My final sonobe variation for now, from the book "Marvelous Modular Origami" by Meenakshi Mukerji is the Origami Swan Sonobe, assembled into an icosahedron and made from 30 modules. 

The icosahedron assembly is another that I love making. And in this icosahedron, you can see the swan pattern visible in each of the face. 

Recently, Meenakshi Mukerji, in her Instagram account, had announced a giveaway. Check out the post to find out details of the giveaway. The idea is folding as many of her models as possible, so that gives me added motivation to fold her models!! Though I think I am done folding the sonobes for now. Anyway, do participate if possible and take part in the giveaway :)

Model Details:

Model: Swan Sonobe - Icosahedron

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Marvelous Modular Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches across

Modules: 30

 The third of the models that I tried was the Origami Striped Sonobe, assembled into an Octahedron, from 12 modules. The assembly is, of course, different from the Large Cube assembly from my last post. 

The Octahedron is formed from pyramids, in rings of 4 pyramids. I love this assembly - it is easy but at the same time, looks quite complex. And the striped sonobe modules give it a nice touch. 

The colour combination is the same as my previous models - deep blue, light blue and yellow. The size remains the same - 3-inch squares. The resulting octahedron is about 3.5 cms (~1.4 inches). It fits nicely into the palm of my hand! A super-cute model :)

Model Details:

Model: Striped Sonobe - Octahedron

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Marvelous Modular Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~1.4 inches side

Modules: 12

 Continuing my theme from my last post, I folded the Snow-Capped Sonobe this time. The assembly is in a large cube, made from 12 units. This is the first Snow-capped sonobe. There is a second one too, but that required folding thirds at one point, so I gave that a miss!!

I have previously folded this model, but had assembled it into an octahedron. But this time, since I am trying to go as sequentially as possible, I assembled the large cube. By the way, this is the third model in the book, the second one being the Striped Sonobe.

This is also folded from 3-inch squares. While the large cube is larger than the cube, it really isn't that much bigger! Each side measures ~1.1 inch - not much different from 0.8 inch, is it?? 

Model Details:

Model: Snow-capped Sonobe - Large Cube

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Marvelous Modular Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~1.1 inches side

Modules: 12

 

After working on the Origami Hearty Cube by Meenakshi Mukerji, I decided to delve back into my other origami books by the same author and decided to try out some of her Sonobe Variations. 

I love folding the Sonobe and am quite excited about folding some of the variations in the book "Marvelous Modular Origami". Check out my Poinsettia, one of the models that I had previously folded from this book. 

So this time, I started with the very first model in the book, the Daisy Sonobe. This is folded from a square and is not too difficult to fold. Different assemblies are possible - the cube, large cube, octahedron, icosahedron and dodecahedron. While I love folding the octahedron and the icosahedron, I decided to start with the cube. The cube is, of course, folded from 6 units. 

The assembly is pretty straight forward, It is easiest to assemble 4 in a straight line, then connect the end units and finally attach 2 units - 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom. 

I have used 3-inch squares to fold and this resulted in a really small cube - about 2 cms side (~0.8 inches). So if folding a cube, a square of at least 5 inches is advisable. 

I hope to try the other assemblies using the other variations in the book. Hopefully soon!

Model Details:

Model: Daisy Sonobe Cube

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Marvelous Modular Origami

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: ~0.8 inches side

Modules: 6

Well, it's been a month since Valentine's Day and I finally did Meenakshmi Mukerji's Hearty cube!! 😅😅 I have procrastinated quite I know, but unfortunately work has been taking it's toll 😒

The cube, that has a heart on each side, is made from 6 modules. Each module is folded from half a square - a rectangle of ratio 1:2. So the easiest way to do it is to cut 3 squares into 6 modules. 

Origami paper with different colours work best, as that would mean the hearts would stand out. Instead of the traditional red, I decided to go with a light yellow origami paper, with little flowers on one side. Am quite pleased with the way this has turned out 💛

It is a simple modular origami and would be a great model to try out for beginner origamists. 

Model Details:

Model: Hearty Cube

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Exquisite Modular Origami II

Author: Meenakshi Mukerji

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 6 inches * 3 inches

Model Size: ~ 1.5 inches in height

Tutorial: Instagram

Number of Modules: 6

So, I am continuing my projects from the past couple of months - making paper woven products in which the original paper print is visible. This was a bigger box than what I have previously done - about 7 inches tall and 5 inches in diameter.

Nothing much else to say! Not sure what I think of this one.. It is very practical, because it is quite big. But I need to shape it a little better I think!

 A good experience - a woven box in red and white, made from recycled newspaper! I love using a combination of red and white, this is one of my favourite colour duo and looks bright and lively ❤

This box was woven using the same design as my previous one, except for a change in colours. And of course, the decoupage paper that I used was also different. 

