It’s that time of year again – when love pops up as hearts all over the place – and not just on greetings cards.  So let’s make Love Hearts.  My sister Libby told me that the highlight of her time in Provence this summer were the crafting projects I organized everyday – we made lavender wands, painted, created and I even knitted. One of the easiest projects we all did together gathered around the kitchen table, was making these pretty love hearts using silver wire and beads. Letty loved Rémy’s ‘masculine’ design – he used lots of square beads – and so we had to make a copy!
You don’t have to travel to the South of France to make them – although that makes them extra special. Super easy to make and very pretty – hang them all from a chandelier above the dining table like we did to celebrate Minty’s 12th birthday. Or hang one from the mirror of your VW camper van like Letty and Del have! These would also make the perfect gift on Valentine’s Day for your true love.

How to Make Love Hearts

Take a piece of wire, 0.6mm diameter is a good gauge, twice as long as the desired perimeter of your finished heart – it’s good to make big and small hearts for contrast.
Using round nosed pliers make a loop with a couple of twists in the center of the wire and then form a basic heart shape. At the point twist the wire back on itself up both sides and wind it around and around until it’s all used up. I bought a variety of glass beads in different shapes and sizes when I was in Covent Garden, London.

The beads can be attached in various ways – I like to take a length of slightly finer wire (0.4mm) and wind this around the heart wire and then thread a bead onto this twist in around the heart wire frame and then thread another bead on – continue around until the wire heart shaped frame is covered with the beads.

Alternatively you can thread lots of beads onto a new piece of wire then attached this beaded wire to the heart shaped frame by wrapping in to it with yet another strand of wire.

Twisting by the pool!

I made this heart for my friend Jac – with 2 silver bees – and called it “To Be Loved.”
Share some love – call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time, share love with your friends and family and most importantly express kindness always. In the words of Ian MacLaren (often misquoted as Plato):

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.