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!

Origami Baby Cards

A couple of my co-workers at school are currently expecting baby girls.  Since their due dates are coming close almost at the same time, we are having a baby shower for both of them.  In addition to pitching in money to buy them gifts, I volunteered to make cards for them.

Here is another version of an origami baby card.  This hatching egg model is from Origami Jewelry book.

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!

World Animal Festival 2011

What is your favorite animal?

This is a question I often ask people.  Being an animal lover I am always curious as to what kinds of animals people like.  My favorite is sloths.  Ever since I visited Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, I completely fell in love with these peaceful creatures.  The photo below is Buttercup, an orphaned three-toed sloth that got rescued by Aviario's.  Isn't she the cutest?  She was totally posing for this photo.  She even got that Mona Lisa Smile.  Buttercup melts my heart...!

There are no sloths at our own local Oregon Zoo, but for the past 5 years, I've always enjoyed working there as an origami vendor for their annual World Animal Festival.  I demonstrate, display, and teach my origami work.  There, I ask each visitor my usual question, "What's your favorite animal?" and make whatever the response of the animal I hear in origami. 

It has always been such a treat to visit and work there, and I look forward to this event every year.  This year, I will be working there on Sunday, September 25 from 10am to 4pm at their Elephant Plaza.

Another origami alphabet sign (with geometric origami models)

A few weeks ago, I had posted about a sign that I made with origami alphabet models.  Since then, we made another one.  This new sign was put on another side of the playground fence.

We changed the wording from the last one and also placed some geometric origami models that are two dimensional, just to make it a little more interesting.  We had a bit of trouble laminating so it came out quite wrinkly.  But other than that it came out well in the sense that it's hard not to notice a sign this big and readable.

Most of the geometric models on this sign are from Home Decorating With Origami by Tomoko Fuse.  I have the original Japanese version of this book.  Ms. Fuse is known for her modular origami models and boxes, and this book is filled with her specialty: pretty decorations and practical models that you can use or give as gifts.  It's most appropriate for intermediate to advance paper folders.

Origami for Scrapbooking

My new library program for adults, Origami for Scrapbooking will be offered at Hollywood Library on this coming Sunday, the 22nd from 2 to 3:30pm.  This program is about making scrapbooking more fun by adding embellishments made in origami. You will learn to make easy origami photo corners as well as pretty embellishments including origami bows, hearts, stars and flowers that you can add to your scrapbooks or use for stationary or greeting cards.

This program will also be offered at three other branches of Multnomah County Library over the summer:
Tuesday, June 14  6-7:30pm at Holgate Library
Saturday, July 30 3-4:30pm at Fairview-Columbia Library
Saturday, August 7  3-5pm at Rockwood Library

They are all drop-in classes and of course, free of charge.  Hope to see you at one of these classes!

Origami Alphabet

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to make a sign with the children at my school.  The sign was to urge car drivers around our playground to slow down.  Without a doubt, I decided to make the sign in origami.  I know the instructions for origami alphabet letters.  I taught each child to make one letter from one sheet of square.  We just finished making the sign, laminated it and hung it up on the fence with zip ties.  Here is what it looks like.

This sign stands out so well even from across the street!  For the origami alphabet letters, we used what's called The Greengrocer's Brownbag Paper, cut to 8.5x8.5 square from letter size.  100% recycled, this paper is grocery sack brown on one side and cranberry tint color on the other.  In order to be readable, each alphabet letter needs to be made by a squared paper that is different color on each side, and the back side color needs to be the same as the background color (make sense?).  So using the brown bag/cranberry tinted papers for letters and a piece of natural brown butcher paper for the background worked out very well.

Here is another origami alphabet letter sign that I made a while back, using regular origami papers for letters, glued on white background.  The stand is made by origami too.

Origami Club has the instructions for origami alphabet.  There are two sets of fonts!

Japan Benefit Auction!

There will be an arts & crafts fundraiser (silent auction) for Japan!

I donated two framed pieces I folded and put together, titled "Origami Ninja Star Quilt."

I also decided to donate 3 bags that are handmade by my aunt, who is an amazing quilting artist/seamstress.  She has been quilting for about 30 years and uses a lot of vintage kimono fabric for her work.

This one is a Bento Bag, typically used to hold a Japanese style bento box and such, but as you can see, it's big enough to hold American style lunch.  It even has an outside pocket for tea bags, etc.  (I put stuff in the bag just to take this photo, but it's actually brand new.)

Here is a quilted bag with drawstring, made with kasuri (Japanese ikat) fabric.  Perfect size to put crafting/knitting/crocheting materials.  Again, this bag is never used.

This last one is zippered bag that is perfect to hold A4 size folders or notebooks.  This fabric is Oshima Tsumugi, a special silk made in a small island off Kyushu.  I hear that the process of making this kimono fabric is extremely long and complicated (My aunt didn't make the fabric, she just used it).  As you can see, the pattern is so intricate and beautiful.  Never used of course.

I went to drop off my donations to the auction organizer today, and I got to see some really cool handmade items!  I don't have any photos, but there were knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories, handmade necklaces, earrings, purses, stuffed dolls, photographs, paintings, drawings, pop art prints, books, felted goods, to name a few.

I hope that there will be a lot of people to bit on items at the auction!

Art Show at Collins Gallery!

I am very excited to announce about my art showing at Collins Gallery, the 3rd floor of Central Library in downtown Portland!  My origami art pieces are in one of the glass cases there, along with 11 other teaching artists who regularly teach at Multnomah County Library locations.  They are on display from now through mid-June.

I have been teaching library classes now for the past three years. Back in last fall when I heard about this opportunity to show artworks at Collins Gallery as a teaching artist, I jumped at the chance.  I've always loved the historic building of Central Library.  I still remember when I first stepped into the building... with the big open staircase, marble floors, and high ceilings.  That was probably when I was a college student, and I never could have imagined that I'd be doing this back then.  I feel extremely honored to exhibit my art pieces in such a beautiful place, as my first "formal" art show!

Please visit the 3rd floor of Central Library, if you are ever in the area!  Here is more info about the exhibition.

Origami Mushrooms

Here is a photo of an artwork that I recently created with the children for the school auction.

Each of these mushrooms is made out of a special origami paper that is polka dots on one side and complementary solid color on the other.  I applied the style of Andy Warhol portrait artwork where identical images are repeated in different colors, but handmade in origami.  Aren't they cute?  I hope it will sell!

What are these creatures?

Here is a photo of a greeting card I folded last month.  I hope people can tell what these creatures are, if they have seen the movie.  I am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and so excited to honor my all-time favorite characters in the form of origami!  I found the instructions of this model from Aruchu Masa's website (アル中MasaのおつまみGAMES!）.

photo by An Vu.

I gave My neighbor Totoro soundtrack album to my friend's toddler daughter for Christmas, and for the cover of the CD, I made something similar to the card above.  When I gave it to her, she recognized Totoro right away, and that made me so happy. It was like, I made it just to see her recognizes it.  This is one of many reasons why I love making origami.  Every time after I make something I show it to someone recognizes it or to see a reaction.  I know everybody else who loves origami can relate to me!

P.S. I also gave her another CD, which was a collection of all the Hayao Miyazaki movie songs.  I drew a picture of Kiki and Gigi from Kiki's Delivery Service as its cover.  She recognized them in my drawing as well!