April Fools'!

Happy April 1st everyone!









In France, when someone plays a prank on you, they triumphantly declare "poisson d'avril!", which means "April Fish". I am sure there is a reason for this, but as a kid, we always just went with it. If you grew up a Frenchie, you'll remember spending the whole day cutting out little paper fish to stick on your friends' backs when they weren't looking. Once again, I never questioned these traditions as a child. Just enjoy this meta-fish and don't judge.

For all of you non-Frenchies, here are some other things.


So I don't have students to torment this year (how I miss those days). I thought I'd regale all of you with some paper tricks instead. These neat little models are not what they appear. I have made GIFs to prove it.

 Here's an old favorite: the amazing modular transforming ninja star. If you would like to make this model, check out my tutorial.

And what's this? A box? Nop.

Check out Jo Nakashima's tutorial for Valerie Vann's Magic Rose Cube.


Are you amazed yet?

How about thise? Here's a cool folding exercise: the Magical Transforming Octahedron by Jeremy Shafer.

Ok, so I ain't fooling you. You're too smart. But the mechanics behind these models are very interesting, and not because I'm writing this at 5am.


Fine, I'm sorry. You wanted neat pranks to play on your friends, didn't you? And I blew it. Truth is, paper is meant to make people happy. Unless you don't know how to hold it and get paper cuts. I guess this whole post was some kind of bad April Fools' joke. But before you go, take a look at this neat trick inspired by origami (this one's legit).

Leave me a comment if you can figure out how he does it. And good luck finding ways to make other people miserable!

Happy Feast of Saint Valentine

Once there was a guy called Saint Valentine who died. The end. Cool story, huh?

What's that? "Not really," you say? Then why do people, over sixteen centuries later, feel obliged to spend obscene amounts of money every year on February 14th to prove that they love someone?

Who's the culprit, you ask? As usual, we have Chaucer to blame. Or the guy who misinterpreted him. The author of The Canterbury Tales was the first to associate the Feast of Saint Valentine with love and romantic activity. Critics believe that the Feast of Saint Valentine that Chaucer was referring to actually falls on May 3rd. 

You heard me. You can read about it in this article by Meg Sullivan.

Nevertheless, since February 14th has come to be celebrated as the Day of Love in some countries, and since I have avoided making a Valentine's Day post in the past, it might be time for Paper Moon to show some love. 

(Note: You will not see any hearts on this blog. Except this one. It was Halloween, and the thing was cute.)

******

SO, what are you going to give your sweetheart tomorrow?

Apparently, nothing says I love you like a nice single red rose. Here is a pretty paper alternative to the kind that dies. This model was designed by Jo Nakashima. If you are a frequent reader of this blog, you know I have voiced some strong opinions about the giving of flowers as gifts. Don't get me wrong, I think flowers are great. When they're outside. With their roots still attached. So for alternative options, please check the previous post.

How about a pretty card made by you? Find out how to make this elegant origami card here.

And did you get her a gift? Do you want to make him think you're super creative? Why not put your trinkets in a nice little origami box? I have dug around and found some nice, non-gushy options for the less "romantic" among us. You're welcome.

How about this cute candy-shaped box? It is best for holding candy and/or chocolate. 

There is also the Love Swan Box by Tadashi Mori. I am quite partial to this one. 

And even though I am clearly not into all the sickly, sugary cr... criminal injustice that is pink hearts and creepy red plush dolls we must endure year after year, here is a beautiful and elaborate model, also by Tadashi Mori. The Versailles Box is made up of three sections. Find out how to make the flower part here, and the leaf part here.

These models can be given to anyone you love on this, the Day of Love. If you're not romantically involved, it doesn't mean there's no one out there who loves you. I mean, there has to be someone, right? Just spend tomorrow with someone you love if you can. Do it for all of us who are missing our loved ones but can't be with them.

I will end this tribute to poor Saint Valentine, the martyr, who I am sure died very painfully at the hands of the Romans, with these parting words of wisdom:

Remember, chocolate is always the best gift.

