Flip up Heart-Shaped Valentines with Sticker Slots

I failed miserably as far as my plan for a snow drawing self-portrait today. So miserably, in fact, that we didn't even make it outside. Ah, well. These days happen. And it's not like Bojey was complaining.

We did accomplish something today--the bulk of the valentine-making for Ninna's little preschool. This is quite late for a Valentine's Day tutorial, but I wanted to have it saved for next year so I'll be able to remember what we did, and who knows...maybe someone else out there is more last-minute than I. It's possible, right?

At some point, either Ninna or I, or maybe both of us together, decided to make heart-shaped valentines. I also wanted to add a little something (something extraordinarily inexpensive and not of the candy variety) to the cards as a little "bonus," so we cut slots to add stickers. Here's how to do what we did:

1. Make a heart pattern for your card shape. I initially printed out a clip art heart, but I didn't like the shape, so I modified it. You'll want to cut the tips off the top of the heart, as my note shows in the photo. When you trace the heart, the fold line of the card will match up with those cut-off tips, and you'll have enough of the folded part to keep the card together (instead of just cutting out two separate hearts):
If you want to be sure the sides are identical, just fold the heart in half and cut it out that way. Maybe you don't want them identical, though. I considered doing a more artsy, uneven shape, but then decided against it for no particular reason.
2. Fold your cardstock/construction paper/cardboard/etc. in half. I had a piece approximately 9 x 12, so I folded it longways and ended up with enough space for two cards. Remember that you'll be putting the top of the heart on the fold line.
3. Make the fold nice and sharp. I ran a ruler along the fold to press it down:
4. Trace your pattern onto the cardstock:

5. Cut out the cards. Be sure to cut out the tiny triangle shape at the top in between the heart's two "bumps":
Here it is open. Isn't it cute?
6. Using an exacto knife, Make two slits, close together. These will be to hold your little "extra," so make sure they're long enough to fit whatever you want to use. We added stickers, but you could add a tiny folded-up note, a temporary tattoo, really anything small and flat.
Here, again, is the card with sample stickers added:
7. Decorate the cards. I didn't take very many photos of this, but it's actually the best part for the kids. I first sent Ninna to the art counter with an empty basket and instructions to find all the pink, red, and white drawing utensils (markers, colored pencils, stick crayons, block crayons, etc.) She then drew/colored on all the cards.

She then applied heart stickers:
And finally, the moment she had waited for all day, the application of glitter glue. My kids love glitter glue. Just in case you haven't thought of this, I'm sharing my tip for making glitter glue easier for kids to use: I squirt it onto a paint palette and give them paintbrushes. I find that the glitter glue tubes are often impossible for kids to squeeze hard enough, so this method works much better for us. Just be sure to wash the brushes and palette immediately after, or you might not get the glue off. If you want an alternative to paintbrushes, you can give them a couple of Q-tips.I didn't get a good shot of the finished valentines before it got dark out. We've still got a lot of work left. I need to make envelopes (something that's actually quite fun once you get going), and then Ninna needs to write names on them and sign the cards. I know what we'll be up to tomorrow :).

Edited to add: I meant to say this and forgot--the total cost of these valentines was exactly $0.00. The "cardstock" we used was actually old red file folders we had lying around. The art supplies were just standards we have in the art cabinet. And the stickers were from a grandma package that arrived last Valentine's day. I save the extras in the seasonal stuff so they don't get used up at other times of the year. Even the stickers we're putting in the slots will come from our sticker pile. So the only cost to us was the time involved in making them. No need to spend a lot of money on these things!