Nur’s Nook: Tying Our Hearts Together

"I'm creating unity with hearts and crafts!"

“The most important principle of divine philosophy is the oneness of the world of humanity . . . the tie of love which blends human hearts.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá

 

In art, it can be challenging to get different colors, shapes, and textures to work in harmony. But when you do, the artwork is amazing.

In life, it’s sometimes hard for diverse people to be united. It can take courage, patience, and determination to make new friends with people who look, think, or act differently from you. You may feel out of place, accidentally hurt someone’s feelings, or feel lost when you don’t understand something. If this happens, just relax, be kind, be respectful, and be yourself. If it turns out that you make a mistake, a sincere apology goes a long way.

The diversity of humanity is like a colorful masterpiece. Whether you plan an interfaith prayer party or simply introduce yourself to someone new, you can help tie hearts together. Make the string heart below. Give it as a gift or hang it at home to remind you to create more ties of love and unity.

You’ll Need: Three sheets 6" (15.2 cm) square thin foam board, tacky glue, 9" (22.9 cm) square felt, double-sided tape, pen, 5" (12.7 cm) square paper, scissors, ruler, about 30, ¾" (1.9 cm) nails, thimble, 8 yards (7.3 m) or more yarn or string in several colors, 5" (12.7 cm) ribbon, 5 ½" (14 cm) square cardboard

Step 1: Glue foam boards to make one thick board. Coat top with glue and place glue side down, in center of felt.

 

 

Step 2: At corners, pinch excess felt flat. Trim excess and glue felt to wrap snugly around sides and back. Reinforce with tape, if needed.

 

 

Step 3: Fold paper in half. From fold, draw half heart shape that fills page. Cut out and unfold.

 

 

Step 4: Draw a dot at both edges of crease. Continue drawing dots around heart, spaced about ½" (1.3 cm) apart.

 

 

Step 5: Tape heart to center of felt. With thimble, carefully push a nail into felt next to each dot, leaving ½" (1.3 cm) of nail sticking out. Remove taped heart.

 

 

Step 6: Make loop for hanging by taping ribbon ends to back. Glue cardboard to back to cover nail tips. Let dry.

 

 

Step 7: Knot yarn to a nail to start, end, or change a color. Wrap yarn tightly around each nail, in random order, returning to each nail several times. Trim ends. Now it’s ready to hang!

 

For a printable version, download a PDF.

Characters460 Nur140 Crafts198 Heart7 Unity232 Love88 Play and Create733 Arts and Crafts199 Nur’s Nook92 Bicentenary75 Race Unity219 Celebrate44 Openness39