Spring Is For Sakura Lovers

While your Instagram feed is filled with cherry blossoms (and plum blossoms, peach blossoms, apple blossoms...) but the world outside your window isn't quite there yet, it's time to make your own!

Kirigami flowers are my favourite and are lovely tied onto a present, strung into a garland or simply admired. Find templates for four blossom styles here.

And get inspired to try even more ruffly pink varieties here.

Happy crafting!

Kirigami Love

Looking for a sweet & simple Valentine's Day activity? There are quite a few kirigami designs that are perfect for celebrating love day (or any other day for that matter.

Why not try...
Heart To Heart
Heartflower
Pop Heart
Fangs ... skip the fangs, keep the lips and you've got Kisses!

Happy crafting!

The Kirigami Project - Free eBook

It's always a bit strange saying goodbye to a yearlong project, so it feels right to do so with a bit of a celebration rather than just letting it fade away. Kirigami is something close to my heart - it's an art of creating something beautiful out of simple materials. I think you'll find this echoed in many of the projects I produce - my philosophy in craft/art/life is to make wonderful things that don't require a huge amount of fuss or fancy materials or gourmet ingredients. Kirigami really encapsulates that - all you need is scissors and paper - origami paper is best but not necessary - and you can create really intricate and beautiful things. Even if you never make one of these projects, I hope you are inspired to make something.

Onto our final Kirigami project...

Geri and I have been working away behind the scenes prepping a little goodbye to The Kirigami Project - a look back at the year in paper cut designs in the form of an ebook.

Inside you'll find our favourite 12 designs of 2014 plus 3 NEW bonus designs to fold and cut plus a fun list of ideas for using your kirigami paper cuts. You can view and download it by clicking here or on the image above. If the links for the bonus papercuts aren't working for you, you can find them here: Bonus 1, Bonus 2, Bonus 3.

If you're new to The Kirigami Project (hi!), here's a little background:

Kirigami is a style of paper cutting - reminiscent of paper snowflakes but with so much more potential. The Kirigami Project was a collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa created the kirigami designs and Geri turned them into printable templates. Each week of 2014, we shared a new kirigami design to cut and fold.

The Kirigami Project templates and gallery are still available so you'll be able to fold & cut to your heart's content at any time. Find them all here.

We do hope you've enjoyed this yearlong adventure in paper cuts and we'd love it if you'd share!

The Kirigami Project - Week 52 - Snowflower

It seemed appropriate to end this project with a flower as they are my favourite designs to cut. It's a bit hard to believe that we're here at the end of 2014 - year end really does sneak up on you (or at least me) every year, doesn't it?

We'll do a proper wrap-up of The Kirigami Project in early 2015, but for now, thank you for following along and cutting beautiful things out of paper with me. And thank you to Geri for keeping my on track all year long and for turning musings in paper form into something shareable.

To create your own kirigami Snowflower, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

Want to try all of December's kirigami designs? The free printable template is now available. Click on the image below to access and print the templates.

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Twitter at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 51 - Angels

I'm pretty smitten with this design... and can you believe it's the second-last one already? Gently festive with its choir of angels yet totally snowflake-y if you sit back and take in the whole design. Perfect for the Christmas season!

To create your own Angel Kirigami, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

Since you might be snowflake-making this week in these last few days before Christmas, I've popped up the printable template a week early. Find it here!

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Instagram at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 50 - Ruffled Snowflake

I love this sort of ruffled-edge snowflake. You just let your scissors dance around those curvy bits then get a little more straight-laced and finish up in the centre with some classic ice crystal action. Hard to believe we're already at week 50, but indeed, there are only 2 more designs to go to wrap up 2014!

To create your own kirigami snowflake, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Twitter at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 49 - Graceful Snowflake

When you think about it, snowflakes are pretty remarkable. Incredible, intricate shapes so tiny we rarely get to appreciate them. Have you seen these close-up photos of snowflakes. Breathtaking!

Anyway, back to the paper version. This week's design looks every-so-graceful to me with its lovely loops. Kind of like the prima ballerina of snowflakes!

To create your own kirigami snowflake, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Twitter at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 48 - Crystal Snowflake

Well hello December! In the spirit of the season (and for all you paper snowflake lovers), we've gone full snowflake for the final weeks of The Kirigami Project. Get started with this lovely snowflake full of frosty angles.

