Uniya Filonova's Cassiopeia Kusudama has been on my to-do list for quite some time. Finally, this Mother's Day seemed to be the right occasion to try out this eye-catching design.

Did you know that Cassiopeia is actually the name of a constellation? Yep! And in the kusudama, the stars do stand out, but this modular reminds me more of a flower than a constellation. What do you think?

Getting back to the kusudama, it is made from 30 modules, with each module folded from a rectangle in the ratio 1:3. So one square will yield you 3 modules. I had used 3 inches (7.5 cms) squares that I cut into 3 rectangles. So each rectangle measured 1 inch (2.5 cms)  by 3 inches (7.5 cms). The end result was a ball about 3 inches (7.5 cms) in diameter.

While I did find both the instructions and the tutorial (links below) a little confusing initially, once you get the hang of it, the modules are very easy to fold. And even with the size I had chosen, it was not difficult to fold the individual modules.

Double sided paper works best to bring out the star. I had used some very precious paper that I absolutely love - red with white dots on one side and yellow on the other. Very happy with the selection and with the result.

The assembly is interesting - you have to try it out to appreciate it. It does not involve the usual pocket and flap assembly that you usually see in modulars, rather, one petal is folded into the adjoining petal. Very interesting and very robust. Assembly is without any glue.

Finally, a happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Little Miss has decided that this modular is going to be her gift for me!! 😆😆

Model Details:

Model: Cassiopeia Kusudama 

Creator: Uniya Filonova

Difficulty Level: High Intermediate

Paper Ratio: 1:3

Paper Size: 1 inch by 3 inches

Model Size: ~3 inches in diameter

Modules: 30

Instructions: Stranamasterov.ru

Tutorial: Youtube

A Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there! This Mother's Day, I had made a couple of newspaper woven heart containers (photographed only one though) to 2 special ladies in my life - my mom and my mom-in-law.

These two women have always been supportive of everything I do and have encouraged me to go after my dreams. They are both strong women and have been instrumental in helping me become stronger, both mentally and spiritually. And to these wonderful women, I wish a very happy Women's Day :)

To create these heart containers, I decided to use some lovely card stock paper with pink and blue hearts. Little Miss helped me pick out matching grosgrain ribbon for the bows. I went with an odd number of base tubes so that the dark blue/light blue combination would show up better.

I must say that forming the dip at the top of the heart was quite challenging. I still have to perfect it. Since the shape was something different, I ended up having to make a base form. This ensured that my piece did not go out of shape. I have finally got the hang of managing the height of the containers. So in the heart box, the height was pretty much consistent. 

So that's about it. I already have a couple of orders for making these heart boxes. So I'll get cracking and will be sure to post pics of the completed items. And once again, a happy Mother's Day 😃