Lou’s become so inured to the arrival of the UPS guy that he didn’t even ask what the handsome dude in khaki shorts was handing me — it must be more apron fabric, right?He didn’t even look up from his thriller when I ran upstairs with my booty and broke a nail opening the box that held my first new origami book in five whole months! That’s a four years record.
Hello gorgeous!
Origami Card Craft by Karen Elaine Thomas. Because I own a shelf of origami tomes, I was delighted that many of these projects were ones I’ve never seen before — I may not like all of them, but I love many of them, especially this envelope. The envelope is an enormous origami topic, and one that makes me yawn, mostly.
Not this one, and let me count the ways. It’s so easy — I achieved perfection in one go, in one minute, which isn’t often the case. The folding pattern is elegant. The closure is clever. And somehow, the interior is divided into two pockets, which is magic. I used a 12 inch square , which resulted in a 4 1/2 X5 1/2 inch result. C’mom, grab any old paper square and fold along.
Step one: Paper in diamond formation, colored side down.
Step 2: Fold it in half.
Step 3: Align the paper pointy side up, and turn down the top edge until it touches the center fold.
Step 4: Eyeball the bottom edge into thirds, and fold the right point to the two thirds mark.
Step 5: Fold the left point to the right edge. It’s starting to look like an envelope.
Step 6: Fold the left point back to meet the left corner.
I’m going to show the next move in two pix — it’s the cool part.
Step 7a: Stick a finger into that point you folded in Step 6 and open it out. Then:
Step 7B: Flatten it along the center line so it forms a diamond. The card and the art show ticket are in two separate interior pockets.
The reveal! Tuck down the top point into the diamond.
Not being the austere or sensible type, I folded up a few. Here are some of them:
Dear Reader, go find a piece of square paper and give it a whirl. So much pleasure for so little effort, and a standard 8 inch piece of origami paper will make a wee envelope, perfect for carrying a few stamps around in your purse or wallet. Hmmm, stamps … waxed paper maybe? I’m off to the pantry.
Cheap and Cheerful 
How very cool..thanks for the step by step..will give it a try.
How very cool. I will try this at home tonight (well, maybe tomorrow – I have 160 stuffed mushrooms to make tonight). We give lots of gift cards to the nieces and nephews for Christmas and these would be perfect to give them in. What size square?
Oh, what I’d give for a stuffed mushroom right now! I’m SWAGging the estimate, but try an eight inch square.
I love the pretty of it, and the grace of it, and even my small fingers would make tangle-thumbs over such an exquisite art.
I’ll just admire from afar, and enjoy your talents.
Would you ever show your bookshelves? I do love a glimpse of what makes my folks THEM.
Rachel: As Nero Wolfe would say: “Pfui!”
The bookshelf idea is great, and it might propel me to dust them.
Having not the mouthful of pheasant to make up a proper Nero “Pfui,” I’ll just say: They didn’t let me have scissors til I was nine.
And I’m STILL not allowed to wrap the Christmas presents.
That’s what gift bags are FOR, Rachel, dear. I’d rather have a Tuppaware bowl full of your ambrosial chicken salad in a bag than ‘most anything else in an exquisitely wrapped package! BUT, I bet you could do this – I’m going to try it tomorrow!