The Origami Patterned Icosahedron has been on my to-do list for quite some time now. This pretty icosahedron is designed by the amazing Meenakshi Mukerji. The icosahedron is assembled using 30 modules and looks best with dual coloured paper. The same module can be assembled using 12 units to form the Patterned Octahedron.

The modules are pretty easy to fold and are folded from a rectangle in ratio 1:2 i.e., a square cut into two. I had used a green-red combination in the hopes of adding it to my Christmas Tree. But I get the impression that this looks more like a strawberry than an icosahedron, courtesy of the black dots on the red, I guess 😄😄 Nevertheless, it is a good modular to fold.

The assembly is, by modular origami standards, fairly easy. I would still recommend plenty of paper clips and an equal amount of patience when assembling this one!

Model Details:

Model: Patterned Icosahedron

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Ornamental Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 3.5 inches * 1.75 inches

Model Size: ~ 3 inches in diameter

Tutorial: Youtube

Number of Modules: 30

Here's a wreath that I made for Christmas. The problem is that I had made use of a tutorial that I had saved a long time back, but unfortunately I know neither the name nor the creator of the wreath. Hmm.. Big problem!

But I can say one thing - it is an easy wreath to make and looks excellent with double sided paper!!

Merry Christmas 🎄🎄

Model Details:

Model: Wreath 

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Rectangle, 1:2 ratio

Paper Size: 3 inch by 1.5 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in diameter

Modules: 8

Daniel Reutskiy's  modular origami, folded from 30 modules is one that I absolutely enjoyed folding!

But more than the origami itself, what pleased me the most was the colour combination that I have used in the origami. This combination of colours was chosen by Little Miss, she calls it butterscotch-chocolate-raspberry. Initially I was very sceptical of the three colours she had chosen but she was absolutely convinced that it would come out well and I must admit, I love the way it has turned out! Kudos to my Little Miss 👌

That said, the modules are pretty easy to fold and so is the assembly. I like the way the models dips in. No surprises with regard to the assembly - it is the standard icosahedron assembly - 3 modules in clusters of 5.

Overall, an enjoyable experience. There is also a 12-module version which i hope to try out soon.

Model Details:

Model: Modular Kusudama 

Creator: Daniel Reutskiy

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube 

Aldo Marcell's modular origami models are really, really pretty to look at! I had previously done the ever-popular Tornado.

So this time, I decided to work on the Cyclon model. Overall, the model is very economical, in that, the paper is in the ratio 1:3. Which means from 1 square, I managed to get 3 modules. Considering I was using some of my precious double-sided paper, this was very nice!

And folding the individual modules was also pretty easy. But the assembly is a whole different story altogether! It is seriously difficult! And this was aggravated by the size of the modules. Since I had divided up a 3-inch square into 3, I was working with small pieces of paper and, while I have folded really tiny pieces for my origami jewellery, it was obvious I have lost the touch of handling small pieces.

So to reiterate, the modules are easy to fold but really difficult to assemble! At one point, I was fairly certain that I was just going to lose patience and crush the whole thing 😔 It was only the thought of folding 30 modules again that stopped me from flinging it all away!

Anyway, I am glad I persisted. I am happy with the outcome. But going forward, I will doubly careful before choosing any of Aldo Marcell's models to fold 😆😆


Model Details:

Model: Cyclon 

Creator: Aldo Marcell

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:3

Paper Size: 1 inch by 3 inches

Model Size: ~2.5 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Instructions: Stranamasterov.ru 

So, turns out that newspaper tubes that actually show the newspaper are very popular. I have had repeated demands to make more such products and that is exactly what I have done.

This box, made from brown and yellow newspaper tubes, is about 6 inches tall and has a diameter of around 4 inches. For relief, I added some brown wooden beads. And I am also figuring out how to add an indent at the edge, so that the lid fits in well. I still have not perfected this bit, but I believe I will eventually get it 😊


Altogether, I am pleased with the outcome. Still some way to go before I am perfectly happy with what I make, but not too shabby for now, huh? 

After working on the 4th variation in the last post, I decided to try out one final variation of the octagonal boxes from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes' before moving on to other models.

