Form-A-Heart: Heat, Press, Gift!

❤️ Form-A-Heart: Heat, Press, Gift! ❤️

Watch instructional video below!

When I first saw those viral thermoforming ornaments, I knew I wanted to make my own version. With Valentine's Day approaching, it felt like the perfect time to design a thermoformed product to share with friends and family. Having four kids, we put together a lot of Valentine's Day gifts every year! I designed Form-A-Heart to be as simple and quick as possible using 100% 3D-printed parts to help busy families create something truly unique. I hope you enjoy making these as much as we did!

Pro-Tips from the Valentine's Day Workshop

While many might argue you need high-heat filaments like PETG, ABS, or ASA for the mold and press, I’ve found that PLA Basic works great! After forming dozens of hearts for my four kids' classes, I haven't seen any deforming of the reusable parts.

• The Secret: It doesn't take much heat or pressure! A standard hair dryer only needs a few seconds to warm the thin heart enough to form around the mold.
• Safe Bet: If you plan on using a high-powered heat gun or want to play it extra safe, feel free to use a more durable filament, but for most, PLA Basic is more than enough to get the job done!

ALTERNATE DESIGN: The ‘Flower’ Heart

If you don’t want to use the thermoforming process or just want to add an extra design to the mix, we discovered a fun secret! If you put two of the mesh hearts back-to-back, they create a beautiful "flower" design! This is a great 100% 3D-printed option for those who want to skip the plastic shells entirely. This can only be accomplished using the Honeycomb infill.