Exploding Heart Picture Tutorial

Cut the right size paper....a little bigger than your picture because you will only have the center to focus on or use.

Find a light colored pencil to work with the back of the paper and flip your paper over....any color pencil will work if you are going to ink and or emboss the curls. Then you don't have to worry about the pencil color.

Align the center and make a light line to use as a guide....then use a stencil or freehand a nice wide heart.

Take your cutter or Exacto knife and cut right down the middle (leaves less tension to work with)

Pay attention to where you will have to roll the paper and turn the paper with you....and cut triangles in the direction you will be curling.

Not worrying about the excess left. Just don't leave the outside lines when you cut. It should look similar to this. Took me about 2 tries to get a heart cut right.
But once you understand it, its very easy.

This is the end of cutting, should be many different angled triangles to fold/roll. But make sure to cut to the very edge if the drawing.
And in extra curvy areas cut a little thinner strip so the folds will stay with curves.

Turn paper over to right side and fold very edge of cut over two times then roll all the way back to the wide part cut lines and tamp down a bit.

This is how it looks when you roll all sides.

Now gluing is NOT necessary! It will stay on its own.
But I like to glue if I am going to distress or ink a lot just for stability.

I embossed in black and covered with brown ink.

And here it is ready fro my picture or LO or even a card!