Easy 4th of July Crafts Project~

This is a fun and easy holiday project to do yourself

or with the kids or grandkids!

First you'll need to make your pattern. You can use newspaper or whatever. Remember how we all learned to make a heart shape? Fold the paper in half and cut half the shape of the heart then open up. The size of the heart I made is about 10 1/2 inches tall by 12 1/2 inches wide.

You'll need to make a pattern first because you dont want to have a crease down the center of your finished heart, plus you'll need one to determine where your first horizontal line goes. To do that you'll need to fold down the top of the heart pattern, lining up the center crease to get your first straight line as shown below.

Once you have your pattern made, you'll need some heavy brown paper. I used the type you can buy on a roll for wrapping parcels, but you can also use the unprinted side of a paper grocery bag.

Then trace your heart shape from your pattern onto 2 pieces of the brown paper.

Next with your pattern folded over to the first horizontal line, mark the project heart lightly in pencil ( I used a dark pen so you could see it better) and using a straight edge.

I love using a clear quilters ruler (I think every crafty person should have one) whether you quilt or not!

It makes it sooo easy to measure off your lines on projects!

I made my lines for the stripes 1 inch wide. Measuring from that "first line" in both directions.

Then paint as I did in my example using acrylic paints. I used Liberty blue, Antique White, and Red Iron Oxide (barn red would work too). Once the paint is dry, stencil your stars onto the blue area. Then using an acrylic antiquing medium, lightly antique over the paint.

To antique I use a moist small piece of sponge with just a dab of the antiquing medium worked into to it. Then gently dab and wipe until you reach your desired result.

Then to create a stitched look around the edges use a thin tipped marking pen, drawing little dashes like you see in my example. Then take some white glue and glue the inside edges of the 2 heart shapes, leaving about a 3 inches unglued on the side of each the heart to create an opening.

press the 2 together and let dry.

Then in the opening add some crafters batting to poof it up like a pillow, but not too full. Then seal the opening with more glue. You might need some clothes pins to hold it closed until glue dries.

Oh, and last but not least, poke two small holes at the top of the heart, and use some twine and insert through holes and make a knot.

Now you're ready to hang your patriotic heart anywhere you choose!

Like maybe your front door!

I have mine hanging in my

Americana room on my antique trunk.
Have Fun!