GIFT WRAPPING

 The knot on the box is called an abalone knot. It’s also referred to as awabi musubi, the Josephine knot, or a good luck knot. This is one of the easier mizuhiki knots to make.

Supplies:
mizuhiki cord – I purchased the cord in SF Japan town. You can also find it online.
scissors
hot glue gun

First make the abalone shell knot. I used five cords to make the knot. I recommend starting with three cords then weaving the last two cords into the knot. Make sure to keep your cords flat when making the knot. You don’t want the cords to be twisted. Set the knot aside for later.

Using three mizuhiki cords, wrap the gift just like you would using ribbon and knot on top.

Take one of the tales of the knot and make a loop. Tuck the end of it into the center knot and pull through part of the way.

Space the cords of the loop to look like the picture above. Trim the tails of the cord.

Take the abalone knot and hot glue it to the top of the gold cord. You can also use wire to adhere it to the top as well.

FALL DECORATIONS

Below you’ll find directions and four templates to make the kirigami leaves.

Supplies:
6″ x 6″ origami paper – you can use any size paper, you’ll just have to adjust the templates accordingly
Scissors
Pencil

Fold 6″ x 6″ paper according to directions above.

Right click, copy, save and print out templates. You might need to scale the templates to fit your folded paper.

Trace leaves on the folded triangle (refer to step 5 above).

Cut out. Carefully unfold. Done.

EASTER BASKET

Here’s a nice alternative to the traditional Easter basket, a furoshiki folded into a basket. Wondering what a furoshiki is? A furoshiki is a traditional Japanese cloth used for wrapping and transporting items. . You just need a square piece of fabric.

Supplies:
Furoshiki or any piece of square fabric. Silk scarves work great for this project. You could also use bandannas, fabric napkins, or embroidered handkerchiefs.

One shallow bowl – any size/kind you want. The larger the bowl, the larger the piece of fabric you will need.

Click on directions for a larger view.

NEWS PAPER ROSES and TISSUE FLOWERS

Easy directions to make the newspaper roses below.Supplies:
Acrylic paint
Newspaper
Scissors
floral tape
green floral wire

1. I first made the paper roses the same way I make tissue flowers. See lower part of this page.

2. Tape the newspaper rose to the floral wire. Wrap the bottom of the rose with the floral tape to cover up the tape and any seams.

3. Paint roses with acrylic paint. I chose to leave some of the newspaper showing. If you want all the newspaper painted, paint the newspaper before you make the flower.

EASY WAY TO MAKE TISSUE FLOWERS

Supplies
tissue paper – any color
scissors
tape or florist tape

Cut two layers of tissue paper into a circle. My circle is about 8 inches in diameter but any size should do.

With both layers together, fold in half.

Fold tissue over (refer to picture) and pinch at the bottom.

Still holding the flower at the bottom, separate the layers at the top of the flower (refer to picture).

Begin to roll the flower in the same direction you made the first fold. Make sure to keep the fold loose.

Once it’s rolled into the flower shape, fold back the outer layer to resemble a flower. To get the shape you want, it might take a little finessing. Just remember it’s an organic shape so you really can’t go wrong.

Tape the bottom of the flower so it does not unravel. Done.

PAPER FLOWER GARLAND

Thank you to everyone who left a comment asking me to post a tutorial. It made my weekend to see all the comments. So without further ado, here’s the tutorial.

*Click on the pictures to enlarge images

Supplies:
Catalog – I used the kind that are stapled together, not bound. You’ll need a catalog with at least 30 pages/pieces of paper.
Scissors
White Glue

Cut off the bottom of the catalog, make sure the piece you’re using is stapled together. You might want to add another staple for extra reinforcement.

Step 1: Open the first page of the catalog. Now place glue on the page (refer to picture). Glue down to the back of the cover.

You should now have a loop.

Repeat step 1 with the next page.

Now you should have two loops.

Repeat the process till all the pages are glued except the cover page to the left. Let sit for a half hour to dry.

Now, glue the last page to complete the flower. Let dry overnight.

Thread fishing line through a loop to hang.

Silver Bow

One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is wrap gifts, weird right? While most people dread it and find it to be an inconvenience, I find it relaxing. Part of the fun is picking out the paper, decorations, ribbon and creating a theme

This year I stumbled upon a way to make a bow after finishing off a bag of candy. I was inspired by the actual candy bag, the inside foil reminded me of silver  Bows. So, that’s what I set out to make. The result, a surprisingly quick and easy way to make a bow. I didn’t time myself but I’m sure it took no longer than two minutes to make. Here’s the how-to.

Supplies:
Food packaging lined with foil – For this craft the package should be constructed with two sheets sealed on all four sides.
Double stick tape – I used tape that’s pre-cut for scrapbooking.
Scissors

*Click on pictures to get a larger view.

Starting with a food package, cut strips horizontally. Next, turn all the strips inside out.

The strips naturally coiled into a figure 8 shape. The left “8” I taped the center together to make two loops. The right “8” has not been taped, it’s just to show you how the strips naturally form. Next, take one loop and push it down in the center to make a bow shape and tape (refer to right picture).

Now push down the other loop just like you did in the last step and tape. Make three of these and one basic loop (refer to right picture).

Take two of the bows you made and tape them together in an “x” shape. Next tape another bow vertically down the center of the bows.

Last, tape your basic loop in the center. Done.

 

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