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We ❤️ Skyscrapers!

How to Make Valentine’s Day Sun-Catcher & Card

At The Skyscraper Museum, we celebrate skyscrapers everyday. We’ve created a Supertall! 2020 lineup to share facts about some of our favorite, and record-breaking, skyscrapers. If you, too, have a skyscraper crush, a favorite architect, or have wanderlust, you can express those thoughts and feelings in a Valentine's Day card! It's the perfect time to celebrate the buildings and architects we know and love, and discover some more! Follow our guide below to create your own sun-catcher and card.

Materials

  1. Cardstock Paper
  2. Construction Paper
  3. Glue 
  4. Ruler
  5. Pencil or Pen
  6. Tape
  7. Scissors
  8. Markers, Crayons, Paint, or Colored Pencils
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Instructions

Step 1: Fold two pieces of cardstock paper in half and glue them together. Then, lightly trace silhouettes of skyscrapers you love! For some inspiration or guidance, check out supertall skyscrapers on our SUPERTALL! 2020 Lineup.

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Step 2: Cut out your drawn silhouettes and lay them on top of the cover for your card. Once you decide on where to place your silhouettes, lightly tape them to the card.

Step 3: Using paints, markers, or colored pencils of your choice, decorate the cover of your card! While reds, pinks, and white are Valentine’s Day colors, feel free to use any color you like. If you have paint, try making heart shapes by dabbing one color on each finger and stamping two colors in opposite directions.

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Step 4: Gently remove the taped cutouts to reveal a negative white space in the shape of a skyscraper. Touch up around the shape by adding more paint and trace the shape with a black marker. Add any additional decorations that you’d like!

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Step 5: Decorate the inside of your card! Make sure to write a message to the recipient!

Our example is below:

Dear 432 Park Avenue, 

As the tallest residential building in the Western hemisphere, you really make a statement on New York City's skyline! I can see the sun pass through your open mechanical floors as I walk through Central Park. Designed by Rafael Viñoly, your height of 1,397 feet and 85 floors makes you a supertall skyscraper!

Yours truly,

The Skyscraper Museum

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For some added fun, try to let your friends and family guess which skyscraper you used for the card’s cover! We’d love to see your creations! Share them with us on Twitter @skymuseum, on Facebook at The Skyscraper Museum, and on Instagram @skyscrapermuseum.

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How to Make a Skyscraper Valentine’s Day Card

Want to create a gift for Valentine’s Day or decorate your house! Try making a skyscraper-inspired suncatcher!

Below is a list of suggested materials. Feel free to use other household items and craft supplies!

Materials

  • Cardboard
  • Construction Paper
  • Glue
  • Pencil or Pen
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Markers, Crayons, Paint, or Colored Pencils
  • Ribbon, Yarn, or String
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Step 1: Fold a piece of cardboard in half (the thinner the piece the better). Then, trace half of a heart on one side of the fold. Next, cut out the inside of your heart tracing. You should have one heart with the inside cut out.

Step 2: Draw skyscraper silhouettes on the card paper and color them in. For some inspiration or guidance, look at our SUPERTALL! 2020 Lineup. Cut the shapes out.

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Step 3: Arrange the skyscraper cut-outs within the heart-opening you have created. You can arrange your skyscrapers in a skyline or lineup. Using a piece of construction paper, glue or tape the bottoms of your skyscrapers to the paper. Then, glue that paper onto the heart.

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Step 4: Using additional craft materials, decorate the outside of your heart! Once you are finished, puncture a small opening and thread a ribbon through to allow the piece to be hung up. We recommend using a hole puncher or using the help of your guardian, gently fold your heart and make a small cut with scissors.

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Once you hang up your sun-catcher, the light will stream through the openings and cast a shadow of the building silhouettes, creating a skyline! We’d love to see your creations!

Share them with us on Twitter @skymuseum, on Facebook at The Skyscraper Museum, and on Instagram @skyscrapermuseum.

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