Heart of Hearts

I love the idea that larger things are a composite of smaller things. We are a collection of cells and atoms. We are a part of the human population, which is in turn a part of the world population. We are a part of a whole, and that whole is a part of another whole. This nested dependency is never ending.

Here is a simple craft project that reminds me of this idea. I decided to use the backing of an old frame I had, but this can easily be done with a cardboard box or even a cereal box. It makes a fun craft that parents and children can do together, too.

The supplies I used were:

- scrap pieces of paper (the more diverse the better)
- a pencil
- a small heart paper punch
- glue sticks (one was really enough for me)
- a box cutter
- a cutting board
- Modge Podge
- a paintbrush
- a sheet of plastic, along with a plate or bowl
- sandpaper

First, I drew a shape of a heart on my picture frame with a pencil.

Then, I began punching out hearts from my scrap paper.

In order to get the most hearts out of each piece of paper, I found it helpful to have the back side of the paper punch facing me. That way I could determine the proper placement.

Once I had enough hearts, I applied some glue to their back side with my glue stick. Then, I glued them onto my frame backing.

It was a bit time-consuming to apply the hearts this way, but I found it very therapeutic (I love process). If you would like a faster solution, you can create heart stickers using a Xyron sticker maker.

Once I had enough hearts within my heart (*sigh*), I cut it out using a box cutter. My backing was thick, so this was a little challenging. Please be careful if you plan on trying this.

After the heart was cut out, I added a few coats of Modge Podge on the top as a sealer and finisher. Then, I sanded the edges a bit with sandpaper. 

It's now ready to be hung on the wall, propped up on a dresser or given as a gift.