To create your own kirigami snowflake, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Twitter at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 47 - Flames

And here we are already - the end of November and the end of our second-to-last month of kirigami. In November I reached for cozy Autumn colours and let my scissors flow in curves. If you compare last week's design with this week's, you'll see that the templates look quite similar (I'll admit to a double take) but the final design is quite different. This fold-cut-unfold-ing never ceases to be a joy - the surprise in the delicate unfolding of each design. I do hope you've enjoyed this series and been inspired to try a little kirigami beyond the snowflakes. (Speaking of which, we'll head straight into snowflake territory next week... but until then...)

This week's design reminds me of tiny dancing candle flames. To create your own Flames kirigami design, use the template below and the 4-point folding pattern.

Want to try all of November's kirigami designs?

This month's free printable is now available!

Click on the image above to access and print the templates.

Do you have a favourite one of November's designs?

We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Instagram at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 46 - Dancing

We're not doing much dancing over here... there's a bit too much snow a bit too soon and we're not terribly excited about that BUT we definitely see dancers in this kirigami designs. As well as singing mouths wide open, uvulas swinging. And one-eyed abominable snowmen - but you can probably blame that last one on the weather. What do you see?

No matter what you see, I'm sure you'll agree this design is quite lovely - dancing mythical creatures and all! To create your own Dancing Kirigami design, use the template below and the 4-point folding pattern. 

Happy paper crafting!

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 45 - Four Petal Flower

I think kirigami flowers will always be my favourite. There's something quite magical about making a few cuts in a folded piece of paper then carefully unfolding a beautiful bloom. And kirigami shapes quite naturally want to take on flower shapes.

No matter how many times you fold the paper, the same basic formula for flower making holds true - lots of negative space, curved petals and a few stamens to mark the centre.

To create your own kirigami flower, use the template below and the 4-point folding pattern.

Happy flower-making!

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 44 - Forest Path

Anyone else amazed that it's already November? I'll probably keep being amazed right until it's December and then repeat. 2015 - and this project - really is flying! For this month, I've turned to warm colours and just let my scissors guide the designs - I really do love the surprises that occur when shapes aren't forced into the paper but emerge from it.

It's always hard to name the designs are aren't pre-conceived. To my eye, this week's design is full of fallen leaves with a surprise crossroads right in the middle - I think it's quite lovely, like a forest path.

To create your own forest path kirigami design, use the template below and the 4-point folding pattern.

Happy crafting!

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 43 - Bonbons

This lovely lacy paper cut looks pretty timeless but was actually inspired by a handful of Halloween candies. I also see diamond rings in there. What do you see?

To create your own Bonbons kirigami design, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

Want to try all of October's Halloween-inspired designs?

This month's free printable is now available!

Click on the image above to access and print the template.

Happy crafting! We'd love to see your versions on social media - don't forget to tag your paper cuts with #thekirigamiproject. You can find us on Instagram at @omiyage_ca & @thelanguidlion

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 42 - Fangs

This kirigami design is oh-so-pretty until you spot Dracula's fangs. Can you see them? Once you do, they're one of those you-can't-unsee things - and suddenly we've moved from frilly flower into spooky shape territory. Perfect for Halloween!

To create your own Fangs kirigami design, use the template below and the 6 point folding pattern.

Happy Friday & happy crafting!

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 41 - Bats

Who knew bats could be so pretty?! Don't you just love that ruffled flower right in the centre?

They certainly aren't this lovely when they somehow make their way into your house on a summer night and you have to chase them out with a broom while they swoop at your head and visions of teeth-so-sharp-you-don't-even-feel-the-bite dance in your head.

But these bats are both toothless and rabies-free, so go ahead and craft up a whole flock. Or rather a whole cloud of bats. Collective nouns are the best!

To create your own Bats Kirigami design, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

These bats are a hint of what to expect from our next spooky kirigami design... a creature which sometimes appears in the form of a bat....

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.

The Kirigami Project - Week 40 - Cats

It wouldn't be Halloween without some black cats. Though I'm rather partial to black cats at any time of the year - especially big fluffy ones!

Or why not cut yours out of colourful paper and add a few details with markers? Totally cute.

To create your own Cats kirigami design, use the template below and the 6-point folding pattern.

Happy crafting!

The Kirigami Project is collaborative creative project from Marisa Edghill of Omiyage and Geri Jewitt of The Languid Lion. Marisa creates the kirigami designs and Geri turns them into printable templates. Each week in 2014, we will bring you a new kirigami design to fold and cut. Find the treasury of designs here.