Yet again, I decided to use my double-sided paper - in this case, paper that is blue on one side and printed with little flowers on the other. And yet again, only the final module is provided and it is up to us to figure out the method to fold. This is the 1st variation on page 72.

Each paper square that I have used is 3 inches in size and the end result is an attractive box, about 2.5 inches across. For the base, instead of using the same double-sided paper, I used blue 3-inch squares of printer paper. That ensured that the base was very sturdy.


With this, I am done with the boxes from Joyful Origami Boxes. I will definitely revisit this book at a later date, since it still has a number of lovely boxes for me to try out 😃

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Box - 1th Variation

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: 2.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

Magazine art is an interesting way of recycling old magazines, which are in abundance at our house. So, after making all those pen holders last month, I decided to try about something else this time.

So here is my first attempt at decoupaging with magazine paper! And here's how I went about it.

First of all, I wanted a good, solid box. So, while a good cardboard box would have been good enough, I wanted something sturdier. That means, I decided to use an old wooden box for this attempt.

I sanded down the box and then coated it with a layer of white acrylic paint. Once the paint dried, it was time to decoupage! I mixed a portion of white glue with 2 portions of water and set this aside. I chose the most colourful pages and cut them into multiple pieces.

Then it was just a matter of applying the glue-water mixture, sticking a piece of magazine paper and reapplying another layer of glue-water mixture. I continued till the whole box was covered with the magazine paper. I decoupaged the inside of the box as well. And the lid too.

I allowed the box to dry down over-night. Then I covered the whole box with a layer of the same glue-water mixture. Again it dried over-night.

Finally my decoupaged box was ready for use. Now my only question is whether to use it as a decoupaged box or do something with magazine rolls.. Well, I'll just have to wait and see how I decide to go about it 😃

This absolutely stunning variation of the Octagonal box from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes' is my third attempt at folding the octagonal boxes. Each of these boxes that I have folded, I feel, is prettier than the previous one!

For this origami, I used some of my precious supply of double-sided paper - paper that is plain coloured on one side and printed with little flowers on the other. I absolutely love this paper and tend to use it very, very judiciously.

Page 72 of the book gives the directions for folding the variations - that is to say, Tomoko Fuse gives us the final module and it is left to us to figure out how to arrive at the module. But given that she has already described the makings of 4 other octagonal boxes, this is not that tough a challenge. A little bit of fiddling around using existing steps should bring us to the module.


Each paper square that I have used is 3 inches in size and the end result is an attractive box, about 2.5 inches across. The picture above shows the inside of the lid, which I think is as pretty as the outside! For the base, instead of using the same double-sided paper, I used red 3-inch squares of printer paper. That ensured that the base was very sturdy.

By the way, this module is the 4th variation shown in the book. I hope to try out more of the variations in the coming days.


Model Details:

Model: Octagon Box - 4th Variation

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: 2.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

After doing quite a bit of newspaper weaving, I tried my hand at magazine art. In both kinds of art, the principle remains the same - reusing old paper to create new objects. So paper from magazines and newspapers can be rolled in the same way, to form long paper tubes. These paper tubes can then be used in a  variety of ways.

In the case of newspaper weaving, since the paper is not very glossy, it is more conducive to colouring and weaving. Magazine paper is glossy, shiny paper, so colouring the paper is very difficult. And in any case, the glossy print stands out without the addition of any colours. But of course, given the shiny nature, it is quite difficult to weave using this paper. So I decided to convert the magazine tubes into pen holders.


The process for making the pen holders is pretty easy - glue the tubes to form a long rectangular strip and then roll it around a cardboard base to form a pen stand. But the process is quite tedious and quite time consuming. The pen-stands though, are really eye catchy!

Well, that was my bit to save the environment 😃 I think any one can give it a go. And end up with unique, handmade pen stands which make great gifts as well. Please gift only to those who appreciate handmade things though.. Else, it is just a waste of time!



Well, after completing the Plain Octagon Box from last week, I couldn't wait to try one more of the boxes from Tomoko Fuse's 'Joyful Origami Boxes'. 

