Functional Origami

I love origami! It amuses me that such a simple act as paper folding can create something mind-blowing. I’m of course referring to those origami masters who take paper, fold it, and bring it to another dimension, making us simpletons feel rather simple. If you’ve been researching what you can do with origami then you know that it is not only to create paper animals to amuse little kids or things you can hang on to a mobile or to pass time in case you’re bored in a meeting or in chemistry (although that’s practically what I use it for ;p).

Here, let me first intimidate you with this awesome art I found on etsy.

So yah, we are not going to do that. Like I said origami can be turned into something mind-blowing but you don’t have to be an expert to do that. What we are going to do is something simpler but still as functional and flexible enough so you can create your own design. Let me first show you ze end product of my little project.

So if you haven’t figured that one out it’s a 3d cat (or insert any animal head it looks like) made of simple paper folding. If you’re a beginner I would suggest that you review your folds like mountain and valley as you will be using those two a lot for this origami. You’re going to have to start with any type of square paper, though I suggest getting 80gsm and above for the paper weight, especially if you want this to be functional. Follow these instructions I found on instructables (there’s a video at the bottom part in case you don’t get the diagram).

I used a square pad I got from Bleach Catastrophe, a protractor (for clean creases), and some glue. I always prefer 3M glue because it’s as tough as super glue but its consistency is like rugby minus the odor (so you don’t get high, unless you like that, no judgement).

After following the instructions, I repeated them around 20 times more on different pieces of paper so i can rearrange them into an animal head. I then stuck it onto black scrapbooking paper (you can use any backing for this, I just happen to have it in my paper stock). You can also trying doing geometric shapes as those might be easier. 

For the functional part, I used origami paper from Daiso. I needed a bigger sheet to hold my gadget like a phone or an ipod. The smaller one I used as a calligraphy pen holder and as suggested in the instructables video (link above) you can also use it as a business card holder.

I will go back to this project and try soaking the origami in decoupage glue to make it sturdier and probably figure out a way to do an outdoor thing. If you’ve got questions, suggestions, or anything at all, comment below or shoot me an email.

Happy Crafting! -Kq