Evergreen Garland

This looks simple enough to make. There should be a tutorial womewhere. I'll look for it tomorrow. Good night all. DIY instructions here. Have fun making them this weekend. Easy.

Here is the YouTube tutorial Jean Ellen sent in the comments for trees that look like the ones above. Thanks so much.

xo

Origami Elephant

A little diversion for you. via

Christmas Simplicity

I love the origami star. This little tree says Christmas Simplicity so very well. via

Paper Crane - Fishing

I love this clever animated gif.

via

DIY Origami Heart Page Markers

I love these origami hearts to mark your place in a book. Tuck a few inside any Valentine's Day cards you give or mail. Especially great for avid readers.

Here's the finished product marking a page corner. Full tutorial from How About Orange.

DIY Paper Orchids -- Just Beautiful

Fire up your printer and heat up your glue gun to make these beautiful paper orchids. Tutorial here.

Old Maps for Photo Corners

I love this idea of using old maps for scrapbooking. I always buy old atlases at house sales. via Martha Stewart

Hidden Messages on US Dollar Bills

"Don't Tread On Me"

Click HERE to see 10 more hidden messages.

May Day Flower Cone Template | Free Download

Happy May Day

Wouldn't it be fun to leave one of these hanging May Baskets on the front door of a friend as a May Day gift? I might make some too. Here is the FREE TEMPLATE to download. Have fun.  

I didn't have to make any adjustments when I printed my template but the following note was included by the original author of this template. Technical Note: Please make sure your printing margins are set to .5 inches  (1/2 inch) or the template will not print completely. In your browser's Menu bar, select File -- Page Setup, and change the margin settings to .5. (The selections may be slightly different between browsers.) This template makes a cone measuring 6 inches high, and the opening diameter is 3 inches. This cone is perfect for holding fresh-cut flowers, small clumps of potted plants, flower petals, or small candies! I plan on reinforcing the hole on the reverse side with some heavy packaging tape I have on hand. You should apply the tape before poking/punching the hole.

Hermès | The Story of the Kelly Bag | Download

Designed by Robert Dumas in the 1930s, the Kelly was simply unlike any other bag around. It was first called sac à courroie pour dames, meaning bag with straps for ladies.

How interesting. I learned lots of new things about the original Hermès Kelly Bag. Read more . . .

The bag became an overnight sensation after this photo appeared in Life Magazine in 1956. It wasn't officially renamed Kelly until 21 years later. Grace Kelly loved this bag and used the half-dozen in her collection to hide her pregnancy from the paparazzi. 

As you can see from this photo the bag did an excellent job for Princess Grace of Monaco, our American princess.

 Download your Kelly and make an origami paper version.

Another Paper Snowflake Tutorial [Origami]

Garland made from origami paper, dental floss and tape.

So this is how it's done?

I really love the red snowflakes on brown paper tied with string.

Aren't these red snowflakes beautiful? I can't take credit for the photos or the instructions either. Head on over to How About Orange for all that.



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More Paper Flowers

Does anyone know if there is a template for making these paper flowers? I love them. The appear to be one piece. I guess you must score them towards the center to make them take on the form of a flower. Help, please. Leave a comment if you know how these are made. [image source]

Learn How to make a seven flower paper pop up card. For more Paper Design How-To Videos & Articles, visit WonderHowTo.

I found this video. Follow the instructions for making one flower. Just cut the scallops more deeply.

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2011 Calendar 12-Sided Geosphere | Free Download | 3-D Calendar with Tutorial

The photo above is the 2010 calendar. I haven't made one for 2011 yet. I am including pdf templates for both 2010 and 2011 at the end of this post.

This was my #1 most popular download last year. The 12-sided calendar is also known as a regular dodecahedron. The upcoming year (2011) will be my 4th year with one of these on my desk. It's pretty tricky to assemble - especially at the end when you feel you need another set of hands. Do all cutting, scoring, and folding first; then all you have to do is to remember to do NOVEMBER last. It is the only month that doesn't have any fold-over tabs. It is helpful to have a chopstick handy to poke inside to assist in securing anything that's not sticking or properly aligned. This prevents bending the paper. I used card stock and scored all the dotted lines with the sharp tip of a compass guided by a see-thru ruler. Cut out whole design before scoring and folding. Cut solid lines, score dotted lines. I also had to adjust the pdf to "fit to printable area" since without that correction some of the outside edges did not print on my printer. If this is your first attempt you might want to experiment first with regular paper before jumping to cardstock. I am publishing this super early this year in case you want to make some for holiday gifts. People love them and everybody needs one. You can't beat the price either. One sheet of paper, some glue and your time. The ultimate home-made present that will be used every day next year. Perfect!