This time, I tried out the Double Pinwheel box described on page 70. For the assembly, I tried the second assembly, since I wanted the back of the paper to be visible as much as the front. The folding and assembly are not too difficult.

So now, I just have to try the variations on Page 72 😊



Model Details:

Model: Octagon Double Pinwheel Box

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: 3.5 inches across

Number of Modules: 16

'Joyful Origami Boxes' by Tomoko Fuse is an amazing book if you like folding origami boxes. I had previously tried out a couple of the models from the book - The Heptagon Starry Pinwheel Box and the Hexagon Pinwheel Box. But this was way back in 2011, so when I got another opportunity to fold something from this book, I decided to try out the Octagon series.

Similar to the Hexagon and Heptagon boxes, Tomoko Fuse has given detailed instructions for making quite a few Octagon boxes - Pinwheel, Flowery Pinwheel, Starry Pinwheel and Double Pinwheel are some of the variations she has detailed in the book.

What I have folded is the Octagon Box - Plain, found on page 69. The folding is pretty straight forward and as always, steps are accurately described. Assembly was also fairly easy. I used coloured printer paper, so that the box is nice and strong.

I do hope to fold more of these boxes in the coming days. Page 72 gives a list of variations on the Octagon Box and this is something I absolutely want to try.

Model Details:

Model: Octagon Plain Box

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Joyful Origami Boxes

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~3.5 inches across and 0.75 inches in height

Number of Modules: 16

Since I am fairly confident of making circular dishes using newspaper weaving, I decided to venture a little further and try my hand at other shapes. The model I had readily available with me was a square dish, so I decided to use that to make these knick-knack dishes.

I made a series of them. The first was made using pastel coloured newspaper tubes, that were actually left-overs from previous projects. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out!


For the next couple, I used a mix of brown and yellow tubes with the newspaper print visible. I have come to realise that people are more attracted to the products which show the print, rather than those made from the plain, coloured tubes. I guess when the print is visible, it provides additional proof that it is really made from paper? I don't know, that is just a guess 😀


Anyway, I have also developed a liking for these rolls, so I hope to make more products using similar paper. For now, I am happy with the way these dishes have turned out. The brown ones have been confiscated as soon as they were done - apparently my brother absolutely needs them to organise his office desk!  And the pastel one has, naturally, been taken over by Little Miss. So that was that. 3 dishes done and I still lack dishes to organise my own desk! 😄

Well, a recent order for a pot holder made from newspaper rolls with order to 'go crazy!' gave me the liberty to try out this cute snail pot holder. Since I wanted the newspaper print to be visible, I coloured the paper with print in brown and cream and ended up with a real cute holder.

To hold the snail shape, I threaded the tubes with wire - that meant I was able to shape it well and it also made the weaving a lot easier! Finally 2 too big eyes and a coat of varnish and the holder was ready 😊


Here is the holder with a small pot in it. The picture really does not do justice to how well it turned out! And once the order was complete, I needed to make one more, since Little Miss had fallen in love with it. So the next one I made was smaller and was more of a pen stand. I reused some of the newspaper tubes from another project and ended up with a yellow and purple snail pen holder.



In recent times I have made quite a few of Tomoko Fuse's modular origami. So for a change, I decided to try out Tom Hull's Bouncy Ball.

The Bouncy Unit Icosahedron, better known as the Bouncy Ball is made from 30 square modules. The folding starts with creasing into fifths. Once the paper is folded into fifths, the strip is folded to form the modules. So thin origami (60 gsm) paper is recommended, as we will be folding 5 layers of paper together.

Assembly is a little challenging, but once fully assembled, the model is really strong. And makes a great bouncy ball!

Model Details:

Model: Bouncy Ball 

Creator: Tom Hull

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Tutorial: Youtube

The Edge Unit A is the first of the modular origami designs from Tomoko Fuse's 'Unit Origami Wonderland'. The edges form a 90 degree angle on either side.

I have folded the cube, made from 12 such modules. The model is quite firm and assembly was not too much of a challenge either. Overall, a pleasing modular to work on.

