valentine's door decor.

As of yet I haven't come up with a witty, clever rant of any kind to blog about. I'm apparently not cut out for this. But, as it happens, I've started an insane crafting/diy habit (thanks a lot pinterest) and have another one of my valentine creations to showcase.
I am a huge fan of those over-sized door decorations in basic shapes. I recently started making my own out of foam core and assorted paper. I decided to get a little creative with the Valentine's heart and use a mosaic-like effect. Here's the end result:

It looks a little off-kilter shape-wise due to the fact that it was bending forward a little bit. I couldn't believe how much I actually liked the final product (sometimes I come to hate my so-called "genius" ideas). And it was possibly easier than any other door-hanger I've made.

Supplies:
1 piece of foam core board (I usually grab mine at Michael's, they often have sales on it)
4 different scrapbook size pieces of paper (I recommend 3 solid, 1 pattern)
Elmer's Glue
Water
Medium-Sized Foam Brush
Yarn (I just used some I had left over from a scarf I had knitted for Christmas)
Hot Glue Gun

1. Mix equal parts glue and water in a serving sized bowl (amount may vary due to how big your piece is). This will be your "mod podge" to adhere the scraps of paper to your foam core.
2. Draw and then cut out (an exacto/utility knife works best) your heart on the sheet of foam core. I made my heart as big as I could on one sheet of foam core, so as long as yours fits on one piece, you will have enough paper to cover the whole thing.
3. Tear all of your paper up into scraps (all different shapes but relatively the same size is how I made mine).
4. Start gluing!! Just brush some of your glue mixture onto the foam core heart(I started top left) and stick the pieces of paper to the board. After they're in place, put another layer of glue mixture on top to "seal" it on there. You don't have to have a "pattern" or anything, but I did try to make it so that the colors were evenly distributed around the heart.
5. Once all of your paper is on there and you like the way it's arranged, set it somewhere to dry. When mine dried, unfortunately, it bowed a little bit. If anyone has any ideas on how to keep this from happening during the drying process--tips would be much appreciated! I flattened mine afterwards under a tote full of books (I'm nothing if not resourceful).

6. Finishing: Now, my husband liked the look of my heart before I trimmed around the edges, and he would have preferred if I left it "rugged." I am, however, obsessive, and couldn't leave it alone. SO I trimmed down around the edges (just using some scissors). One of the problems that comes with working with foam core is the edges are often ragged and unsightly. To solve that problem, I glued some leftover yarn to create a border around the heart. I just used my hot glue gun and followed the edges, securing the yarn every three inches or so. I then used that yarn to create a "hanger" for the heart, and voila! Your very own door decor.

Well folks, hopefully I'll be back soon with something substantial or at the very least entertaining.
Until then, mes amis.
Love,
Katie M.