Origami Christmas Tree Decorations

I remember that the Christian high school that I attended in Japan had a Christmas tree with apples as ornaments.  I don't know whose idea it was to decorate that way, but I thought it was strange not only to see apples hanging from an evergreen tree, but also to use the "forbidden fruit" as ornaments.

In our household we don't have a Christmas tree, but if we had one, I would of course love to decorate it in origami!  Since I never get to do that, I was really excited when my school asked me to decorate a Christmas tree with the kids for our neighborhood business, especially since the "neighborhood business" was Cavalia!  They have been performing in Portland, and their tents are set near our school.  They offered to do a special performance for some school children in the area including ours.  Cavalia also asked our school to decorate a Christmas tree for them.  The school put me in charge of this project.

For the past week I had been teaching the kids how to make origami ornaments.  We made 4 different kinds, about 50 ornaments in total.

3D snowflake design found at Papar Zone

Six pointed star found here

Step 8 of this frog model assembled together to make these ornaments.

My own design by simple accordion folds and gluing ends together

I also made an origami horse as a tree topper.  This origami horse model is from a little book I picked up at a 100 yen shop and by Makoto Yamaguchi (it is called 親子で折るおけいこ折り紙上級).  I used wet-folding method for the first time for this model.  Wet-folding is a technique developed by origami artist Akira Yoshizawa, and many origami artists who like more realistic looks on their models use this method.  Wet-folding creates more curves instead of geometric sharp edges that comes from normal origami folding.  Since it was my very first wet-folding model, it didn't look perfect but I think it came out pretty cool!  Thank you RC from POPS for giving me tips on wet-folding.

Here are some photos of the Christmas tree taken at Cavalia.  I got to go to the show as one of the chaperons for our school children.

The entire Cavalia performance was breathtakingly amazing and beautiful.  I enjoyed every second of it.  Since photographing was not permitted during the show, unfortunately I don't have any photos to share.  But we were allowed to photograph during Q&A after the show.  It was such a holiday treat to get to watch this special Cavalia performance!

Furoshiki

In traditional Japanese culture, people used furoshiki, a square piece of wrapping cloth to transport kimono, bento, gifts and many other things.  After the use of plastic bags became common in the post-war period, the number of furoshiki users almost diminished.  In the recent years, however, the trend of using furoshiki has come back again along with the eco-friendly movement.  Just a square piece of cloth can be wrapped in so many different ways, kind of like origami.  They also come in different sizes, designs, and types of fabric.

My sister found this furoshiki in Japan and gave it to me.  The design motif of the fabric is paper cranes!

I can wrap a bottle of wine to take it to a party, like this...

When I go to check out some books at a library, I can wrap the books like this:

Or, if I am going to a spa and need to bring change of clothes, I can wrap them like this.

Really, they are so versatile, eco-alternative to plastic bags and elegant alternative to eco-bags.  This website shows many techniques on how to wrap furoshiki.  You can buy one there, on Etsy, or many other places.  You can also use just a square scarf as a wrap cloth too!

Origami Caravan Auction for the Japanese Orphanage

I recently read an article on the rebuilding updates in the northern part of Japan after the March 11 disaster.  The article shows a few sets of photos, and each set includes a shot of right after the disaster, another shot at the same location after 3 months, and finally the 3rd shot being 6 months after.  It's this article.  You can see how much progress people have made recovering each area over time.  There surely is a lot of progress.  But the photos prove that it takes time to come back from something of this magnitude.

If you are wondering how you could help, here is an exciting opportunity to help some orphans from the disaster, especially if you are an origami enthusiast like me.

Mr. Makoto Yamaguchi, one of the foremost origami creators, has a volunteer project called Origami Caravan, which started as several visits to evacuation centers with origami paper and books, in order to lift the spirits of the survivors.  Now the project has progressed to collecting donations for the orphanage in the affected area.  Origami Caravan came up with this idea of asking some renown origami artists to donate their original artworks, and auctioning off those items online so they can donate the profits from the auctions to the orphanage.  What a great idea!

You can read more about this project and bid on the items from the official site of Origami Caravan.  The auctions are happening on eBay as of right now (Nov. 5, 2011) and will go on at least for a few more days.  A new item comes on every day.  Participating artists include Makoto Yamaguchi, Tomoko Fuse, Michael LaFosse, Satoshi Kamiya, and many more.  This is a rare opportunity to bid on an original artwork of an origami artist that you always admired, for a very good cause!

