Let's talk paper

I have a lot of yarn and fabric to play with, but I haven't any scrap book paper at all.  Not one piece.  So when I saw these cute origami globes on Pinterest made out of maps,  I was in.  Maps we have.  My husband has a whole drawer of them, even though nowadays you can look on your phone app for directions or refer to a GPS in your car.  Never mind that.  We have maps.  I had 2 maps for the Santa Cruz area in my car, from the last time we went there on vacation, so I used it for this project.

Little origami map globe garland.  Oh I sure do love these.  I've always admired origami from afar, and am smitten with the tiny little figures, so precise, yet so magical.  Who thinks of these things?  Did someone long ago feel bored out of their mind and just decide "I'm going to fold this paper over and over again until it looks like a crane".  What patience and imagination they must have had.

And really sore fingers.  Even though I used a wooden skewer to help with the folding, I'm typing with my fingernails right now.

I made these with a 5 inch piece of paper, but I also tried one in a 7 inch which was a bit easier. Then I threaded a large tapestry needle with jute twine and loaded them on, with knots in between.  The instructions can be found here.

Then I found these little paper heart markers,  just in time for some Valentine fun.

I made these from pages of an old quilt magazine, and also some construction paper.

The magazine paper made a sharp fold, but was thin and I had to be careful not to rip it.  The construction paper was too soft, and didn't give a sharp enough fold.  I bet scrap book paper would have been juuuust right.  

This heart was so easy, I bet even your little ones would enjoy making some.  Go to this blog to find out how.