HINT: Before you start scoring and folding you might want to use a highlighter to mark any dates that you need to remember such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

Download PDF 2011 Calendar Template here.
(showing MONDAY as the first day of the week)

Download PDF 2011 Calendar Template here.
(showing SUNDAY as the first day of the week)
I just learned how to make this adjustment.
Most American calendars show Sunday as the first day of the week.
I'm going to use this template to make my 2011 calendar.

Download PDF 2010 Calendar Template here.
(First day of week Monday)

I don't know if I can correctly call this origami because it requires glue.
I highly recommend YES Paste - Acid Free.
An $11 one-pint tub lasts forever.

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Seed Saver 2010 | Envelope for Saving Seeds

Here is another seed saving envelope for 2010 ~ A free download.

Click on the first image to print 2 on a page.

Click on the second image to print one large envelope on a page. You can run it through the printer once more to get two large ones on a page. Just be mindful of how you position the paper the second time around.
Happy Gardening and Seed Saving.

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Seed Saving Envelope 2010 | Free Download

Time to start saving seeds again. I made a new 2010 seed saving envelope for you today.

Click on the image to enlarge. Then print. You'll get two seed savers on one sheet of paper. Write the information about the seeds on the back of the envelope. Happy Gardening. Share you seeds with friends. Tuck some seeds from your garden inside a greeting card or Christmas card. Enjoy.

Other Seed Savers I've designed and blogged about.

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DIY Origami Seed Starter Boxes

I love this idea of making something from nothing, don't you? Use your recycled newspaper to make a tray or cookie sheet full of origami seed starter boxes for your seeds. Once the sprouts pop up you can plant the whole thing in the ground since the paper will decompose. Nice! Great project for children too. It's not too late in the year to plant seeds since there's plenty of time left in the growing season. It's a great winter project too for starting herb seeds for the windowsill or for gifts. 

Bunny Ears Napkin Folding for Easter

Maybe those of you familiar with origami can figure this out. I haven't tried to fold a napkin into bunny ears yet and probably won't but I like the idea. Thanks to Martha Stewart. Click on the link for larger images and an update or two. Nice for your Easter table.

Paper Craft Dresses | Couture

I love the first paper dress. It's so Alice in Wonderland.
via Peacefully Folding Blog: Paper Craft Couture




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Origami Wreath | Paper Craft Tutorial

Origami wreath made from old book pages
glued on a gift tag.


I made this one from recycled security envelopes.

Wreath made from old sheet music.

Tutorial. (via Domesticali)
NOTE: I made a few changes.

I changed my dimensions from centimeters to inches.

I cut 8 strips measuring 1-1/2" wide x 3" long.

It was so easy.
I made the one in the second photo on the first try.

The strips interlock and pull apart easily as I found out when photographing my wreath outside in the wind. If you plan to hang these on your tree and have little children around, it might not be a bad idea to use a spot of glue on each strip. You will figure it out.

So much fun. So many possibilities. Once again, here's something wonderful made from nothing. I like that! Have fun. Make lots!

Nice to tuck inside a Christmas Card too.

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2010 Calendar 12-Sided Geosphere | Free Download

This was my #1 favorite download last year. The 12-sided calendar is also known as a regular dodecahedron. The upcoming year (2010) will be my third year with one of these on my desk. It's pretty tricky to assemble - especially at the end when you feel you need another set of hands. All you have to do is to remember to do NOVEMBER last. It is the only month that doesn't have any fold-over tabs. It is helpful to have a chopstick handy to poke inside to assist in securing anything that's not sticking or properly aligned. This prevents bending the paper. I used card stock and scored all the dotted lines with the sharp tip of a compass guided by a see-thru ruler. Cut out whole design before scoring and folding. Cut solid lines, score dotted lines. I also had to adjust the pdf to "fit to printable area" since without that correction some of the outside edges did not print on my printer. Experiment first with regular paper before jumping to cardstock. I am publishing this extra early this year in case you want to make some for holiday gifts. People love them and everybody needs one. You can't beat the price either. One sheet of paper, some glue and your time. The ultimate home-made present that will be used every day next year. Perfect!

Download PDF

I don't know if I can correctly call this origami because it requires glue. I highly recommend Acid Free YES Paste. A $10 one-pint tub lasts forever.

If you want to practice on a 2009 calendar, go to to my popular post from last year. Have fun. Rosemary

Download 2011 Calendar here. My newest post.

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