Fall Decorations in Origami

After some rain, temperature drops, and color changes of foliage, it really feels like we have entered into the fall season here in Portland.  I personally prefer summer over fall, but with Halloween being my favorite holiday of all, I am excited to be in October.  I love Halloween not because I am big on dressing up in costumes or trick-or-treating (too old for that, of course).  I love Halloween because I love doing Halloween themed crafting projects with kids, giving away candies to trick-or-treaters at my door, and all the spookiness that come with the holiday.

A few years ago just before the Halloween season, I received a donation of a big orange butcher paper roll from a parent at my school.  I decided to cut the paper into a square and make an origami jack-o-lantern out of it.  It turned out to be about actual size of a pumpkin, PERFECT.  Pretty soon, I started making a bunch with the kids at school.  A year after, I proposed a new library program about it, which turned out to be a huge hit.  I never would have come up with this idea if I didn't receive the donation of the orange butcher paper, so I am very grateful for it.

So here they are... the life-size jack-o-lanterns in origami!  ...And the little ones to go on the Christmas lights too.

I am offering the Fall Decorations in Origami program at just one Multnomah County Library location this fall.  The program includes how to make a 3-D, life-size pumpkin in origami, using orange butcher paper. You will also learn to make bats, ghosts, and other fall-themed characters in origami as well as kirigami (folding and cutting paper art).

Saturday, October 22  2-4pm at Gresham Library.  It's a drop-in class, this program has always been very popular and often full.  Arrive early to reserve yourself a spot!

Origami Flowers

I just received a very unexpected, lovely gift the other day.  It was a bundle of beautiful origami flowers with a thank you note from the youth librarian at Woodburn Public Library, where I taught an orizomegami workshop last month.  I put them in a vase, and now it's displayed on my work station.  How lovely!  Thank you, Jeannie!

Students Rebuild's Crane Art Installation for Japan

I recently received an e-mail announcement from Students Rebuild, a non-profit organization that was collecting paper cranes for rebuilding efforts in the tsunami-affected part of Japan back in March.  I had sent them over 1,400 cranes made by people at the camp, the school and the senior residency, all of where I teach (read this post for more details).

Back when they were asking people to donate cranes to match their money donation from Bezos Family Foundation, they said that their intention was to make the paper cranes into an art installation.  Now with a help from an artist named Vik Muniz along with some volunteers, they have turned the cranes into a beautiful photographed piece.  It's exciting to know that those cranes made by us are included in this big piece of art.  They made the photograph into posters, and they are now for sale on Students' Rebuild website.  The proceed will go to aid long term recovery and reconstruction.  For more details about this project, read this article on the New York Times.

Photograph by Andrew Moore for The New York Times

Sidewalk Art

One of many reasons why I love living in Portland is how abundant its art scenes are.  There are arts everywhere, not just for sale or for formal display, but also just for fun, like the ones that I found on sidewalks during my walks.  It's fun spotting things like these on grimy streets.

End of My Working Summer

Today was the last day of my camp job.  This is my 5th year working there, and as always, it has been crazy, exhausting but fun-packed, amazing and inspiring 6 weeks.  I feel relieved and sad at the same time that it's over.  It's almost impossible to try to describe how special this camp is for me, or for anyone who is involved.  One of many reasons why it is so special is because of all the amazing, creative people that I get to work with.  I feel so privileged to work in such an inspiring environment.  Here are some photos from there.

Stage Arts from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Origami dress-up paper doll made by a camper

 

Scarlet Macaw puppet made by Puppetry Specialist

1,000 paper cranes as prayers for world peace

Framed Ninja Star Quilt made by the campers for the camp auction

 Small paintings by campers in Fine Arts Center

Beaded earrings made by Native American Assistant.  They were gifted to me.  What a sweetheart.

 A scene from Fiddler On The Roof on the last day

Orizomegami

Not to be confused with origami.  Origami means folding paper in Japanese.  Orizomegami means folding and dyeing paper. It is a paper dyeing method that is used to create patterns on liquid absorbent paper.  This art form is relatively inexpensive and also easy to learn and to achieve beautiful result.  The finished product can be used as gift wrap, book cover, collage material, or anything else imaginable.

Recently, I went to teach an orizomegami workshop for teens at a library just outside of Portland.  They experimented with different folding patterns, papers and colors.  Of course, it came out different every time, like an kaleidoscope.  The moment of unfolding paper to see the result is an exciting, kind of like opening a present!

