Father's Day Origami Polo and Tie

Here's a card that I made for my dad. My loves to wear polo shirts so it's no surprise why my brothers and I always gift them with a new polo.

Happy Father's Day!

Tools and Supplies used:

♥ White cardstock
♥ Yellow stripes from Fashionably Chic Paper Stack by Recollections
♥ Green plaid origami paper from Daiso
♥ Blue hearts double-sided origami paper (gifted from a friend)
♥ Made with Love & Red stripes washi tape by Recollection
♥ Glitter glue in Diamond by Tulip
♥ Foam adhesive squares by Recollections
♥ Glitter glue in Diamond by Tulip

Mother's Day Origami Dress

Happy Mother's Day!

Here's a card that I was inspired by a picture that I pinned on Pinterest. I was preparing for an origami session and my mom told me how much she love the dress. From that,  I decided to make an origami dress card for Mother's Day. The origami dress tutorial was taken from Inklings and Yarns' blog.

Origami dress for my mom

Edit: View this card at Craftgaker! :)

Sunny Floral Greeting

Here's another going away card that I made for my friend, MC, who just left Vancouver to start his new career in San Francisco (congratulations!). I met MC at the SFU Origami Club so I thought it would be nice to make him an origami-themed card.

For this card, I folded five 2 inches squares to form the flower and the corners. This technique is known as Tea Bag Folding.Unlike the traditional origami, tea bag folding uses several small square pieces of printed paper that are folded exactly the same way. Then, the pieces are used to link together to form beautiful 3D designs. It’s great for decorating your cards and making unique ornaments.

Flower fold card

Fun Fact: Why is it called “Tea Bag Folding”?

Tea bag folding was originated in Holland. Tiny van der Plaas was worried about giving a birthday card for her sister, so she began folding envelopes that enclosed her tea bag. In Holland, tea bag envelopes are colourful and decorated with designs. In the end, she created a unique and decorative card; as a result, it was the beginning of tea bag folding! (Source: Craft Site Directory)

Tea Bag Folding
Photo taken from Jill Britton

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Have a great week, everyone!

My Trip to Nikkei Place's Craft & Bake Fair

My friends and I went to the Nikkei Place's Craft & Bake Fair today. I'm really glad that I went because I enjoyed shopping and looking at every table. There were a lot of handmade Japanese jewellery, hand-knits, clothing, cards, and many other amazing crafts! There were also delicious waffles and Japanese desserts.

PT got a miniature bonsai and A got an really pretty necklace holder for her work ID. As for me, I bought two handmade card with a Japanese doll on the front...so pretty!

Handmade Japanese doll card 

Nikkei Place's Craft & Bake Fair

Nikkei Place is having their 11th Annual Craft and Bake Fair this weekend! The SFU Origami Club and I volunteered there a couple of months ago (click here to read the post), so I'm excited to see what they have!

Celebrate Christmas with a Japanese flair! From gorgeous traditional textiles to fun and funky contemporary items as well as home baking, the always popular Craft Fair has something to suit every taste. Half of the vendors are different on Sunday, so please visit both day.

Date: Saturday, November 19th and Sunday, November 20th
Time: 11:00am - 4:00pm
Admission: Free!
Location: National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby, BC
Map: Click here 
Website: www.nikkeiplace.org
List of Vendors: Click here
Facebook: Click here
Twitter: nikkeimuse

Anyone else planning to go this weekend? :)

Birthday Dress and Shoes

Hi everyone!

Today is my birthday! Yay :) I want to show you guys my birthday dress and shoes that I will be wearing tonight...

Blue dress

Pink pumps

Just kidding :) I'll be wearing something else. The diagrams are from Fashion Origami by Mark Bolitho. The heels were hard to make...I had to make up my own folds because I didn't understand the diagram. The blue dress was fun to fold though.

What do you guys think? I am I fashion designer now? lol

Anyway, please look forward to my next post on my birthday par-tay :)

Thank You Card From Mackin House Museum

Last week I volunteered at the Mackin House Museum in celebrating their 102nd birthday. You can read the post here. The executives from the SFU Origami Club and I had a great time! I want to show you guys the thank you card that they gave us :)

Thank you card from Mackin House Museum

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

I'll Fold You Something Pretty

Hello! I hope everyone had an awesome summer! I have to apologize for not updating my blog :( This special post will show focus on my other hobby which is...drum roll, please...origami! haha I'm sure some of you already knew that :P

Some of the executives from the SFU Origami Club and I volunteered to teach origami. The first event was located at the Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre. Last month, the centre hosted a Japanese culture event for a day camp. There were fun activities for the kids to do and to teach them some Japanese culture and heritage.

Nikkei Centre supports Japan earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.
Click here to read more.

The second event was at the Mackin House Museum. Today, they were celebrating Mackin House’s 102nd Birthday (Wow!) We got a brief history of the house and it was quite interesting. Click here if you want to read about it. There were many multicultural activities going on today such as henna tattooing, music and dance performances, and of course, origami folding.

Flowers!

Joseph Wu, an origami expert, was there too! It was my first time meeting him, so that was exciting :) His creations are amazing, so check out his gallery by clicking here.

Our table was located in the master bedroom of
Henry James Mackin's and his wife's! :O

I always have fun volunteering in these kinds of events. It's so rewarding when I get to share my hobby to the public. Also, I get to meet new people and learn new things! :) Anyways, I'm ending this blog post with this heart cube that I folded last month. Enjoy!

