Wild Hearts

Aren't these absolutely adorable?!? I was having such fun making them for E's class valentine swap. Every year I buy those flimsy little punch-out valentines with the Disney princesses on them, but no longer! I might use up every scrap of construction paper in the house (doubtful), my hand might cramp up (likely), and my husband might think I'm crazy (very likely), but I am making our valentines this year, and they are going to be these fabulous animal heart valentines!

Now before you think I'm an artistic genius, let me share with you the inspiration for this tangram-type artwork:


My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall


I ♥ this book! Each page contains Hall's amazing animal creations, completely constructed out of different sized hearts. Accompanying the pictures is an equally adorable poem, describing how his heart is like a zoo: "silly as a seal, rugged as a moose, happy as a herd of hippos drinking apple juice".

The book is clever on so many levels. The illustrations stretch a child's perception by using cut-outs and negative space to help create the animals. Each picture presents an opportunity for counting the hearts. The poem exposes children to clever rhymes, new vocabulary, interesting animals, and a variety of described emotions. There's just so much packed into such a simple design!

Inspired? Let's create our own:

The Lion:

the body

the chin

the face

the nose

the cheesy clever slogan

The Bunny:

the shapes

the body

the back legs

the front legs

the ears and tail

the nose and eyes

another corny quaint slogan

Try these, get other ideas from Michael Hall's designs, or create your own! Regardless, they're bound to look better than those Walmart-bought spiderman valentines!

I'm linking up to:

DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog