The Sweet Spring Kusudama is a very simple but very elegant looking origami kusudama, designed by Natalia Romanenko. Each unit is a combination of 2 or 3 smaller modules. Why do I say 2 or 3? Because, while the instructions I found online require 3 modules, you can make do with just 2 of them. 

The basic module is an origami pig base. This is formed from a square. To this module, we add 2 modules folded from a rectangle. This forms the star and a wavy loop on the star. Well, I didn't want the wavy bit, so I stopped with just the star. Hence had ended up with 2 instead of 3 modules. 

So once these units are assembled, the kusudama is formed by inserted 1 unit into the next. The assembly is very simple and the model holds well together. 

I have been meaning to use indigo coloured paper for a long time now, so I clubbed it with orange paper to give me a very bright sweet spring kusudama! 

Have you tried out this kusudama? Do give it a go, if you haven't. 

 

Model Details:

Model: Sweet Spring Kusudama

Creator: Natalia Romanenko

Difficulty Level: Low Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square + Rectangle in ratio 1:2

Paper Size: 3 inches square / 3 inches by 1.5 inches rectangle

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 60

Instructions: Paper Finger Cuts

Tutorial: Youtube

 

The Estrella Flor Kusudama is a modular origami created by Erny. Like my previous post, the Mt. Fuji Kusudama, the essential shape of this model is also a sonobe. And to form the sonobe modules, a total of 30 squares of paper is required. It works best if we use 15 squares of 1 colour and 15 squares of a second contrasting colour. That will bring out the flower pattern very well.

Each of the 15 squares are cut into 2 rectangles of ratio 1:2. So finally, to make the model, we will be folding 60 modules. 30 of these modules will form the flower shape and the other 30 will form the sonobe shape. The flower modules are slotted into the sonobe modules before starting the assembly. While the task seems quite daunting, the folding is not very difficult, though a little time consuming. Assembly is the usual sonobe assembly - 3 pyramids grouped in clusters of 5.

I quite like the colour choice I had made - dark purple and a light violet (or would that be mauve?) The final model is not too large, since I had used 7.5 cms squares. I decided to make it into a hanging ornament, so ended up with tassels and some beads to form the ornament.

Model Details:

Model: Kusudama Estrella Flor 

Creator: Erny

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:2

Paper Size: 3 inches by 1.5 inches

Model Size: ~4 inches in diameter

Modules: 60

Instructions: Folding in the air

Tutorial: Youtube

Recently, I had the pleasure of being a part of a farewell party for outgoing students of a class. This was the culmination of a 2-year intense study for a masters degree. Naturally both the outgoing students and the students who were giving the farewell were very excited and at the same time emotional.

For me, it was a chance to be around young minds, marvel at their creativity and guide them when I could. Given that origami is one of my keen interests, the students wanted me to incorporate a little bit of origami in their celebrations. So when I came across this idea of making invitation boxes using origami, I went ahead and did exactly that!

Since black and white were the event colours and personalised invitations were the need of the hour, I chose a variety of black and white single sided paper to make the invites. The paper is fairly thick, 120 gsm, which means the folding is not very complex 😀

The photo above is the invitation in the closed position. The 2 halves of the heart serve as handles to open up the invite. See below for the open one.

Model Details:

Model: Invitation Box

Origin: Traditional 

Difficulty Level: Simple

Paper Ratio: Square or Rectangle

Paper Size: 12 inches * 7 inches (While the tutorial calls for a square sheet of paper, since I wanted a different size invitation (4*3 inches), I worked with a rectangle sheet of paper.

Model Size: ~4 * 3 inches

Tutorial: Youtube

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

With Palm Sunday tomorrow, these crosses made from palm leaves should come in handy, I hope :) So here is a quick tutorial to make a palm cross, in 10 simple steps..

Let's start. All we need is half a palm leaf, removed from the central vein and a pair of scissors.

1. Measure and cut the palm leaf to 20 inches. It helps if the size of the leaf is more or less the same throughout. So cut off the top bit, where the leaf narrows down and the bottom bit where it is quite thick, and cut out 20 inches from the remaining leaf.

2. Holding the leaf straight up, fold down the top half of the leaf at 10 inches from the bottom. Fold the leaf forward and ensure that it is perpendicular to the straight  bit.

