This post is entirely thanks to a lovely friend who gave me a beautiful bunch of paper flowers for my birthday earlier this year. She knows me well that this is what I think is a perfect kind of littleEco gift! With her permission I’m able to write up this post using her fantastic video and instructions too. Thankyou @JemmaSchofield!
Origami is a Japanese term made up the words oru (to fold) and kami (paper). The techniques of making sculptures from a piece of paper by creasing folding dates back to the 17th century when paper was considered a luxury and paper folding was a ceremonial thing and often associated with making a wish. It has become more popular in Europe and an art form of making paper animals and all kinds of amazing things.
Did you know Origami is actually good for you? The art of folding symmetrical shapes helps with hand eye coordination. Research shows that following of a sequence of instructions, like in Origami, can really help to stimulate the brain, encourage creativity and improve spatial awareness. It is suggested as a good thing to use for rehabilitation for stroke patients, something that would have been really helpful for my fine motor skills following the stroke I had over 7 years ago now.
The flowers that my friend made for me are made of 6 petals that are are individually folded and glued together around a paper straw. They are placed in a box punched with holes covered in tissue paper. They are a lovely gift that is fully recyclable afterwards and no plastic!
Dowload this pdf for the full instructions:
There are many variations of these lovely flowers. We did a zoom call with the ladies from New Life Church to learn how to make them and it was a lovely evening. I logged in from our caravan in Devon as we were on holiday and I didn’t want to miss it! My friend Jemma hosted the evening with fantastic little craft kits. Everyone had different colours and patterns.
There are many possibilities to make a perfect littleEco gift to brighten up someone’s day. Hope you enjoy making them! Please post your flower pics and share your Eco origami creations.
Little Eco Gifts 
One thought on “Origami Flowers”