The box is fairly big - 8 inches in diameter and 10 inches in height - and has a cardboard base. I think that adds strength to the box. Like in my previous box, I have used 2 types of weaving. The bottom one ensures the bright red stands out and the top white is the best background for the decoupage. 

The lid is made on the same lines as the base. Absolutely adore the little woven knob. The rest of the weaving was the regular, 2-strand weaves. 

So, how do you like it??

After the pen pot from my previous post, I worked on another of the paper woven products - this time using a mix of painted and original newspaper tubes. I must say I am quite happy with the way this one turned out.

This was a desk tidy, about 4 inches in diameter and about 5-inches in height. I made a pair of them, in contrasting colour combination. 

I love how nice and sturdy this desk tidy is! And I love that the print is visible! But the best of this is the combination of colour and original!

So, what do you think?? Would you like to have one of these desk tidies on your desk??

 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Well, this year for Valentine's, I decided to fold a long-pending model that has been on my to-do list for the past 3-4 years. Every year I miss Valentine's Day and decide to fold the model the next year. Finally, this year, I actually remembered to give this model a go. 

This is an origami wreath, designed by the amazing Francesco Guarnieri! I love folding wreaths - they are modular origami and I absolutely adore modular origami and they are quick to fold, given that they usually require 8 modules (as opposed to the usual 30-unit modulars that I fold). So this origami Garland of hearts (Ghirlanda di cuori) fit the bill very nicely. 

I used double-sided, red-pink 60 gsm origami paper, which turned out perfect for this model. 7.5 cms (3 inches) squares resulted in a wreath that measured about 12.5 cms (~ 5 inches) in diameter. 

Folding the individual modules started off easily enough. The last couple of steps, where the 3-D heart is folded, was a little tricky. Loved the way the heart locks into place! The join between the modules is easy and very stable - absolutely no glue required for this one! Overall, a lovely model to fold. 

For this Valentine's Day, why don't you give this a go? 

Model Details:

Model: Origami Garland of Hearts (Ghirlanda di Cuori)

Creator: Francesco Guarnieri

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch square

Model Size: ~ 5 inches across

Modules: 8

Instructions:  Origami poesie di carta

 

 So I have been experimenting with making some woven products using the original newspaper tubes, without colouring them. 

This was the first of them - a pen or pencil pot. This time I tried both ways - one I made using only the newspaper tubes, no colour. The next was made from wood-coloured tubes. What do you think? Which is the one you prefer?

Personally, I prefer the original tubes with no colour. I like that the paper is seen and anyone seeing it would know that it is made from paper. But if I want to hide that it is actually paper-made, then the colouring one works out well.

Here's to a blessed new year 2021! Well, the year has had a good start for me and I was able to work on my first order for this year - a box made from newspaper tubes with a touch of decoupage. 

I am very happy to see the results of all the practice I have had during these past few months! Quite delighted with how pleasing and utilitarian this box turned out to be! 

The box is 8 inches in diameter and 10 inches in height. In this instance too, the client just specified that she wanted a big box with decoupage. So that meant, I got to choose the colours and the design!! Yay!!

 

I went for the peach/white combination from my last box as I absolutely love this decoupage tissue. I love how pleasing these roses are! The base was made from a cardboard and I started by gluing the sticks to the base. 

I used 2 patterns for the sides. The first was a 3-weave pattern as I wanted to accentuate the white. This was followed by a peach section, since I wanted the decoupage to stand out here. 

The lid also started with a cardboard base with decoupage on it. Quite happy with the way the decoupage turned out! In love with these little woven knobs! They are so adorable!!

Finally, I finished off with some round felt protectors, since the colour is quite light and I didn't want the box to turn dirty very quickly! 

So, here's to a year of newspaper weaving and plenty of orders 😄😄

Happy New Year 2021!

 

A little origami modular to start the New Year 2021! Happy new year! 

This nice little modular, called Origami Rain Star is designed by Aldo Marcell. I have folded a couple of his models before - the Origami Tornado and the Origami Cyclon. And so I was quite excited and scared of folding this one! The Origami Cyclon was really a difficult one to fold! But this turned out to be a joy to fold and assemble and very economical to boot! 

This model is folded from a rectangle 1:3 in ratio. So I used double sided origami paper, 7.5 cms in size. I divided the paper into 3, so the pieces I ended up with were 2.5 cms by 7.5 cms. The individual modules were quite easy to fold. And the assembly was also surprisingly easy!

 What surprised me the most about this model was the size of the finished model. 1-inch by 3-inch rectangles, I expected a small model. Turns out this model was quite different! The final model measured approximately 4 inches in diameter.

Double-sided paper works best and I love the way those little stars show up when the modules are assembled. 75 gsm origami paper works best for sizes that I usually fold. 

Model Details:

Model: Rain Star

Creator: Aldo Marcell

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:3

Paper Size: 1 inch by 3 inches

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Instructions: Stranamasterov.ru

Tutorial: Youtube