3. Fold the bit from Step 2 around and behind the straight part of the leaf. The fold will now be in the opposite direction to the previous step.

3A. This is a close up of the folded corner.  You should be able to see the little right-angled triangle, formed from Steps 2 and 3.

4. Fold the arm in the right, again to the left, so that the right-angled triangle (Step 3A) is now hidden. Ensure that this fold is in the front and not behind the previous folds.

5. Now, make a small look (about 2 inches) and again fold to the right. This forms the first arm of the cross.

6. Repeat on the left, to get the second arm of the cross. But ensure that this fold is inbetween 2 layers. You should be near the end of the leaf now. So the last bit will go behind the fold in Step 5 and before the crease of Step 4.

6A. This gives the side view of the layers where the 2 arms of the cross meet. You can see the last bit of the leaf tucked inbetween 2 layers.

7. Almost there! Next, fold down all the layers (the 2 arms of the cross), so that the back of the cross is now seen. You should now be able to see a little square where the arms meet. Ensure that you do not let go of any of the layers here.

8. Now take the other end of the leaf and insert it into the square of the junction of the 2 arms. This might be tricky the first time. If you look into the little square, you will be able to see a little triangle (folded in Step 3). Now the leaf should be inserted above the triangle and below the square. This is the most crucial step that holds the cross together.

9. Slowly pull the end upwards completely. When it is fully through, it will lock the two arms in place. Now the difficult bits are over :)

10. Reinsert the long arm (now at the top), back into the square, as in the previous step. Pull it down slowly and stop when you have about 2 inches between the top and the square junction. This forms the 3 arm of the cross. The bottom bit is the fourth arm.

The cross is now complete :)

The two side arms can be adjusted, in case you feel they are not proportionate. And once you have completed the cross a couple of times, you can just eye-ball the length and finish off the cross in a jiffy..

Hope you have a blessed Palm Sunday.

 After the tutorial for making the masu box, here is the tutorial for the lid :)

The lid is made from a square the same size as the base. In spite of that, it needs to be slightly larger than the base so that it fits well. And I like my lid to be of a lesser height, so that it is easy to open the box. So with a few changes to the masu box, here is the masu lid! :)

I have explained in a lot of detail, so that all steps are clear. So though it make look like a lot of steps, it isn't very difficult to do. Please drop a comment if any step is unclear.

Time Required: ~10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Simple
What is needed: 

• 2 squares of paper, both measuring around 8 inches.
• Pencil or pen to make some markings
• Paper clips
• Glue

How to Fold:

1. The green square is the one that will be used for the lid.

2. Follow Steps 3 to 7 in the masu box tutorial, so that all four corners are folded to the centre.

3. Unfold the masu box completely and fold the four corners to the centre. The yellow one is the unfolded masu box. We need this so that we can fold the lid slightly larger than the base.

4. Place the 2 pieces face-to-face so that the folded corners are inside. We are going to align the pieces so that the folded edge of the lid lines with the first crease of the base (marked with a dotted line in the base).

5. Align the lid exactly on top of the base, as shown. Use a paper clip to hold the pieces in place. Once you get the hang of this, you will no longer need the paper clips :)

6. Turn it over so that the base sheet comes on the top and the lid at the bottom.

7. Now fold the part of the lid that is projecting out, over the base. You will notice that the edge of the lid does not line up correctly with the crease in the base. This will ensure that the lid is just a tad bigger than the base. Repeat Steps 5 to 7 for the remaining 3 edges.

8. Open up completely and place the paper so that the coloured side is facing you.

9. Fold in half so that one edge meets the other but don’t crease fully. Only crease from the edges to the next crease. Repeat for the other edge.

10. Unfold and turn over so that the white side faces you.

11. The next crease is going to be made using the 2 consecutive creases, marked in Step 11.

12. Fold and align the marked creases, so that you have a new crease mid-way between them. This will be the actual height of the box. You can play around with this fold, to make the lid a little taller or shorter than this. Repeat the fold for the other 3 sides.

13. Open up. You have now made all the creases necessary for folding the lid.

14. You can reinforce the crease made in Step 12 to ensure that the sides of the lid is sharp.

15. Fold opposite corners as shown and life up to form 2 sides of the lid. The corners will not meet in the centre, as in the base, but rather, will overlap and touch the opposite edge.

16. Now, the steps are the same as the base. Push in the the corners on the third side. The paper will naturally fold in on existing creases. Use paper clips, if required, to hold in place.

17. Fold down inside and crease well. 3 sides now completed.

18. Repeat on the 4th side. Crease the edges well. Since the sides are shorter than the base, you will need to glue down the parts that were folded in.

19. Refold your base. Cover the base with the lid, it should fit perfectly :)

When I had posted these masu boxes earlier, a friend of my mother's, a very creative lady herself, had remarked on my Facebook page that these boxes very amazingly beautiful :) Well, that gave me quite a high! And got me busily working on the tutorial that I had promised in the post.

On an aside - If you have followed my previous tutorials, I usually make them from Google's Picasa's collages. But lucky me, I found a new collage maker called 'Picture Collage Maker Pro'. I found the software remarkably easy to use and am quite fond of this new tutorial! What do you think? Is it better than my previous ones?

Well, to continue with my tutorial, today I will post the one for making the actual masu box. It is relatively simple and can be done in 10 minutes, tops.

Time Required: ~10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Simple
What is needed: 

• 2 squares of paper, both measuring around 8 inches.
• Pencil or pen to make some markings
• Paper clips
• Glue

How to Fold:

 

1. I am using paper coloured on a single side, yellow for the base and green for the lid.

2. Well, the yellow will be the one in this tutorial.

3. Flip the paper over so that the white side is facing up.

4. Fold along the diagonal and pinch the centre. Don't crease the entire diagonal. You are just trying to find a centre point.

5. Open. Fold along the other diagonal and again, pinch the centre.

6. The two pinches from Steps 4 and 5 should have intersected at the centre. I have marked it with 2 perpendicular lines. You can mark it with a pencil if it isn't very clear.

7. Fold the 4 corners to these markings and crease well.

8. Unfold 2 opposite flaps.

9. Fold the folded edge to the centre as shown.

10. Repeat for the opposite flap.

11. Open up fully and turn it over so that the coloured sided faces you.

12. Fold in half so that one edge meets the other but don't crease fully. Only crease from the edges till you hit the creases made in Steps 9 and 10. Repeat for the other edge.

13. Unfold and turn over so that the white side faces you. You have now completed all creases for folding the box!

14. Fold opposite corners to the centre.

15. Lift the 2 sides on existing creases (made in Steps 9 and 10) and push in the the corners on the third side. The paper will naturally fold in on the crease made in Step 12. Use paper clips, if required, to hold in place.

16. Fold it down inside and crease well. You now have 3 sides completed :)

17. Repeat on the opposite side and you are done!

The flaps inside the box can be glued down for a cleaner look. If you wish to do that, please hold on till my next tutorial, cos we need to undo this box a bit, to get the right side for the corresponding lid.

While origami kusudamas and other modular oriami pieces are great decorations for Christmas, one must admit that they are not the simplest of decorations to work on. They are usually time consuming and, in my case, unless I start preparing for Christmas at least a month in advance, I find that I have very few pieces to decorate my house with.

That is where paper crafts help me out a lot! Paper craft decorations usually include glue and cutting and snipping but they are simple to make and I can get my daughter, Little Miss, to help me out as well!

One such is this modular star that I had done last year. I had also meant to post a tutorial but never got around to it. With Christmas around the corner, now is a great time for this tutorial! I hope you enjoy making this star :) Here are the instructions (Click on the picture for a larger one)

What is needed: 

• 5 or 6 squares of paper – about 4 – 5 inches is ideal. Thick paper is the best for making these stars, preferably card stock. 5 squares will give a 5-armed star and 6 would result in a 6-armed star. 
• Glue
• String
• Glitter, colours, paints, anything else that can add beauty to the star

Steps: 

1. For each of the squares of paper for the star, 
2. Fold in half, left to right, and unfold.
3. Fold in half, bottom to top, and unfold. 
4. Turn over
5. Fold one diagonal and unfold. Turn the paper over again
6. If you press the center of the square, the paper will start to fold down by itself, along the diagonal and the folds of steps 2 and 3.
7. Flatten down the folds to form a square. This is a square base in origami.
8. Repeat for the other 5 or 6 squares
9. Place one square base on top of the other and clip them together
10. Continue clipping the squares for the remaining pieces. Add the string in between 2 square bases. 
11. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, apply glue to each of the clipped surfaces – ensure that glue is applied to the whole surface, else there will be a big gap in the middle of the star. Apply some extra glue to the string to hold it securely in place. Clip the glued star till the glue dried completely.
12. Decorate the star to your heart’s content and hang on your Christmas tree!

