The origami lotus is yet another traditional, modular model and one that I had tried out recently. The assembly for the lotus is different from what I had done till date.

After folding the individual modules (there are a total of 8 modules for the flower and 4 for the leaves), we assemble the modules in sets of 3 (2 flower modules and 1 leaf module) and tie them together. Once everything is held tight in place, then we start forming the petals and leaves.

The beauty of the flower lies in the way the petals are shaped. The inner petals can be closed into the centre to give the appearance of a flower just starting to bloom. I think mine has the look of a fully opened flower.

Altogether, an interesting and ingenious model to fold.

Model Details:

Model: Lotus

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Rectangle

Paper Size: 5.5 inches * 3.5 inches

Model Size: ~4 inches

Modules: 12

Tutorial: Youtube 

The peacock is a beautiful bird and I have been trying to fold it for quite some time now - ever since I got the book 'Origami Sculptures' by John Montroll. And I did manage to fold it on 15th August. That is the Indian Independence Day, and in case you did not know this, the peacock is the national bird of India - an added incentive to fold!

The paper I had used was blue/dark blue origami paper, 9 inches square. The resulting bird had a height of about 6.5 inches and a wing span of 6 inches. Double-sided paper works well, especially the colour combination I had selected :)

Making the peacock stand by itself was quite impossible for me. The reason being that the wings turn out to be quite heavy. So the bird kept falling backwards! But other than that, I am pleased with this peacock..

Model Details:

Model: Peacock 

Creator: John Montroll

Book: Origami Sculptures
 
Author: John Montroll
 
Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 9 inch squares

Model Size: 6.5 inches tall, 6 inches wing span

In case you are wondering what I have been doing with that bunch of cherry blossoms I had done previously, here you go..

All those cherry blossoms were made specifically for some special invites. My brother and sister-in-law had recently constructed their office (till now they have been renting out a place) and were planning a small ceremony for dedicating the office to our Lord Jesus Christ. So these invites were sent out to some relatives, some of their clients and other well-wishers.

Both of them had wanted a handmade card which would imply a personal touch. So, being creative people, they made these beautifully personal, hand crafted invites. The paper used was handmade paper in lavender and white. As you can see, the invite was made of 2 layers, the one on top was slightly shorter than the layer below. We had used brown twigs for the cherry blossoms, to give it a more authentic feel. The company logo and name (Capstone) were visible in the left corner, along with the words 'You are cordially invited'. The inside of the card has the actual invite and a list of services provided by Capstone.

I grew quite fond of this card - my sister-in-law and my brother at their creative best, and I quite enjoyed helping out with the card. And lot of those who received the invite were also very appreciative of it :)

One of the first earrings that I tried was, naturally, the origami star earrings. Once I became more adept at making these tiny earrings, I tried my hand at more complex pieces and that is when these rainbow earrings came into existence.

These are made with 16 units each and once assembled, I glazed them to give them added strength. The best part about origami earrings is that they are super light! So Little Miss is quite delighted to possess it, though it is a tad too big for her little ears!!

Origami Lemon and Green Sun Earrings

Cherry blossoms are beautiful flowers that grow in abundance in Fall. When one thinks of a cherry blossom, one tends to think of Japan :) These flowers, called Sakura in Japanese, have a variety of uses including culinary ones. The flowers are usually white in colour with pale pink near the stems.

And I wanted to give these lovely flowers a try. I found a very simple traditional design for folding these flowers. It involves a little cutting though.

The reason I have made so many of these little flowers is that, I have a project in mind; or rather, my sister-in-law has a project  for which she needs these flowers. Will be posting on that soon :)

Model Details:

Model: Cherry Blossoms

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2 inches

Model Size: 1 inches

Diagram: Origami-club

Here is the final cube from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra'. The Ninja Star Cube is also made from 12 modules. The one I tried is the second cube. This one is a bit more ornate than the original ninja star cube. It has got a couple more folds which gives a little variety to the folds.

Each face of the cube has the shape of the star in the middle. The star is clearer in the next picture.

Model Details:

Model: Ninja Star Cube 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 2.25 inches

Modules: 12

Before trying the Ninja Star Modular Cube, I tried out one last cube. This is again from the book 'Modular Origami Polyhedra'. As before, this is from the chapter on Decoration Box System. Almost all the cubes have the same heading, namely, 'Modular Cube', so I am also using the same name :) To be more specific, this is the 8th cube in this chapter. The design is by Lewis Simon.

When I looked at this model, I liked the shape which is different from the usual cube shape. This looks a little like the last modular cube I did, but with more pronounced truncated corners. Assembling the model is different from usual for me. An interesting model to fold :)

Model Details:

Model: Modular Cube 

Creator: Lewis Simon

Book: Modular Origami Polyhedra
 
Author: Lewis Simon, Bennett Arnstein, Rona Gurkewitz
 
Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches

Model Size: Square cube with approximate side of 2.25 inches

Modules: 12