Valentine Flowers

The petals of these romantic flowers are overlapping paper hearts, inscribed with words or single letters that spell out a message. If you make them with wire stems, the valentines can be displayed in a vase; with ribbon stems, they can be tucked into envelopes.

Tools and Materials
Colored paper
24-gauge wire
Small beads
Ribbon
Floral tape or glue
Scissors

Valentine Flowers How-To
1. Cut out five to eight hearts of the same size, and inscribe them. Use a pushpin to make a hole near the pointed end of each heart.

2. For a wire stem, thread a small bead onto a piece of 24-gauge wire cut a little longer than you want the stem to be; twist the wire so the bead stays at the end. Thread hearts on the other end until all the hearts are stacked against the bead. Twist the wire again to keep the hearts in place. Cover the stem with floral tape, or glue ribbon around the wire.

3. For a ribbon stem, thread a bead to the center of a 3-inch length of wire, and bend the wire in half. Send the ends through the hole in each heart. On the back, form the two ends into a small loop around the midpoint of a length of ribbon; trim the excess wire.