DIY: Butterfly Kirigami

A sweet summer project for you today.

Perhaps project is too big of a word for this one. Maybe we should call it a pastime instead? Or a diversion? Something to occupy your hands and feed your creative spirit without dragging out the sewing machine or the paints or the .... well, you get the idea!

The nice thing about kirigami is the beauty in its simplicity. Fold, cut, reveal. Repeat.

This pattern is all about butterflies in the garden. A kaleidoscope of butterflies (did you know a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope? Best name ever!) dance around a single bloom.

Start by folding your origami paper into the desired number of folds. I went with 5.

If you've been on our kirigami journey so far, this might be old hat, if not you can find the instructions for a 5-fold over on How About Orange or for a 6-fold right here.

Once your paper is folded, start cutting. You want to imagine cutting half of a butterfly - head, top wing, bottom wing. Then, at the bottom, cut half a petal with stamen.

Refer to the image above for visual clues.

When cutting kirigami, always be sure to maintain contact points - meaning that you must have points on each side which you do not cut. On the left side, I have left four contact points - top wing, bottom wing, petal, stamen. If you do not maintain contact points, when you unfold your kirigami it will fall apart.

Unfold and gently press with a warm, dry iron to remove creases (if desired).

Try experimenting with different wing and petal shapes for variations on this pattern. You can see I played around with different flowers in the pieces above.

Any suggestions on what we should turn into kirigami next?

DIY: Wrap It In Neon

There's nothing quite like a well-wrapped gift. You know, the kind you don't want to open because it's so beautiful/cool/unique, but you really really want to open because if the outside is that good, what's inside must be incredible! I invited expert wrapper Corinna vanGerwen to come and share some neon wrapping ideas with us, and they are oh so good!

When Marisa offered to send me a Fun With Neon Crafty Grab Bag to play with, I was thrilled. Like everyone else on the planet these days, I’m in love with neon colours. Bright, intense and full of fun, they’re perfect for summer. And they’re a brilliant addition to gift wrapping.

All the neon pieces in these three wrapping looks are from the Fun With Neon Crafty Grab Bag. For my base, I used white paper to amp up the intensity of the neon colours and really make them buzz.

Show up at a party with a gift wrapped in neon and you’re sure to have the coolest present there.

Gift wrapping doesn’t start and end with what goes on the outside of a box — the inside deserves some attention too! Sprinkle some confetti among the tissue to surprise and delight. It will be like unwrapping a party!

Speaking of confetti… Create a confetti-like pattern with dot stickers. I used mostly pink with a few green dots and kept them clustered mainly to one side of the gift, with some going over the edges. The birthday message is written on Shocking Green washi tape using a Sharpie.

To get this look, wrap three strands of neon twine around the present three times, keeping them from twisting or overlapping. Tie the ends in a knot around all strands, then fan out the pieces of twine on one side while pushing them together on the other. (You may want to secure them in place with a few pieces of tape on the bottom of the box.) For the tag, layer two colours, punching a hole in the top tag.

Corinna's motto is "Because beautiful packages make people smile!" Click here to find out more about Corinna, her work and how you can improve your gift wrapping skills by taking a workshop.

Inspired to create great looking gifts of your own? Corinna shares wonderful wrapping ideas and useful info (like which tape to use / how to measure wrapping paper) via her newsletter and blog. You can also connect on Pinterest and Twitter. Go on now, your gifts (and their recipients) will thank you!

DIY: Neon Friendship Bracelets

Looking for a bright, bold and quick take on classic friendship bracelets? Maybe you need a little more colour in your daily life / wardrobe. Or perhaps you just love all things neon (I know I do!)

Dust off your friendship bracelet skills but forget the embroidery floss - reach for some neon mason twine. (Find it at the hardware store!) You'll be delighted at just how quickly these bracelets knot up.  And what could be better than knotting up classic friendship bracelets with a fresh twist?

Forgotten how? I'll admit, so had I! But making friendship bracelets seems to fall into that category of "it's just like riding a bicycle" and before you know it, your hands will be putting those hard-won summer camp bracelet-making skills to use!

Need a refresher? Check out this tutorial over on Honestly WTF.

Remember the basics but want to try new patterns? Check out this site, where you can browse thousands of patterns or search for a pattern using a specific number of strands or colours. 

Once you're back in the swing of things, I dare you to make just one! This is an addictively fun DIY (and a perfect one to do while bingewatching.) Stack them on and enjoy a burst of neon summer fun - no matter the season!

Just remember, since the twine is much thicker than floss, you'll want to use fewer strands. For my bracelets, each 4 strands of twine (2 strands folded) equaled 1cm (approx. 3/8") in bracelet width.

I'd love to know - what would you make with neon twine?