Christmas Kusudama Ball Ornaments

It's a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but with summer coming to an end and autumn just around the corner, I felt an urge to get a jump on holiday decorating. 

When I found these pretty red and green patterned paper, I couldn't resist making some Christmas ornaments.  These flower balls are called Kusudama (medicine) balls, traditionally made in Japan.  They were made with herbs and hung in rooms to prevent illness.  Today, these balls are made from 12 individual origami flowers, attached to each other to create this beautiful ornament.

Close up shots....

 

 

 

www.KatherinaKrafts.etsy.com

Recycled Gift Bag Flowers

The minute I laid eyes on this beautiful red, green, blue and silver striped paper bag from Paper Source, I knew I would never be able to bring myself to throw it into the recycle bin.

Instead, I cut the paper into small squares, and hand folded each square into a petal.  After I assembled them into flowers, I found a cute blue glass vase which was perfect for these adorable paper flowers.

I would never have thought to put these colors together, but the color combination turned out quite nice!



Mother's Day Flowers

I absolutely love this combination of purples, creams, and tan.  The dark purple flowers are created from paper that have the words "love" and "happiness" printed on them.  The light purple flowers have beautiful quotes celebrating Mom.  I just happened to have a coordinating scarf and a vase in a pretty shade of green, and voila!  A gorgeous gift for Mother's Day!

For more flowers: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatherinaKrafts?section_id=11075482

Baby Girl Origami Flowers

I couldn't resist making some origami flowers to coordinate with the baby girl lucky stars (http://katherinakrafts.blogspot.com/2012/02/lucky-star-wishes-for-new-baby-girl.html).  A little one made of pink gingham.  One with adorable curls.  And one to announce "It's a girl!" 

So sweet!

Lion and Elephant Party Favor Boxes

Recipe for a party favor box:

A strip of multicolor polka dot paper. 
Some colored cardstock paper. 
A cute lion's head .
An equally adorable elephant's head. 

Mix everything together with a pinch of origami and a splash of glue.

What do you get?

How perfect with M&M's!

I especially love that these origami boxes can be recycled as gift boxes for a special present, or as cute containers for office supplies.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93475569/party-favor-boxes-lion-elephant-origami

Valentine's Day Flowers

Roses?  Chocolates?  Jewelry?  Any new gift ideas for Valentine's Day this year? 

How about these?

This bouquet of gorgeous red and pink blush origami flowers are finished with sparkling rhinestone centers.  It is difficult to see on these photos, but the light colored flowers are made from white paper that has a delicate pink floral pattern, creating a beautiful subtle pink blush of color to complement the red. 

Here is a close up:

It's interesting how the light pink rhinestones look almost fluorescent in the photos.  Trick of light, I guess.

http://www.KatherinaKrafts.etsy.com

Valentine Pencil Origami Flower Favors

These days, it seems that schools everywhere are discouraging the distribution of candy and sweets.  No cupcakes on birthdays.  No cookies during the winter holiday party.  No chocolate on Valentine's Day.  What's a kid to do?

Well, I came up with an adorable way to dress up the now traditional pencil favor.  For this Valentine's Day, I made origami flowers and attached them to heart themed pencils.  They look cute as a single bloom, and make a beautiful little flower arrangement when you put several of them together.  What a way to add some color to a desk!

Check them out on: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KatherinaKrafts?ref=si_shop

Kusudama Origami Flower in Purple Plaid with Gemstone Center

I found this pretty purple plaid paper and thought it would make a cute flower, especially with the bit of sparkle in the middle.  What do you think?

Puffy 3D Origami Hearts

These sweet little 3D origami hearts were so much fun to make, but it took me a while to get them just right.  I originally thought that it would be relatively easy to make paper hearts, but I found myself building up quite a collection of puffy triangles before they started looking like hearts.  I guess practice makes perfect!

These origami hearts are great for displaying in a pretty vase, or scattered around to dress up a table setting.  Here, they complement the paper flowers so beautifully. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/91468245/red-and-white-origami-3d-hearts-for

Miniature Origami Baskets

How cute are these?

These miniature origami baskets are just perfect for holding little treasures. 

Especially with April coming up, these would make lovely Easter origami baskets.

 

To give you an idea of it's size, here is a paper basket next to a dime.  Yep... that's a dime, not a dollar coin.

This tiny yellow bloom complements the pink perfectly, and is an adorable addition to any table setting.  :)

Chinese New Year Red Envelope and Money Origami Flowers

Chinese New Year Red Envelope and Money Origami Flowers

Chinese New Year falls on January 23 this year, and 2012 is the Year of the DRAGON!  Festivities will continue for weeks, and a bouquet of origami flowers made from Lucky Red Envelopes and play money is a perfect addition to any Chinese New Year celebration.

Red is the color of joy and celebration.  The Lucky Red Envelopes are traditionally stuffed with money and given to friends and family at times of celebration. 

If you count carefully, you'll also see eight red envelope flowers and eight money flowers.  This is because the number eight conveys wealth and fortune.  Its pronunciation in Chinese is a homophone for the word "wealth." 

Some more pictures:

Check it out on Etsy:

http://www.katherinakrafts.etsy.com