Model Details:

Model: Cube from Edge Unit A 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Unit Origami Wonderland
 

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches side

Modules: 12

By far, my most professional attempt at my paper weaving projects, this orange and grey newspaper woven cup and saucer is my personal favourite. 

The tubes were actually part of my previous project - a coffee themed oval container. I loved the colour combination, so decided to make another project using the same. 

A lot of planning went into this set - from the way to start off and the method to interchange the colours, the reverse rope pattern in the centre, the edging of the saucer and also the cup - everything was planned. And I must say I am quite happy with the way it turned out. Specifically, I love the cross-pattern of the bottom and the beauty of the edging for both saucer and cup. 

To add durability to the handle, I ended up threading a wire through the 2 main anchoring tubes. So once I varnished it, the handle became incredibly strong. And overall, the cup can hold quite a bit of weight. 


I believe I have waxed eloquent about the project!! I do realise that the height is not even and this is my biggest problem. I am yet to figure out a way to maintain consistency, but I believe I will get there 😊

A modular origami, made from 30 modules, from Tomoko Fuse's 'Unit Origami Fantasy'. I apologise for the quality of the picture. It was just one of those days when no picture came out well! And the poor quality of the paper didn't help.

But to move on to the model, this is a continuation of one of my previous posts, way back in 2014. I got a sudden hankering to make the 30 unit model and voila, here it is! The modules are folded in the same way and assembly was fairly easy.

Model Details:

Model: 30-Unit Modular 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Unit Origami Fantasy
 

Author: Tomoko Fuse

Language: Japanese
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~5 inches

Modules: 30

Restarted folding some models from Ekaterina Lukasheva's book 'Modern Kusudama Origami'. The model I tried now is titled 'Serenade', found on page 28.

The modules are pretty easy to fold. Either 12 modules or 30 modules are needed for assembly. As always, I did the 30-unit Icosahedron assembly.

The instructions suggest using origami paper with colour gradient. Surprisingly, I did have such paper, so I went right ahead and used it! And as can be seen, the paper is lighter at the centre points and gradually get darker near the curls.

The other models I have folded from this book are Rio and Centaurea Cyanus.

Model Details:

Model: Serenade 

Creator: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Book: Modern Kusudama Origami

Author: Ekaterina Lukasheva

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

I love reading, so any time I come across origami bookmarks, I give them a try. Now, this bookmark is a simple and traditional design that I came across while browsing through David Petty's collection of origami designs.

The origami is made from a third of a square sheet of paper. So that basically meant I could make 3 bookmarks from one square! Cutting it into thirds was fairly simple, because it does not have to be perfectly measured. So I just eye-balled the approximate point and cut along that.

Model Details:

Model: Lighthouse Bookmark 

Origin: Traditional (Chinese) 

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: One third of a square

Paper Size: 7 inches * 2.3 inches

Model Size: ~6.5 inches

Instructions: British Origami 

Finally, pictures of the 6 flower baskets that I made for a recent wedding. The baskets really exceeded my expectations. Though they were a lot of work, I absolutely adore how well they have come out!


The pink that I finally worked with, was darker than my trial version. And the contrast with the white, I thought, worked out very well. I used pink polka dot ribbon for threading through the sides. And for the big bow, I used 2-inch pink satin ribbons along with gold 1-inch ribbons.

All the baskets lined up was absolutely eye-catching! In the back ground is the bouquet for the bride, made in a riot of colours - pink, red, cream and gold interspersed with green leaves. The bouquet was made by my very creative sister-in-law - the next picture gives a closer view of the bouquet.


Finally, a single basket. I just couldn't stop clicking pictures of the baskets and the bouquet and now, apparently, I can't stop posting all the pics!! 😂


With the wedding season upon us, my very creative sister-in-law was asked to make some flower baskets and a bridal bouquet for an upcoming wedding. She handled the bouquet while I worked on the flower basket. The newspaper one was the first trial. But once I finished it, I came to know that the flower girls were gonna be really small kids and the basket would be too big for them. So I tried another basket, this time using the wedding colours of pink, cream and white.


