Our story
A little Danish universe called Ugly Duckli
Ugly Duckli is my small, personal universe in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. It is filled with Danish traditions, woven paper hearts, Christmas, stories, creativity and the simple pleasure of making something with your hands.
I am Rikke, and this is the story behind it.
Hello
I’m Rikke
Ugly Duckli has never really been about building a big company.
It is something much more personal.
A place for the things I love: Danish traditions, beautiful little details, stories worth telling, creativity, Christmas and welcoming people into a world that feels warm and genuine.
Ugly Duckli lives online, of course. But it also lives here in Frederiksberg, where I welcome guests into my own Ugly Duckli universe and where Danish paper hearts are still woven by hand.
I like things that have a story. Things that mean something. Things we keep because they remind us of a person, a place or a moment.
That is really where Ugly Duckli begins.
Why the name?
Ugly Duckli
The name is, of course, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling.
Because I think most of us know the feeling. Of not quite fitting in. Of wondering where we belong. Of sometimes feeling like the ugly duckling and sometimes, perhaps, a little more like the swan.
I have learned that both belong in my story.
And perhaps that is also why I love the simple Danish paper heart. Two ordinary pieces of paper are woven together and become something entirely different. Something beautiful. Something we keep.
Ugly Duckli is a place where there is room for both the duckling and the swan.
At the heart of Ugly Duckli
The Danish woven Christmas heart
For me, the Danish paper heart is much more than a Christmas decoration.
It belongs to one of those wonderful Danish traditions where something very simple becomes deeply personal.
We sit together. We fold and weave. We talk while our hands are busy. Children learn from parents and grandparents. Hearts are unpacked again the following Christmas, and suddenly a little piece of paper carries years of memories.
Hans Christian Andersen made the oldest known woven paper heart in the 1860s. Since then, woven hearts have become part of Christmas in generations of Danish homes.
When we weave hearts, we weave ourselves into each other’s lives.
That thought has become one of the most important parts of Ugly Duckli.
From Frederiksberg with love
There is a real person behind Ugly Duckli
That matters to me.
Ugly Duckli is personal.
The stories are stories I care about. The details have been chosen because I like them. And the paper hearts belong to a tradition I would love to help carry forward.
When guests come to Frederiksberg for a Private Paper Heart Experience, I am the person welcoming them.
We sit together for around two hours. We weave Danish paper hearts. I share the story behind the tradition and Hans Christian Andersen. We drink coffee or tea, talk, laugh and enjoy a little Danish hygge.
It is deliberately private, for just one group of 1 to 6 guests.
It should feel less like attending a class and more like being welcomed into a little piece of Denmark.
The story travels further
From my Christmas table in Copenhagen to yours
I am now creating The Danish Christmas Heart Experience, a filmed online experience in English that will bring this little Danish tradition to people anywhere in the world.
You can come on your own, gather people you love around the table, or give the experience to someone as a Christmas gift. I will share the story and guide you gently through the weaving, one little heart at a time.
Coming for Christmas 2026.
Make your own
Take the tradition home with you
You do not have to visit Copenhagen to become part of the story.
The Ugly Duckli DIY Gift Box gives you what you need to weave traditional red and white Danish Christmas hearts yourself.
The gift box is Ugly Duckli’s own design, made in Denmark from Danish materials.
You can weave alone, with someone you love, with children, with friends or around the Christmas table.
The important part is not making the most perfect heart. It is making it together.
A little gift from Ugly Duckli
Learn to weave your first Danish heart
If you are curious about the tradition, start here.
I have made a free Ugly Duckli weaving guide so you can try making a traditional Danish Christmas heart yourself.
No trip to Copenhagen required.
Welcome to Ugly Duckli
A Danish tradition is meant to be shared
Perhaps you came here because you love Christmas. Perhaps you were searching for Danish paper hearts. Perhaps you are planning a visit to Copenhagen.
However you found your way here, I hope you will take a little piece of the story with you.
Ugly Duckli
Frederiksberg, Copenhagen