Playing with Origami

There's a high school craft fair here in Flagstaff that I've participated in for several years. Sinagua (pronounced "sin-ah-wha") is the last local event of the season, and I love vending there. It really is a craft fair, too, and not an art venue at all. People come from all over Northern Arizona looking for handmade Christmas presents - small, creative affordable gifts. And since there are people who look for me there every year (the organizers even give me the same location), it's tradition that, for about month ahead of time, I'm in the studio playing with new ideas and having loads of fun figuring out what new and fun presents to offer this year. Recycled art and origami both go over pretty well with the folk who come through, so I thought I'd focus on that first. Here's what I've come up with - a Tiffany ball ornament made of colored advertising newspaper inserts.

First, you make five of these:

 

And glue them together to make this:

 

Once you've assembled 12 flowers, you start gluing them together:

 

Until you have assembled two modules of six flowers each:

 

Add a ribbon hanger, a few beads, some bling, glue the two halves together, and *walah*:

 

A cool holiday ornament! And the bulk of it would have been thrown away...I love it!

Here's another one, made from color coordinated scrapbook papers, sans bling:

They're fairly labor intensive, but I'll be making several for the show, and a few extra for the family. The family...every year they can't wait to see what crazy repurposed/recycled newspaper thing I've come up with. And I just can't wait to set these out at my booth!

I'm seriously considering writing this project up as a three hour class. What do you think?

More to come soon...Thanks for visiting!

Comments

[Fi]

I love this!. So simple. So effective. I can just imagine sitting around the kitchen table with a bunch of friends and a few drinks, having a laugh and creating these. Thankyou.

[sharon]

Hi Fi (no offense now, but that's too funny for words)! Thanks for stopping by and scribbling on the wall. Yes, these are great fun; I totally catch your technicolor vision around the kitchen table. Come stateside, I'll pour! I'm hearing a new c/w song..."Let's Get Drunk and Fold Origami..."

Visited your website/blog and must say we seem to be birds of a feather. Love your work/philosophy...

Good to make your acquaintance! Will be checking in with your blog. Thanks again.