Here's a closer view of the second basket. It was pretty rudimentary, since it was, after all, a trial. My main worry was the proportion of the basket to the handle and how well the colour theme worked out. Satin pink ribbons, grosgrain pink polka dot ribbons and gold ribbons ensured that the basket turned out very well. So now, all that is left is making 6 flower baskets for 6 little girls.


Finally, a close-up of the bigger basket. The gaps in the basket would be where we would thread the ribbon. The challenge for the flower basket was that there was no form or shape that I could use to help make the basket. So for making the wide end of the basket, I had only pictures to go by. Thankfully at the end, I got the hang of it. It is not really symmetrical, I know, but at least I know how to do it and hopefully with my experience, I will end up making symmetrical flower baskets 😃

After completing the various cubes from Tomoko Fuse's book 'Unit Origami Essence', I wanted to proceed through the rest of the book. So I moved over to the belt cubes described from page 58 onwards.

Once again, these cubes are made from 6 units. The first of these cubes were pretty easy to fold and assemble. Minor variations have been shown as well. What I have folded is the first variation of the cube. The recommended size of paper is 6 inches (15 cms), but I decided I wanted something smaller, so went with 3.5 inches squares. Even with this size, the model was fairly easy to fold.

The cubes promise to get progressively more difficult to fold and I look forward to the challenge 😀

Model Details:

Model: Belt Cube 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Book: Unit Origami Essence
 

Author: Tomoko Fuse
 

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~1.7 inches

Modules: 6


A Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there! This Mother's Day, I had made a couple of newspaper woven heart containers (photographed only one though) to 2 special ladies in my life - my mom and my mom-in-law.

These two women have always been supportive of everything I do and have encouraged me to go after my dreams. They are both strong women and have been instrumental in helping me become stronger, both mentally and spiritually. And to these wonderful women, I wish a very happy Women's Day :)


To create these heart containers, I decided to use some lovely card stock paper with pink and blue hearts. Little Miss helped me pick out matching grosgrain ribbon for the bows. I went with an odd number of base tubes so that the dark blue/light blue combination would show up better.


I must say that forming the dip at the top of the heart was quite challenging. I still have to perfect it. Since the shape was something different, I ended up having to make a base form. This ensured that my piece did not go out of shape. I have finally got the hang of managing the height of the containers. So in the heart box, the height was pretty much consistent. 


So that's about it. I already have a couple of orders for making these heart boxes. So I'll get cracking and will be sure to post pics of the completed items. And once again, a happy Mother's Day 😃

A round storage box measuring 6 inches tall and 9.5 inches across is my latest foray into the art of newspaper weaving. For this container, I did not paint the tubes, but rather used the regular newspaper tubes with print, to weave the box. Once everything, including the lid, was completed, I painted everything with white acrylic paint. While I was able to get a good, white container, I must say it is much less tedious to paint the tubes before weaving! Painting the nooks and crannies of the completed object is really really tiresome.

Finally, to add some colour, I included some decoupage using decoupage napkins and I must say I love the effect.

The lid has a little bow on top, though it turned out a little too small. But it works as an effective handle.

As soon as the work was done and everything dried up and hardened, Little Miss came right along and picked up the container and declared that it was hers as she had absolutely nothing to store her things! 😄 So that was that. Apparently if I needed one for myself, I better make another one, this one was not available..





My second attempt at making an oval container has been quite a success, if I do say so myself! My first attempt was the blue box which was not that great, frankly speaking. Naturally, I wanted to retry it, but this time I decided to go with a decoupaged cardboard base. And I wanted a closed box, so decided to try the lid as well.

The decoupage tissue was in orange and grey, with a coffee theme, so I went for the same colour combination for my paper tubes as well. The orange came out very well. The grey was a hit and a miss - it looks a little grey and a little brown!



The style of weaving remains the same as before - a Layer-wise Rope Style Pattern. I used 3 grey tubes followed by an orange tube for a total of 32 tubes. The lid was a basic lid with a little loop to help open it. Finally, I double-glazed the entire thing to make it real hard. In addition to making it hard, it made it a little glossy as well, which I am not too happy about. I prefer a matt finish to a gloss one.