How to Make a Letter Into an Origami Heart

Take your love notes to the next level by presenting them as memorable origami hearts.

Make an impression with your next love letter by presenting it as an origami heart. Origami is a paper-folding technique that has its origin in both Japan and Europe. Although there are many styles of traditional origami papers available through retailers and on-line vendors, even basic photocopy paper can be used. So, write your love letter, fold it into an origami heart, and create a romantic keepsake for your special someone.

Things You'll Need

• Origami specialty paper or photocopy paper

Instructions

How to Make a Letter Into Origami Heart

1. Place a 6-inch by 6-inch square piece of paper, word side up, on a flat surface. Turn the paper in front of you to appear as a diamond-shape, not a square.

2. Grasp the bottom point of the diamond and fold it to meet the top point.

3. Grasp the right point of the diamond and fold it to meet the left point.

4. Smooth out the paper. You should see a cross-shaped crease.

5. Fold the top point down to meet the crease in the center of the paper.

6. Fold the bottom point up to the top of the fold line across the top of the paper made in the previous step. Note that the top diamond fold is smaller than the bottom diamond fold.

7. Grasp the bottom right section of the paper and fold the paper to the left to align half of the bottom fold with the middle fold. Repeat the process on the opposite side by folding the bottom left section to the right to align with the middle fold. At this step, the paper should resemble a heart.

8. Turn the paper over. On the right and left sides of the heart are small triangles extending out from the paper and two diamond shapes on the top of the paper.

9. To fold in the tip of the triangle that is extending off the right side of the heart, grasp the small triangle on the right side and fold it in toward the center of the heart. The fold line should meet the bottom right corner of the top right triangle and extend downward.

10. To fold in the tip of the triangle that is extending off the left side of the heart, grasp the small triangle on the left side and fold it in toward the center of the heart. The fold line should meet the bottom left corner of the top right triangle and extend downward.

11. Grasp the tip of the right triangle on the top of the heart. Fold the tip of the triangle to the long fold line across the top of the heart. Repeat this step for the tip of the left triangle on the top of the heart.

12. Turn the paper over and view the heart just created. All that is left to do is pass it on.

Tips & Warnings

• After each fold, press firmly along the fold line with your finger or thumb.

• Consider attaching dried flowers to the exterior of the heart for an even more romantic presentation.

References

• Origami Resource Center; Origami Paper; 2011
• "Independent Lens"; Between the Folds; Vanessa Gould; 2011
• Origami-Instructions.com; Easy Origami Heart; 2011