Foil Milagro Hearts

Milagros (“Miracle”) are small Mexican religious charms.  They are often found attached to statues of saints and used as good luck charms or offerings to saints for specific prayers.  Milagro hearts specifically are often given as gifts representing the love of someone special.  I have always loved Milagros and using symbolism in art.  This project is a great way to introduce these traditional charms to your child.

Materials

Cardboard

Aluminum Foil

Sharpie Markers – multicolors

Making the Foil Milagro Heart

1) Cut a heart shape from the cardboard

2) Cut a small piece of aluminum foil to wrap around the cardboard heart.

3) Wrap the aluminum foil tightly around the heart.. Be sure to keep one side smooth with all of the folded edges on the other side.  You will likely need to make a slit in the top middle to wrap it neatly on the top curves of the heart.

4) Using your sharpie markers, make dots around the edges of the heart to represent the nail marks on the milagro heart.

5) Decorate your heart using the sharpies – common elements in Milagro hearts are crowns, flames, wings, hearts, limbs, animals and other repetitive design elements

Milagros are beautiful charms and these foil versions can be a great way to introduce this tradition to your child.  They will enjoy the process of drawing and decorating on the foil which has a unique texture and shine.