It’s shaping up to be a chilly, snow-filled January, and I’ve been savoring the opportunity to spend some time cozied up by a fire, watching the snow fall and enjoying a marathon of Musicals!
I started with the Sound of Music, and have been singing “So Long, Farewell” to myself ever since – you know the one… “and up in the nursery an absurd little bird, is popping out to say cuckoo (Cuckoo! Cuckoo!)…”.
My little corner of the Midwest is most definitely NOT the Alps, but I was totally inspired to surround myself with Alpine-style warm woods, mountain scenes, cozy plaid blankets, unnecessary stacks of logs everywhere, and of course, cuckoo clocks!
I’m so excited that I get to pass a little of my current Alpine obsession on to you in the form of these DIY cuckoo clock pop-up valentines – posted and ready for downloading!
Because a cuckoo clock wouldn’t be complete without a few moving parts, I designed a couple of ways for them to be interactive – open the door to find a surprise or delight in an ACTUAL pop-up absurd little bird!
The PDF includes a full-color template, a black & white template, and a full-size coloring page, so there are tons of ways to personalize this Valentine or turn it into a full afternoon of art.
Instead of using our bird, you can draw your own. Or add some trees, flowers, or animals to your clock. Or go crazy with your own wild colors!
For more DIY Valentine’s Day cards, visit the tutorials for our Morse Code secret message valentines, mixed media heart bouquet cards, or messenger pigeon valentine (with a free printable!).
To make your own cuckoo clock pop-up valentines, you’ll need:
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- 1-3 Sheets of cardstock or construction paper
- Our free printable cuckoo clock templates
- Scissors
- A glue stick
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Crayons, watercolors, or paints for coloring
How to Make a Cuckoo Clock Pop-Up Valentine
Print the free printable cuckoo clock pop-up page.
Print out the desired pages of our Cuckoo clock PDF on cardstock or copy paper. There is a full-color card template, a black & white template that can be colored in, and a full-size black & white coloring page (just for fun!).
Cut out.
Cut out your cuckoo clock. If you’d like to make it into a card, you can glue it to a piece of construction paper (folded in half) using a glue stick – or simply write your own message on the back!
Add cuckoo clock details.
What would a cuckoo clock be without bits and pieces that open and pop out? We wanted to re-create some of the surprises for this card, so there are a few ways to make this interactive! You can follow the diagrams on the printable to create either a lift-the-flap Valentine or a pop-up valentine!
Add an opening door (optional).
For a lift-the-flap Valentine, cut out the door and door tab. Glue the door tab to the back of the door (as shown on the PDF).
Or add a pop-up cuckoo clock bird (optional).
For a pop-up Valentine, create a paper spring by folding strips of paper accordion style (as shown here, if you’ve never made one). Glue the bottom of the spring to the center of the doorway, then glue your cuckoo bird on top.
The black and white coloring page is a great gender-neutral Valentine’s Day activity for a classroom.
Instead of using our cuckoo clock bird, have your kiddos draw their own – or add their Valentine’s messages.
You can even design your own cuckoo clock – cuckoo clocks typically have a lot of fun, small details (lumberjacks chopping wood, flower boxes, woodland animals, etc.) – you can draw, color, and paste your elements.
Whatever you choose to do with your cuckoo clocks, we hope they inspire a Valentine’s Day that makes you want to proclaim your love from a mountain-top (…Alps and family choir not included).
GETTING READY TO TRY this?
I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
