Christmas symbolism: Woven paper heart

You can't get any more Danish than Christmas hearts. They're everywhere! It's one of the most prominent things that our friends who recently visited noticed. Hearts are not just a Christmas thing, they're used constantly in royal settings especially in castles and churches. I'll have to do a bit more research to talk more thoroughly about it. For now, I'm showing a more updated DIY of the Danish Christmas heart. 

1. Estimate the size of the heart you will make by folding your papers in half.

2. Create a template for your heart by drawing a square and adding an oval arch at the top. This is one half of the heart. Make sure it fits your paper.

3. Trace the template onto each of two papers with the flat end along on the fold and cut out. Mark one side A and the other B lightly in pencil (you’ll want to erase them later).

4. Put the two shapes together to form a heart and note where they overlap. Then cut two evenly spaced slits into each shape just past the mark (it makes the weaving a little bit easier to cut past the mark).

5. Now you are ready to weave the shapes together to form the heart.

Start with the two halves still folded with the point of the heart towards you.

• Thread the first strip of A through the inside first strip of B

• Thread the second strip of B through the first strip of A.

• Thread the first strip of A through the third strip of B

Alternate this process for the other strips to complete the weaving. It’s helpful to “pop” open the strips in order to thread through. Your heart should open and form a little basket. If it doesn’t try again. It can be tricky but once you get it you won’t forget.

DIY from Once Wed based off the maker's wedding invitation. (I'd show my own project, but my computer recently alerted me that it no longer has space. Ooops).