After papers were dried, we made greeting cards out of the dyed papers.  Here is a card that one of the teens created for her mom's birthday.  She said the dyed paper (coffee filter) is an umbrella.  It really does look like an Asian umbrella!  Beautiful!

I've made greeting cards with orizomegami before, but I had never thought of using the round ones like this.  I got so inspired that I made a greeting card using a dyed coffee filter as a sunburst, with a gold origami crane flying into the sun.  I should've had the photo of it, but I just realized that I already sold it at my camp auction.  I gotta have to make another one to post it here...

Origami House Gallery in Tokyo and Nippon Origami Museum at Narita Airport

While in Japan, I visited two origami exhibits that were both amazing.  One was Origami House Gallery, operated by one of my favorite origami artists, Makoto Yamaguchi.  In the glass showcases, I saw a lot of pieces by Satoshi Kamiya and Eric Joisel, both of whom were featured in Between the Folds documentary.  They create the most complex and realistic origami models that I have ever seen.  I didn't take any photos there because they don't allow it, but you can see some of the artworks in their website here.  There, I also found out about Japan Origami Academic Society and became a member.

The other origami exhibit that I visited was Nippon Origami Museum at Narita Airport.  I have been there when I traveled through Narita last time, but I'm glad to visit there again and to snap some photos. 

There were just too many art pieces to share in this blog but the photos above are of some of my favorites.  Compared to the artworks that I saw at Origami House, these are closer to my style so I can relate more.

Next time when I visit back home in Japan, I would love to visit Nippon Origami Museum in Ishikawa-ken.  I've been wanting to go there for quite some time now, but I just didn't have time to make it this time.  It's supposed to be the biggest origami museum in the world!

Origami Caravan by Makoto Yamaguchi

It has been nearly three months since the huge earthquake and tsunami hit in the northern part of Japan.  Unfortunately, American media hardly covers about Japan anymore, despite the initial hype right after the disaster.  But I have been following Japanese news on the internet, and many of the headlines are still about the affected area and the people, as well as the nuclear reactors.

A lot of things have changed since March 11, and a lot of other things remain the same.  Some people who lost homes have moved from evacuation centers to temporary housings (such as prefab homes, empty apartment units and hotel rooms), but many people still live in evacuation centers.  Huge piles and piles of rubble of what used to be some people's homes are in the process of being cleared away.  It sounds like it will still take a long time before the survivors can recover their lives, not to mention their sorrow for the losses of their loved ones.

Makoto Yamaguchi, an origami creator based in Tokyo, has been visiting some schools and shelters in the affected area with a few other volunteers.  He is calling his team Origami Caravan, already made two trips to the north so far and plans to go back again.  They delivered boxes full of origami papers and books, which were donated by his publishers, vendors, and supporters.  He taught origami during his visits as well.  Mr. Yamaguchi is doing this project with a notion that origami can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere, and anytime, and that it can help healing the people's spirits.  You can see some photos of his first trip here and of the second trip here.

I found out about this project when I recently visited the website of Gallery Origami House, which is owned by Mr. Yamaguchi.  I planned to visit this gallery when I was going to travel through Tokyo back in March, but I had to cancel the trip so I never made it there.  When I reschedule my trip to Japan (which is hopefully soon), I would definitely love to visit the gallery.  And if the timing works out, I would love to join Origami Caravan as well!

Alpacas and Winery Tour

Itching to have a getaway day trip from Portland, my partner and I just drove to Sherwood area.  While looking for a place to visit, we found out that this weekend, an alpaca farm in Sherwood is open to public, while many wineries in the same area are open for wine tasting.  Ever since I heard about alpaca wool being much warmer than sheep wool and hypoallergenic, I've been curious about alpacas.  I wanted to see what they are like.

The alpaca farm is just 30 minutes drive from southwest of Portland in Sherwood, Oregon.  We enjoyed the drive through the rolling hills.  As we arrive the farm and come close to these animals, I keep hearing funny noises that they make, different from any other animals I've heard.  It's hard to describe or try to imitate the noise.  They are just as funny looking as they are funny sound,  but soooo cute!

After the visit to the alpaca farm, we visited a winery nearby for wine tasting.  Unfortunately, I am ultra sensitive to alcohol so I just let my husband enjoy it.  But it happened to be sunny at the moment, and the scenery there was beautiful, so it was definitely worth visiting.

It's so gorgeous out there that made me wish that I could sit on one of these chairs and fold paper all day!  I bet I can be so inspired by the beauty there.

