cutting out some different colored bodies to mix it up a bit.

To make the large center butterfly I used the biggest hearts on the template to cut the top wings, then the next biggest heart for the bottom wings.  Since I had chose a subtle pattern for the wings, I wanted to add a little bit more embellishment.  I punched four hearts using That's Amore squeeze punches, then layered them onto the wings.  Once the all butterflies were adhered to the cardstock I added some tiny adhesive pearls to a few.  The final touch were tiny hand stitches added with white thread going in different directions.  I'm so happy how this turned out, it was an easy fix to cover up the photos I didn't want in the shadowbox.  Making heart shaped butterflies is a fun you can also use as an accent on a card or layout.

Another great idea for home decor was found at one of my favorite stores- Anthropologie. They have the coolest window and store displays using everyday items. During the holiday season they had amazing paper chains all across their stores, and I love the simplicity and style of the look! I knew that I could create my own with the help of my Fiskars tools. 

To start I put the scallop rotary blade into my trimmer so that my cuts with all have a fun scalloped edge.  I used just plain white copy paper for the links and trimmed the 8.5x11 paper horizontally into 1" strips and a few into .5" strips. They were then quickly rolled and adhered with a little glue dot to create the chain.  On one end of the chain I added some separate links of 4 or 5 rings to make it thicker and more full just for extra decoration. 

After hanging the chain up around my doorframe, I punched out a bunch of hearts from Heidi Grace patterned paper using the Large and Extra Large My Funny Valentines punches. They were randomly adhered to the chain with glue dots as colorful accents. I also strung a few onto thread and tied to the ends of the chain to hang down. These were also back with another heart, so no matter which way they twirl you will see a colored heart. I love the way the white paper looks against my white door and frame, with the scalloped hearts adding a fun pop of color.
The final way I used the heart tools was on a simple layout using a photo from a trip to Philadelphia. 

Layering the same patterned paper on top of each other is a great way to add subtle texture to a solid color.  You can see the punched hearts but the focus is still on the photo.  To start I punched out hearts using Cloud 9 patterned paper and a that's amore (M) squeeze punch. I adhered them in a little pattern of two rows on a strip of the same paper they were punched from.  To create the big red scallop on the page, I used That's Amore XL squeeze punch with Cloud 9 patterned paper.  I drew a line on the backside of the patterned paper and only punched under that line, giving me the top double bumps of the heart shape.  By adhering them side by side, you can create a pretty scallop accent. 

To cover up the bottoms of the scallop, I trimmed a thin strip of the patterned paper and adhered it over top of the bottom of the half hearts.  I also used the little pop-up heart punch to make four little orange hearts from Cloud 9 patterned paper and used a foam adhesive square to create little photo corners at the edge of the page.

I hope you enjoy these ideas, and make the most of your Fiskars heart tools!

By Kelly Purkey