The Flat Sonobe is yet another variation of the Sonobe, designed by Tomoko Fuse. The Icosahedron of the Flat Sonobe is made from 30 units. Assembly is the same as all icosahedrons, with 3 unit triangles which are used to form 5 unit rings.

The 30-unit version does require glue to hold it together. So be sure to have some glue handy before assembling this one. 6 or 12 unit versions can also be made, which are fairly easier to make.

Model Details:

Model: Flat Sonobe

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Number of Modules: 30

Well, it is past Christmas, but that doesn't mean that I can't post a tutorial to make Christmas paper globes :) These globes are very easy ornaments to make and can be a good craft for turning waste into wealth. I have reused a lot of Christmas greetings, left over card stock, to turn out these pretty globes.

Now on to the tutorial:
What is needed?

• 20 cards - either greeting cards or card stock. I prefer greeting cards, since they add a lot of colour and bring out the Christmas spirit.
• Something to draw a circle from. I usually use a cup with a circular mouth.
• Glue or stapler. Stapler works just fine if you are using greeting cards and the pins are hardly visible. If solid colour card stock is used, then glue will be better.
• Glitter, rubber stamps or anything else that takes your fancy and can be used to decorate the globe.

Steps:

1. Using the circle, cut out 20 circles from the greetings/card stock.
2. Next, fold an equilateral triangle into the circle. You can just eye-ball it and fold 3 corners to form a triangle.
3. Once you have folded the triangles, take 5 of the circles, and join together, either glueing or stapling them as shown in the picture. You will need to make 2 such sets. They form the top and bottom of the globe.
4. For the centre of the globe, join the remaining 10 circles in a straight row so that alternate triangles face the same side.
5. Make a circle from this by joining the ends together.
6. You are almost done :) Once the circle is formed, 5 tabs can be seen, where one of the sets made in Step 3 will be stapled/glued.
7. Do the same on the other side and you are done.
8. Decorate the globe using glitter, rubber stamps, ribbons, buttons and anything else you like. Add a loop to hang it by and you are done :)

A Kabuto is a Samurai helmet and is a part of the Japanese armour. The origami Samurai Hat, though, is a beginner origami that takes about 2 minutes to learn! They are fun to make and are great as party hats. The hats can be made from any kind of paper, starting with newspaper! But they look best when made from dual coloured paper, so try it out :)

Btw, here is a little titbit about the Kabuto - this little helmet was the inspiration for the helmet of Darth Vader in the Star War films.

Model Details:

Model: Samurai Hat or Kabuto

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Instructions: Origami Instructions

Tutorial: Youtube

Model Size: ~2.5 inches

The Snow-capped Sonobe is another variation on the Sonobe created by Mitsunobu Sonobe. This variation is created by Meenakshi Mukerji and is from her book 'Marvelous Origami'. 

Two-sided paper, coloured on one side works best for this model, though that is not what I have used!

Model Details:

Model: Snow-capped Sonobe 

Creator: Meenakshi Mukerji

Book: Marvelous Origami
 
Author: Meenakshi Mukerji
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Modules: 12

Christmas is almost here!! I love this time of the year. And this year, to add to the usual joy of Christmas, I will also try and add as many posts on Christmas origami as possible :) And to kickstart this season of love, here is a Sunken Sonobe 3 unit assembly.

The usual 3 unit sonobe assembly is called Toshie's Jewel, folded by Toshie Takahama. The sunken sonobe is a variation from the sonobe units, one I like a lot! The units are not that easy to assemble, at least the 3-unit version of sunken sonobes, but they make lovely Christmas tree decorations.

Model Details:

Model: Toshie's Jewel and Sunken Sonobe

Creator: Toshie Takahama

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Modules: 3

Instructions: Sonobe Unit, Assembly 

This is actually a very simple modular star, made from simple square bases. I had actually done this as a wealth-from-waste project, using some left over wedding invitations that my brother had given me. His invites were a gorgeous combination of red and white and I also loved the texture of the card. So I reused the card to make a simple star ornament. Just a bit of glitter and I was done.

And I will also post a tutorial on making the star. It is quite simple and would make lovely Christmas decorations..

Model Details:

Model: Simple Modular Star

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 5 inches

Number of Modules: 5

Instructions: PaperNPearlz

The Icosahedral Star is a modular origami from Miyuki Kawamura's book 'Polyhedron Origami'. The star is made from 30 Star Modules. The modules are quite simple to make and can be used to form quite a few other stars as well such as Cube Star, Octahedral Star, Cuboctahedral Star.

Each of the pointed ends in the Icosahedral Star is made from 3 modules. 19 such points are required for the star.

The model isn't very stable though, and does require some glue. It looks good in almost any paper.

Model Details:

Model: Icosahedron Star

Creator: Miyuki Kawamura

Book: Polyhedron Origami

Author: Miyuki Kawamura

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 4 inches

Number of Modules: 30