Thursday, January 1, 2015

File It Under: Where to Find This Next Winter

It's a good, good life.  It's a wonderful life.  It's also become a life where I'm generally two steps behind!  Ah well.  I can work with that, I suppose.  (I'm loaded with tricks.)

Our local art museum features a monthly Crafternoon for families.  It's exceedingly well done -- three craft projects that are interesting to do AND to have around the house afterwards, as well as being manageable for little ones and also engaging for adults.  It's very inexpensive, and, honestly, gathering the supplies for and executing three projects at home would cost more on my own (and I really love crafting with my kids!).  December's projects were beaded snowflakes, felt wreaths, and paper ornaments.  I had just a minute to learn to make the ornament, but I was so captivated by it that I made myself a tutorial for next year!

 Fold an origami square in half diagonally.

 Fold it in half again, forming a triangle.

 Hold the triangle so that the bottom edge could open.

 With the triangle closed flat,
make at least three cuts.
DO NOT cut all the way across.
Try to leave the same margin at edge for each cut.

 When you open your paper, 
it should look like this.

 Using double-stick tape,
roll in the innermost two flaps.
Because it's tiny, I use a pencil or the scissor tips
to help me make them stick together.

 Now, TURN IT OVER.
Repeat with the second set of flaps.

 TURN IT OVER AGAIN.
Repeat.

 Turn it over again. 
Repeat until all flaps are matched with corresponding flaps.

 Punch a hole & string it.
Beautiful for hanging in arrangements in windows.
Sela experimented with making more cuts.

 I experimented with making a star.
I cut two pieces of origami paper into 4 squares each.
(You need only 6 of the squares.)
I made 6 ornaments, 
and using double-stick tape at the bottom tips
put together two sets of 3.

With more double-stick tape,
I combined the two sets.

This one is small enough to hang 
with the Christmas cards or from the mantle.
Sela made one with regular origami paper
that is large and looks beautiful hanging in the window.
They have an wondrous way of feeling as though
they bring in light.
So lovely in these winter months!

(Happy Winter, You, and Merry Christmas 2015, Me!)

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