Valentine's Day is close at hand, but there's still time to stitch up a batch of sweet little heart charms. My daughter wanted hers made into a necklace, but you could use them to adorn a pretty package for your love, as part of a heartfelt card, or in any number of applications. The hearts are stitched on perforated plastic canvas. It's sort of a cross between perforated paper and traditional plastic canvas. I like it because the holes are smaller than regular plastic canvas, but it's still stiff, durable, and easy to work with.

I found perforated plastic sold in sheets in the needlework supply aisle of my local mega-craft store, but if you're not able to get your hands on some, you could certainly use regular plastic canvas, or even perforated paper if you happen to have some in your stash. Here's how to make the heart charms.

Materials:

• A small amount of perforated plastic canvas
• 6-strand embroidery floss in pinks and reds
• Cross stitch heart chart (pdf)
• Round-end tapestry needle Scissors

Making

Stitch two hearts on the perforated plastic following the chart. Make sure to leave a little space in between so you have enough room to cut them apart. The perforated plastic I used was 14 count, so I stitched with two strands.

With small, sharp scissors trim around the hearts, being sure not to cut too close to your stitches. Don't cut into the V at the top of the heart - instead cut straight across. You'll use the two holes at the top to hang the charm.

Place the two hearts wrong-sides together. With a single strand of floss, do a running stitch around the two hearts, sewing them together as you go. I tend to start at the bottom of the heart and then work my way around from there.

When you make it all the way around the heart, turn your work and head back in the other direction using a running stitch to fill in the gaps. Doing a double running stitch like this will keep both sides of the charm looking nice and neat.

When you're done stitching the outline, run your needle between the two hearts to secure the thread. Clip the thread and then use your fingernail to slip the end back between the hearts. Now take a moment to admire your pretty heart, or hearts - no need to stitch just one after all.

If you want to hang your charm, attach string or cord - I used floss because that's what I had - by threading it through the two holes at the top of the charm. Pass the ends through the loop and then give a tug to tighten it.

That's it! String a collection of charms together to make a pretty necklace. Tie them to the top of a bag of candy. Hang them down the front of a simple white card with an "i love you" printed below. The possibilities are endless, so have fun!