About this design
The Candy Cane Heart is made of two canes. Their shafts meet at the bottom to form the point of a heart, and their hooks curl inward at the top to form the two rounded lobes. The stripes wrap along both canes and around both hooks, so the heart looks as though it was bent from real candy.
It is sweet, simple and endlessly useful: for Christmas, for a December wedding or anniversary, and for Valentine’s Day.
Project ideas
- Valentine-meets-Christmas cards. A red-and-white heart on a pink card.
- Couples’ shirts or mugs. Add initials in the center.
- Teacher gifts. “Sweet teacher” tags with a candy cane heart.
- Kids’ shirts. A bright heart on a toddler’s holiday outfit.
- Treat bags. A heart on the front of a candy bag.
Color ideas
The default color version is red with white stripes. Other ideas:
- Pink with white for a Valentine’s look
- Green with white for a mint heart
- Gold with white for an anniversary card
- Red with green stripes for a traditional heart
Size and cutting tips
This design passes our cut checks from about 1.5 inches tall. The center of the heart is a cut-out; weed it first. For two-color iron-on, press the red heart, then line up and press the white stripes.
At small sizes, the stripes are thin; for glitter iron-on, keep it at 4 inches or more.
Step by step: a toddler’s holiday shirt
- Download the color SVG and size it to 5 inches tall.
- Cut the heart from red iron-on and the stripes from white, both mirrored.
- Weed both layers and keep them on their carrier sheets.
- Press the red heart centered on the shirt, about two inches below the collar.
- Line up the white stripes on top, using the heart’s outline as a guide, and press again under a pressing sheet.
- Wash inside out on cold to keep the stripes crisp.
Good to know
Because the heart is built from two canes, the stripes on each side run in mirror image, which gives the design its balanced, symmetrical look.
Variations to try
- Add a small name or the year in the center of the heart.
- Make it pink and white for Valentine’s Day.
A note on gifting
A candy cane heart taped to a real candy cane makes a sweet, low-cost classroom or office valentine that works in December and February alike.
Pairs well with
The Heart Tip Snowflake and the Heart Christmas Ornament complete a heart-themed set.