<3 from Paper Moon

Earth Day 2013

We are nearing the end of April, and it's still cold and rainy here in Lebanon. Some people in Canada are still  snowed in, and winter just does not seem to want to leave. It makes me think, today especially, how bad we must have been to our Earth to make it so confused. 

It is no tragedy when thousands of people die in an earthquake, hurricane or flood; it's just nature fighting back. The real tragedy is how we turn a deaf ear to her desperate cries for help. Winter in the middle of spring, and summers which stretch out well into autumn should be a sign that something is terribly wrong. Or is it just me?

To put my conscience at ease, I decided to make today's origami out of reused paper.

This frog looks nothing like the original design.

There is always used paper lying around, so why not make something out of it? That is after all the idea behind origami, and this blog for that matter.

I made my very first kusudama following this tutorial. Kusudama often require a lot of paper. This model for instance uses 30 units (no wonder I'd never had the courage to make one before), so try putting all that paper you were going to toss out to good use and make something decorative and neat (those of you who have read this blog before know that when I say neat, I mean "cool", "cute", "interesting", not the other thing, which my models very seldom are.)

 


And if you don't have anyone to impress, or if you've already snazzed-up your living quarters enough (seriously, are your parents/roommates starting to complain?) you can make something useful out of scraps of paper.

We use these little boxes around the office sometimes. Pages from magazines and flyers printed on glossy paper work best and are often colorful. For instructions on how to make this origami box, visit this older blog post.

As a child, I wanted to be an environmentalist/conservationist/zoologist. I later realized that it was a lost cause, and that Mother Nature was beyond help. Maybe if I had gone through with my dream, the Earth would have been saved by now. The thought will forever haunt me!

Origami First Lesson

One lady in our department who was passing by to say hello stopped to look at the paper flowers and other models that I leave strewn around the office. She liked them so much that she asked me if I would give her daughter origami lessons at their home once a month. This was the last thing I would have expected to happen, but it has turned out to be a fascinating experience.

My first lesson, I started out with one student and ended up with three, eight years old, sitting at the table, folding little paper tadpoles. 

Here are a couple of the models we made together.

We should really feel privileged if we are ever lucky enough to be invited into a child's magical world. These models are simple, but there is no reason they should not be exciting. The frog's lips move and make it look like it's croaking. The kids laughed endlessly at the funny expression on their frog's face. One of my students very eloquently said that he wanted to make his frog's eyes look "glazed over", as seen above. The box is an equally exciting toy; you can stow all your little bits and pieces and secrets in it. 

There is really nothing better or more rewarding than seeing a child excited about something. It reminds us adults (and I use the term begrudgingly in reference to myself) to appreciate the little things which could make us very happy if we just stopped to notice them.

After that first lesson, I am now introduced as "the origami teacher". That sounds pretty legit. I can't wait for my next lesson. I think we are ready to move on to slightly more difficult models.

Independence Day Lebanon 2012

Happy Independence Day, you little mess of a country. We should remember today that our little dot on the map does not get the love it deserves. Despite all that goes on every day to disrupt its peace, it remains standing, though on shaky ground.




















Although many people are unfortunately not in the mood to celebrate this year, in honor of the 69th anniversary of Lebanon's Independence and of our beloved national emblem, the Lebanese cedar (cedrus libani, or the Cedar of God in the Bible), I made this little origami.

The cedar is based on Jo Nakashima's Christmas Tree variation. The red box and lid stand for the two red stripes on our flag, and the white background stands for the white stripe in the middle. Instructions for making the box can be found here.

How to Make an Origami Box

Here are instructions on how to make this easy origami box. 

Halloween Origami

Halloween was yesterday, but grad students don't have time to celebrate Halloween, and certainly not on the actual day.
Still, I did have time to make some fun Halloween origami.

Halloween cranes. The box can also be used for candy.

Instructions on how to make the box can be found here.

happypuppytruffles' Cute Bat very hastily (and clumsily)

Leyla Torres' Origami Heart With Bat Wings. Trick-or-Treat?