Christmas Origami

First off, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I do have some tatting to share, but not on this post (sorry!!)

However! I do have a few things to share that I think others may be interested in.

Several years ago, I made a Christmas tree that was full of origami cranes, kimono, and other various items. I have since lost all those ornaments and am in need of some new ones. After this post, I have since gone on to try different papers to see what kind of results I could get.

The three lotus flowers shown below are folded an extra time before unfolding, and I think they look lovely:


These are three different kinds of paper, easily accessible to everyone (I hope!). The silver one is made out of a metallic tissue paper that I got from Hobby Lobby (99¢ for a pack of 12, currently!), the white next to it is a piece of tissue from Wal-Mart ($3 for 300 sheets), and the smaller one is a dinner napkin.

For size, here is the silver one:


I've found that I make these whenever I go out to eat with family and friends. This one was made today at Wendy's, which I left because I wanted to brighten someone's day:


Each of these took less than five minutes to prep and fold, and I think they look lovely! However there are a few things I have learned from this bit of crafty-ness..

1. The first time you use a different type of paper, you WILL tear it. Even if it tears, it's still pretty, and your family and friends will be impressed with them and not notice any tears.
2. Perfect squares are overrated. If you have a rectangle piece that when folded into a square with about half an inch of extra paper, tear it. The tears can add character to the flower!
3. Using regular origami, printer, and/or metallic foil papers will not fold a flower. The papers are too stiff to bend the petals forward, and the tears will be too great to miss.

I have more that I'm working on, but I thought I'd share a bit.

'Till next time, Happy Tatting!