After trying Yuri Shumakov's vase yesterday, I decided to try out the next vase - or rather, box - by Katrin Shumakov.

The Bonsai Box is a popular origami box, designed by Katrin Shumakov. As boxes go, this is a complex origami, one that I have always been scared of trying, thinking that it will be too complex for me.

Now that I finally tried it out, I realised that it wasn't as complex as I feared! The best part of the box is that, unlike the other boxes/vases from Oriland, this has a good, wide mouth, that makes it a very convenient box to hold little things that are always scattered around my house.

Model Details:

Model: Bonsai Box 

Creator: Katrin Shumakov

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: Square

Paper Size: 8 inches

Tutorial: Youtube

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 :)

So, remember the kiddie bracelets that I had made about a month back? For my daughter and her friends? And remember I promised a tutorial for that?? So here is my promised tutorial. It is quite simple to make, so have a go..

What you will need:

• Rectangular pieces of paper. You will need an even number of pieces. Around 20 - 22 pieces works for a regular size. You might need more or less depending on the size of the pieces.
• If the paper you are using is thick (like copy paper, handmade paper, wrapper paper) and if the edges are smooth (if you have used scissors or a paper cutter, then the edges will be smooth), then cut out rectangles in the ratio 1:4. 1 inches by 4 inches is a good size to start with.
• If the paper you are using is thin (like most magazine paper) or if the paper does not have even edges, then cut out rectangles in the ratio 1:2. 2 inches by 4 inches is the usual size I use for bracelets I make for adults. 1.5 inches by 3 inches works well for my daughter's bracelets.
• Tweezers or something sharp to help insert the last bit

Instructions:

Making the Unit - Type 1

If you have cut rectangles in the ratio 1:4, then make units following these steps (Click the picture above for a larger image):

1. I have used 3 colours for the bracelet. White, black/white, black.
2. Fold the rectangle in half, along the longer edge.
3. Fold in half to form a smaller version of the long rectangle. This is the completed unit. Repeat the same steps for the remaining units as well.

Making the Unit - Type 2

If you have cut rectangles in the ratio 1:2, then make units following these steps. There are a couple more steps involved, but the resulting braclet is sturdier than the first one. (Click the picture above for a larger image):

1. I used wrapper paper with a blue design on the front and plain blue on the back. I have started with the plain blue at the top.
2. Fold in half length-wise.
3. Unfold.
4. Fold the right edge to the central crease from Step 2.
5. Repeat with the left edge.
6. Refold along the central crease from Step 2.
7. Fold in half, from top to bottom. This is the completed unit. Repeat for the remaining units.

Making the Bracelet Chain

1. All the units beautifully folded before making the bracelet! :)
2. Hold one unit vertically and fold another unit around it horizontally, leaving enough space for inserting another unit. In the picture, the white is wrapped around the black.
3. Fold the leg of the vertical piece as shown. The leg will now aligned with the horizontal unit.
4. Fold the triangular leg back so that it lies on the horizontal unit. The clip is not necessary. I just needed something to hold the fold in place while photographing it!
5. Flip over so that the edge AB becomes BA. The leg is now at the top.
6. Repeat Step 3 again, as in the picture.
7. Fold over the triangular leg as in Step 4.
8. Add the next unit, this time horizontally.
9. Repeat the steps, folding the traingular bit and folding back over the previous unit.
10. Flip over, so AB becomes BA. And repeat the steps. Continue till you have the required length of bracelet.

Completing the Bracelet: 

1. Once you have completed the required length of bracelet, you will need to complete your bracelet. For this, take the last legs of the unit and insert into the space you left in the first unit of the bracelet.
2. You will need to put in a little effort, along with efforts from a tweezer in all probability, to ensure that all the bits and pieces are pushed into the little space.
3. You will need to repeat the same steps, to form the triangle and fold back.
4. You will need to repeat the same steps, to form the triangle and fold back.
5. The bit that is standing out has to be pushed behind the unit below that. Repeat the same with the other leg. This will go on the inside. A little more effort than the front leg, but not too difficult.
6. Annnnnd... Tada!! Your bracelet is complete :)