I've heard them called Danish and I've heard them called Swedish - maybe even Finnish - woven paper hearts, so I think it's safe to say they're Scandinavian. And they're most definitely a Christmas tradition there. I just love how they look and think they deserve to be used on Valentine's Day too!

You will need two pieces of paper or felt. I like to use different colors to really show off the weaving, but using the same color would give a nice subtle effect. I used scrapbooking paper and liked its strength better than the construction paper I'd tried earlier. If you have colored paper that you'd like to use, you can print this PDF on it: . Or, you can just print this PDF on plain paper and you'll get a colored template. Here's how it will look if you use the template:

1. Cut each piece of paper into a rectangle. You can use almost any dimensions, as long as it's not a square, but I like the shape of the final heart when the original rectangles are three times as long as they are wide.
2. Fold each rectangle in half lengthwise.
3. Place one rectangle on top of the other, with fold lines at the bottom. Now rotate the top one 90 degrees and line up its fold with the long edge of the rectangle below.
4. Lightly mark a line on the bottom rectangle where the top rectangle crosses it.
5. Now switch the top and bottom and repeat the last two steps to mark the other piece.
6. Draw and cut any number of evenly-spaced lines on each piece running from the fold up to the mark. Fewer is easier, of course, as thin sections might tear.
7. Cut out a semicircle above the mark on each piece to be the top bumps on the heart.
8. Orient the shapes so that there's a bump on the top left and another at the top right.
9. Now comes the tricky weaving part. Instead of the normal "over and under" weaving, you'll be doing "through and around". Take the top strip of the right piece and put it through the top strip on the left.
10. Now make that strip go around the middle strip on the left. (The middle strip on the left goes through it.)
11. By now the second strip on the right will need to start getting involved. Put it around the first strip on the left and then through the middle left strip.
12. Keep going through and around until you've done all the strips.
13. If you'd like a handle, cut a strip of paper and glue it inside the front and back of the basket.