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

 

After trying out this modular wreath by Lidiane Siqueira, I attempted another of her wreaths, the Marieta Madala, a Christmas themed wreath, folded from 8 modules.  

It would, of course, look best with paper coloured red on one side and green on the other. Since I didn't this paper, I decided to go for red and green single sided origami paper. I like the way this has turned out and I think it would make a great addition to my Christmas tree. 

Model Details:

Model: Marieta Mandala 

Creator: Lidiane Siqueira

Difficulty Level: Simple 

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inches (7.5 cms) 

Model Size: ~4 inches across

Modules: 8

Diagram: Criativa'rte

With Christmas in the air, I decided to make a little Christmas wreath for my Christmas tree. This wreath is designed by Francesco Guarnieri and is made from 8 modules. It is pretty easy  and quick to do and makes a great addition for the Christmas Tree.

My first attempt was using white washi paper with red flowers, contrasted with plain red paper. Quite liked the contrast in this. But for a more traditional Christmas look, I guess the usual red-green combination works best. The model works best with double-sided paper. 3.5 inches squares were ideal for my requirements, and resulted in a great about 6 inches in diameter.

Model Details:

Model: Stella Ghirlanda / Star Garland

Creator: Francesco Guarnieri 

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3.5 inches square

Model Size: ~6 inches in diameter

Modules: 8

Instructions: Origami poesie di carta

Tutorial: Youtube

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

This origami star, designed by Enrica Dray, is a modular star made from 8 modules. It is really simple to fold and beautiful and elegant when completed. The star has a slight 3-D effect, since the top layer does not lie flat against the lower layer. The back of the star (Second pic), I thought, was as beautiful as the front!

2 contrasting colours work best for this model. Since I have a very bad eye for colour selection, I used the net to find out 2-colour combinations and liked the black-beige yellow the best. Origami 60 gsm paper, 3 inch squares, 4 of black and 4 of beige yellow, resulted in a star about 4 inches across.

Previously, I have folded the Mina Kusudama, also designed by Enrica Dray. Like the star, the mina kusudama was also easy to fold and assemble. It is of course, made from 30 modules, so it is more time-consuming than the star, but equally satisfying to work on.

Model Details:

Model: Star 

Creator: Enrica Dray

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 3 inch squares

Model Size: ~4 inches across

Modules: 8

Tutorial: Youtube 

I am always on the lookout for some easy origami to teach Little Miss, my daughter. And when I find modular origami that she can do, I am doubly delighted. So yesterday, I happened upon this beautifully easy modular action origami, the origami magic circle and of course, had to immediately fold it. It is so simple that it took me all of 15 minutes to fold and assemble the 8 modules!

Each module starts from a waterbomb base. When assembling, absolutely no glue is required since each module locks well into the adjacent module. When assembled, the model resembles a flower (second pic). When the pointy ends are turned inwards, they end up meeting in the middle and the model becomes a circle.

A few tips:

* Use double-sided paper. Copy/printer paper is perfect for this model. This will ensure that the uncoloured side of the paper is not visible at the open end.

* If kids are attempting the model, use paper that is at least 4-5 inches in size. Little Miss, who is 6, found it difficult assembling the model when I gave her 3-inch square papers (slotting the two tabs simultaneously into the two pockets turned out to be frustrating for her).

Model Details:

Model: Magic Circle

Origin: Traditional

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 5 inches

Model Size (circle): ~5.5 inches

Model Size (flower): ~8 inches

Modules: 8

Tutorial: Youtube

I am not sure of the creator of these origami pleated boxes. My guess would of course, be Tomoko Fuse. But I am not able to find any reference to the box in any of her books. Unfortunately I do not remember where I learnt to fold this either. And I do not remember the name of the box either. Since it has got a whole bunch of pleats, I just call it the pleated box. So, not knowing any of these details, I have had little success in finding out the creator. But for now, I am tagging it as Tomoko Fuse.

The box can be made from a variety of paper. I have tried mine with wrapper paper, hand made paper, origami paper, printer paper and it turned out well in all of them. The one made from origami paper (the variations-in-blue one) is my favourite. I tried it out in a variety of sizes too. From 5 inch squares to 2 inch squares. All look fantastic I think :)

Model Details:

Model: Pleated Box 

Creator: Tomoko Fuse

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Modules: 4 for the base and 4 for the lid

I love folding wreaths and rings, especially the 3D variety. And recently, I found this Alpha Centauri Ring, designed by Martin Sejer Andersen, a good and easy ring to fold. It is a 3D ring, made from 8 units. The fold starts with dividing the paper into thirds. You can of course, approximate it and fold, but much simpler to fold a template and use that to fold the other modules. The Youtube tutorial (link towards the end of the post) clearly demonstrates the way to go about it.

A great Christmas decoration I think. And with Christmas fast approaching, I think I should get busy making these in Christmas colours :)

Model Details:

Model: Alpha Centauri Ring 

Creator: Martin Sejer Andersen

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 2.75 inches

Model Size: 2.5 inch diameter

Tutorial: Youtube

Modules: 8

The Multi Points Star, by Ilan Garibi, is a great addition to my origami collection this Christmas. The stars are modular, easy to make and can be used to make stars with as many points as required, starting with 6 points.

I realised that paper that is thicker than usual origami paper works great for this model. So I ended up using printer paper, wrapper paper etc.

I tried with various sizes of squares as well, starting with 2 inch squares and finished with 4 inch squares. All looked great!

Model Details:

Model: Multi Point Star 

Creator: Ilan  Garibi

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 1.5 inches upto 4 inches squares

Modules: 6 modules and above

Tutorial: Youtube 

The Origami 4-star box is one of the very few models that I was able to fold from the Origami Tanteidan Vol 17. I was actually quite delighted to find that I could actually fold one of the models, given the complexity of the origami!

The box is a modular pattern, 4 modules for the lid and 4 for the base. The lid and base are folded in the same way except (1) the walls of the base are higher than the lid and (2) the spiral of the base is folded into the model so that it isn't visible at the base.

I found the model interesting to fold in that, usual modular boxes are folded as 2D and in the final step they are converted into 3D. But in this one, the model no longer lies flat from the second step after the precreasing. And of course, the folding the spiral into the base wall was also something new.

Model Details:

Model: Four Star Box

Creator: Toshikazu Kawasaki

Book: Origami Tanteidan, Volume 17

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 5 inches squares

Modules: 4 for base and 4 for lid

Assembling 8 units of Tung Ken Lam's jitterbug modules results in cubactohedron. I like the paper I have used for this model - 8 pieces of printed origami paper, 3 inches square. But overall, I did not like the outcome. I just was not able to get crisp sides, no matter how well I creased.

As far as stability goes, the model is quite stable. 4 units are made with 2 corners folded in and 4 with 1 corner folded in. The folded in part forms the pocket. The corners slot into the pockets very well and the connections are very strong. So I used no glue.

Model Details:

Model: Jitterbug Cuboctahedron

Creator: Tung Ken Lam (creator of jitterbug units)

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper size: 3 inches

Number of modules: 8

Tutorial: Origaminut.com