Looking at the alpacas at the farm made me want to make an origami alpaca after I got home.  I seem to do this every time after I see an animal.  I didn't know of any origami alpaca instructions, but I realized that I do have a book with an origami llama. Which made me think what's the difference between alpacas and llamas anyways? 

I ended up researching on the web, and I found out that the llamas are roughly twice as large as alpacas.  Llamas have very coarse outer coat over softer inner coat, as opposed to alpacas, which have very fine, single coat. In addition, llamas produce far less fiber than alpacas, despite its much larger size.  This is because alpacas have been domesticated and carefully bred for thousands of years as a luxury fiber-producing animal. On the other hand, llamas have been bred for the same amount of time as pack-carrying animal.  But they are very similar in looks.

So here it is, my origami alpaca.  He currently lives in my succulent garden pot.  But I will eventually move him in my origami farm diorama.

The origami llama/alpaca instruction can be found in Fun with Animal Origami by John Montroll.  I should do a book review on this sometime.

Succulent Garden Pot

Today my husband and I did planting and replanting of our house plants.  We were especially excited to create a potpourri with a mix of succulents that we had collected for the last few months in a donabe (Japanese earthen pot).  Ever since I broke its lid, we talked about doing this and were slowly collecting little succulents that we like.  Now the pot holds a mix of beautiful succulents instead of a mix of yummy food.  It's almost as good as having food inside. 

More and More Paper Cranes for Japan

I just read another update on the Students Rebuild's Paper Cranes for Japan project.  Last time when I checked, which was about a week ago, they had received over 610,000 cranes, well over their goal of 100,000.  This tireless effort from all over the world triggered Bezos Family Foundation to decide to double its initial donation to $400,000.  Since then, Students Rebuild continued receiving more and more cranes, reaching 1,000,000!  They had also just received anonymous donation of $100,000, raising $500,000 in total for Japan!

Inside my bag

I sometimes see female bloggers disclosing what's inside their purses and makeup bags.  I have nothing interesting in my makeup bag, maybe except for an Ebony pencil that I use to draw my eyebrows.  But I thought perhaps I could show what's inside my bag that I carry around wherever I go to teach.  People often ask me where I get my materials, and there are some special items that I always recommend.  So here it is...

This is my big purse, made by Ellington, a local handbag company.  It has many pockets inside and out.  I love it.  I use it not only for my teaching excursions but also for other trips.  It's so versatile.  I have a friend with the same bag in another fabric as a diaper bag.  She loves it too.

In this bag, there is always this tin box for all my origami papers, which keeps them wrinkle free.  It was originally a gift box for Japanese cookies.  Depending on the lesson I'm giving that day, I switch which kinds of papers to put inside, but typically I have a big economy origami package purchased in Japan.  They are so much cheaper to get over there, so I stock up on them whenever I go back home.  But when I'm in a pinch for origami papers, I buy at Anzen, Uwajimaya or Kinokuniya.  They have the best selections of origami papers I've found in Portland area.

I also carry around this stuffed animal... no, it's a pen case!  Isn't he so adorable?  A lot of children become envious of my doggie pen case.  It was a gift from a Japanese boy I used to tutor, and I think his mom got it in Japan.  I know, so many cute things are from Japan.

Inside this doggie, you will find a Signo Uniball 0.28mm pen, permanent markers (bold and thin tip ones), a Japanese calligraphy brush pen, metallic colored gel pens, a glue stick, a bone folder, a Hello Kitty mechanical pencil and an eraser, lead refills, a small snap blade utility knife, a metal bookmark, and self adhesive photo squares.  Obviously, not everything in here is for origami artwork, and some are for manga drawing and card making.

My favorite items among these are the Signo pen, the utility knife, and the self adhesive photo squares.  This pen writes really well, and the point is extremely fine.  It makes a good manga drawing pen too.  As for the utility knife, I don't even remember where I got it.  But this Stanley Snap Off Knife 9mm might be similar to mine.  I find it easier to use than an X-acto knife.  I also like that it's smaller than a regular utility knife for household chores.  I often cut a piece of paper after folding it, putting the blade between the folds and sliding it across.  I also use this utility knife to make straight cuts, by putting the bookmark next to the blade.  The self adhesive photo squares are great to use when I need to glue papers together but am afraid that glue might make it messy.  They stick much better than regular double-sided tapes.

Questions on any items?  Do you have any materials that you recommend for origami art?  Please e-mail me!