Butterfly Kirigami Envelope

As I showed you a new kirigami envelope project yesterday, here’s another version with butterflies:

First step, the drawing:

I chose a butterfly that says “Hey you…” as an introduction to the letter/card/gift inside (in this case, I sent pictures)

Now my tools and though I didn’t have a cutting mat narrow enough, I used very thick cardboard.

and on to the cutting (as always, make sure to keep the lines broken at certain points to make sure the entire image stays on the envelope):

finally, the colourful paper inside the envelope to show a contrast and protect the pictures inside:

Kirigami to Decorate Plain Envelopes

Here’s a new kirigami project for you to try: Kirigami to decorate plain kraft envelopes!

I love plain kraft envelopes, but they seem too plain to get anyone excited about receiving mail. Also, if I happen to make a big card or book as a gift, those envelopes are usually the perfect size for them.

The last gift I made was a chiyogami wrapped book (with a fully illustrated story) and this kraft envelope I had was exactly the size I needed, so I decided to dress it up to show how special the gift was.

Here’s the plain envelope:

Here’s the book:

As you can see, the envelope was a little off from the presentation of the book.

If you would like to try this one day, here are brief steps to help you along.

First, draw out what you would like to cut out, whether it’s an image or words. Since I was giving this to Jeff, I simply found a pretty font I liked, and drew out “For Jeff” lightly in pencil.

Next, I got a small cutting board that fit inside the envelope and my scalpel knife. If you do not have a small cutting board to fit inside your envelope, use thick, hard cardboard or even a piece of wood -basically anything you can cut on and can fit in the envelope.

Now, as always with kirigami, make sure the lines have breaks in them so that you leave the outline of the image or words and not cut out everything (like the entire “o” or else that will just leave a big hole).

Once you’ve cut it out, you’ll notice it’s quite see through and perhaps won’t protect the item you would like to put inside….

so the next step is to place a colourful or patterned paper behind it. Another nice option is to use translucent paper, or even parchment for a “clouded” effect.

Here’s a contrasting black background:

and here’s what I did with gold:

Who needs paper to gift wrap?

I just use furoshiki to wrap my gifts.

I’m not an expert, but I try my best to make clean folds. Luckilly, the fabric hides or makes folding mistakes pretty. I wrapped a gift like this for a friend overseas. I think it’s a pretty surprise once they open the boring shipping box, don’t you think so?

Why Origami is Important for Us All

I love origami. It’s fun and enjoyable to make and can expand the world for many people in different ways.

When I was much younger, I was actually quite shy (though most people today wouldn’t believe it!) and it was difficult for me to make friends or even stand out in class among the other children. One thing that helped me get out of my shell was origami. I would sit quietly folding different origami models that I learned from my father. Once a model was done, I would place it on my desk and start another one.

The one folded paper object was enough to grab the curiosity of some children and from there, new friendships were made. The other children would ask me what I was doing and even request certain objects, and I would show how to make certain things like 3D tulips or cranes. This unexpected attention actually helped me interact with others and gain the confidence I needed, because I was introducing a new concept that I knew and loved.

People of all ages can do the same thing, whether it’s to gain confidence, to create a new environment for themselves, or change someone’s mood. For example, sometimes when I’m out and I see children who are cranky or sad, and quite possibly giving their parents a hard time, I try to find a scrap piece of paper and quickly fold an origami crane (traditional Japanese bird).

After asking the parent if it’s alright to give to the children, I would introduce this new “toy”, and it surprisingly quiets them down quickly since most of these children have never seen origami before.
I always get surprised looks from the parents, mainly because it’s not common for random people to approach you with folded paper toys, but once they see the results, the surprise turns to a smile.
One piece of scrap paper not only became a quiet moment for the parent, but also a new curious toy for the child.

The benefits of origami are truly endless for future advancements and stress relievers in everyday life.
The simple techniques and creations exercise the brain just like solving puzzles and helps personalities grow by building confidence. Also, as I’ve mentioned in an article based on origami benefits, it’s also the perfect tool to train fine motor skills for people both young and old.

The cute, confusing and overall strange ads from Japan

Hello all!

At the moment, I’m busy working on new projects to post for you, but in the meantime, I would like to show you this interesting site I came across -it’s all about japanese commercials.

If you have ever seen japanese commercials, you know the artistic choreography and sense of humour can be quite…….well, let’s be honest, it’s very odd. Don’t take my word for it, check it out and tell me your thoughts!

JapaneseCommercial.Net