Making an Origami Memory Box (aka Jungle Canopy!)

This post is totally belated!  However I finally got around to fixing and editing my photographs so I thought I would swing by and tell you about a project that I finished for my friend.  She approached me and asked me to do an awesome origami wrapping for a baby shower present and I was definitely up for the challenge!  I played with a couple of ideas, but the biggest problem that I kept coming up against was the fact that no matter how artfully I arranged the origami on the wrapping, when someone unwrapped it the composition would be destroyed and no longer useful (and who wants that!)  

I thought about making all of the origami pieces removable magnets, and I even considered velcro!  Then it dawned on me:  Why not make an origami memory box and house the gift inside?  This is ultimately what I ended up doing.  Michael's had a sale on memory photo boxes (3 for $5!) so I snagged a earthy-toned brown one and got to work.  

The theme I decied on to match the card was "Jungle Canopy"!  I pulled out some green bond paper and made a ton of leaves to create my "canopy."  The canopy itself is compromised of about 23 leaves.  I used a tutorial that I found over at Bloomize since I needed something simple that could be repeated fairly quickly.  To compliment my leaves, I then cut out some grass that I pasted on the top and all the way around the bottom part of the box.  On the one side, I even created a lake for my origami alligator.

I bought a pack of animal print origami paper from Aitoh that thankfully came with some diagrams for animals.  I settled on a big elephant, the aforementioned alligator, and an origami tiger.  Each one required two sheets of paper and I wouldn't reccomend these diagrams for any child or novice.  They required an already established knowledge of how to fold and I found that often one step was actually 3 squished into the same picture.  I have a one track mind so that never goes well!  I decorated the rest with a small folded prarie dog, pelican, and then 9 pretty butterlies that I jazzed up with a silver paint pen.  I folded a few more leaves for the name tag and wrapped the lid with some green raffia I had lying in my craft cart.

Overall, I am so pleased with how this came out and i would love to make another one in the future!  I'm not listing any in my shop since each is really a unique creation, but I would be open to custom requests for something similar or different.  I would LOVE to try a fantasy themed one! Origami unicorns anyone? 

Investigating the Origami Mecca! Origami Kaikan

Right before I left Japan, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a place called the "Origami Kaikan" in Ochanomizu, Tokyo.  Origami Kaikan is one of the six cultural treasures of the Bunkyo Ward.  It was established in during the Ansei period 1858 as a center for the dying and manufacturing washi papers.  It felt really wonderful to be there again (the last time I made the trip was back in 2006!)  The building has a variety of floors and each has a different purpose: classrooms, origami store, paper store, gallery/exhibition space, etc.  In the store I was able to pick up a few interesting kits to learn to make new things (including a cute dragon cellphone strap)!  Times like this I wish I was still living in Tokyo so that I could attend origami classes and use the resources. I was really amazed at the level of complexity of some of the models they had in their exhibition space.  The paper selection was also absolutely crazy.  I wish that I had an opportunity to be spoiled like that!

If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, the Origami Kaikan is actually pretty easy to get to.  You need to take the JR Chuo line (which connects with the Yamamote Line) to Ochanomizu Station.  From there, it is only about a 4-5 block walk and might take 7 minutes or so.  Their website has a useful map in English if you need some guidance.  Even if you do not fold origami yourself, if you have any appreciation for traditional handmade papers and papercrafts in general, this would be a rewarding experience!

Doll of the Month: Airi

I finally found time to do some new photographs, and so we have a new Doll of the Month!  Her name is Airi and she is part of a new line of dolls that I have been working on.  Airi's name (愛梨) has the characters for "love" and "pear."  A while ago I received a message from a customer browsing the site who said that all of the dolls had these cute and bright colors, and she said she would be interested in some dolls that had a slightly more mute palette.  Well, Airi is my attempt at toning down a little bit of the brightness while using unique color combinations for an original look.  She is the first new doll in a while and I really love her look!  She is part of a whole new family of chiyogami dolls that I will be uploading in the next few days so stay tuned!

There are only four of Airi, and once they sell I do not have the paper to make more.  I had originally bought the paper for her haori and kimono to frame and put above my entertainment center.  So Airi's unique look is really from the remnants of that paper.  

I think one thing I really love about her is the variety of textures.  Between the gold decoration on her haori and kimono to the horizontal striping in her mauve obi, I just really appreciate the overall feel of this doll.  I used a new type of paper that I am experimenting with for the orange in her kimono and sakura flower.  It is a korean unryu paper called Woon Yong Gie washi paper.  The paper is "threaded" because of all of the rice paper strands within it which gives it this cloudy, marbled look.  So far, I am digging it!  I will close on this last photo of Airi's mate, Arata who is a perfect match!

Happy Holidays and Kort Linden's Tea Motion

Wow...  When I saw the date that I last blogged, I almost fell out of my chair.  I had been so stressed out by the end of my semester that I think I rolled up into a ball and refused to come out once it is over!  I am writing from snowy Pennsylvania and I must say that it is wonderful to be home.  I will keep this brief since my internet access is limited, but I just wanted to wish all of you a happy holiday and great new year!  I will be in flight on my new years, but I will try to have a glass of champagne nonetheless! #1 on my new years resolution (aside from the obligatory "lose weight") is to spend more time blogging on here!

Although my announcement is a little belated, I received a message from a reader, Kort Linden, who created an origami stop motion video for an internship contest.  I gave it a look, and I think you will all appreciate it as much as I do.  I really love stop motion origami because it gives paper-folding a whimsical touch as it comes into being without the visual interference of human hands.  The paper cranes in this short video come to life from the wrapper of a tea bag... Now if only I could get my own paper cranes to come to life and pour me a cup!  Kort needs more views to promote his video, so in the spirit of the holidays, please send some his way and spread the word. It is a really cute and artistic inclusion of origami!

Singin' In the Rain... Wearing Origami Rain Boots!

It is raini"Origami Me" Rain Boots by Plueys ($66)ng in Southern California!  It is a welcome change from the sunshine and it really reminds me of an autumn back home.  As a kid, I used to always love puddle jumping around my neighborhood.  When it would rain, my family would all sit out on the front porch and watch the cars try to make it through the flooding that always occurred... They are some of my fondest memories!

I was walking on campus yesterday and I was shocked at the amount of students that own pretty rain boots (especially in an area where it rains three times a year if you are lucky!)  The weather doesn't really warrant me spending money on a pair,  but if I could, these pink Origami Crane Plueys Rain Boots would do the trick.  Don't you think?  

Origami + Rain = Terrible Idea

but!

Origami + Rain Boots = Genius!