Heart Cube

35th Annual Powell Street Festival

Powell Street Festival is happening again! Last year, the SFU Origami Club and I taught origami in the Children's Tent. We had a great time so we're doing it again this year! Unfortunately, I won't be there, BUT the executives from the club will be teaching...so be sure to visit them and come celebrate the Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and heritage. :)

Click here to see pictures I took from last year. 

Dates: July 30 & 31, 2011
Location: Oppenheimer Park (400 block of Powell Street), Vancouver, BC
Map: Click here
Time: 11:30am - 7:00pm
Fun: Crafts, food, dance, games, martial arts, etc.
Schedule/Programme: Click here
Website: www.powellstreetfestival.com
Facebook: The 35th Annual Powell Street Festival
Twitter: Powell St. Festival

SFU Origami Club + a litre of sunshine

Oh my, I haven't posted anything since the beginning of January. I'm having a difficult time balancing school, work, and other personal obligations…so bare with me until I find some ways to manage my time better. This is kind of funny (and embarrassing) because I presented a workshop on Work-life Balance last semester...don't tell my instructor! :X

Anyway, SFU Orgaimi Club is selling handmade ribbon roses to celebrate Valentine's Day! ♥ Last year was so successful that we're selling them again!

♥ Location: Simon Fraser University, booths in AQ
♥ Dates: Now until February
♥ Time: 11am - 3:30pm
♥ Prices:
     $2 for a single rose
     $3 for a deluxe single rose
     $30 for a dozen (12) deluxe bouquet
♥ Lots of colours to choose from! Check out their website.

ALSO, I'll be selling my handmade cards on February 1st and 4th! I made a few cards for Valentine's Day so I'm excited to show them to everyone :) There will be other cards for different occasions, of course. Here's a sneak peak of a card that I made today:

Kissy Fishy
Everything was heart shaped, but most of them were cut in half.

Here are some photos of the ribbons roses:

A dozen deluxe bouquet

Single roses

Photos by SFU Origami Club

If you're going to be at SFU during those days, drop by and visit me and the executives from the Origami Club :) Valentine's Day is coming up so be sure to buy a rose and a card for your special someone!

By the way, if you like to read comics, check out my brother's new website: Ms.Yen: Angry Japanese Women. Most of you guys will be reading this post on Monday, so if you need a good laugh, read my brother's comics :)

Have a wonderful week!

Holiday Card Making Workshop

The SFU Origami Club hosted a Card Making Workshop yesterday and it was fun! It was my first time teaching such a big group...luckily the executives and I prepared for this event last week :) Thanks for letting me teach you guys and the members. I hope everyone had fun and learned a lot about card making!

CC used origami paper to decorate her card. Good idea!

Preparation for Card Making Workshop

Just a few more days until I teach the card making workshop at SFU! Last week, I taught the executives from the SFU Origami Club some basic card making techniques so they can teach our members. We had so much fun and I'm so proud of them! Take a look at their creations.

So creative!

Date: Friday, November 19th, 2010
Time: 3:30 - 6:30PM
Location: MBC 2294
Admission: $2 (SFU students only)
What: Card making supplies, yummy snacks, and origami paper will be provided.
Facebook Event: Click here (Please RSVP before Friday)

Dessert Doctrine: SFU Origami Club & YVC

I mentioned the executives from the SFU Origami Club and I volunteered at the Burnaby Hospital last Friday. The event was called Dessert Doctrine I: Origami & Card Tricks. We were there to teach the volunteers from the Youth Volunteer Council some simple origami so they can make it with their patients. There were also interactive games, card tricks, and ice cream cake! Yum! I had a great time, so enjoy the pictures!

Origami! :)

Practical and Decorative Origami

Last Friday, SFU Origami Club organized a practical themed event. Instead of folding for fun, we thought it would be something new and different to teach members to fold practical things with just origami paper. There were decorations, bookmarks, boxes, envelopes, chopstick stands, and the list goes on!

I had so much fun that I actually folded some stuff to decorate my room. I folded this really cute sunflower photo stand.

I love sunflowers :)

Fall Semester Clubs Day at SFU

This week was Clubs Day at SFU! I was there on Tuesday with other executives to recruit old and new members. I love Clubs Day mainly because I get to talk to students, share my hobby, and learn to fold new things! There were so many students that joined...we filled up about six pages that day (and within four hours).

KY and I at our table
(Origami is yummy)

Hello, you make me smile

I used my perfect-ish bows to make cards. What I like about these cards is that they are great for other occasions or even last minute things. Sometimes it's hard to find greeting cards to go with a celebration or event, so these cards are simple enough to say whatever you want...just make sure you write something inside to make it more personal :P

For Sale.
♥ Email me for Hello 08-2010

Pictures from Powell Street Festival

This year was SFU Origami Club's first time participating in the Powell Street Festival. Some of the executives from the club and I taught origami in the Children's Tent and we had a great time! I was surprised by how busy it was because the weather was a bit cloudy in the morning. By the end of the day, I was quite exhausted from standing and teaching all day...a lot of the little kids asked me to teach them how to make a dinosaur, which was the hardest one to make. I couldn't say no to them because they were so cute! :)

Saturday, July 31st - Friends and I went to visit the festival. The first thing I saw were the cranes hanging from the trees! They looked really pretty and I was happy that people were taking so pictures of them! I wanted to walk up to people and tell them we folded all those cranes! ...but that would be creepy :P Too bad it rained because it looked floppy the next day.

We folded and KY strung all the cranes!

Sunday, August 1st- SFU Origami Club in action :)

1) The Children's Tent before the kids came in.
2) The lovely executives.
3) Someone (we called him the master) folded the goblins.
4) Standing in front of a sign. (My mom took that picture! I taught her well :))

Our future origami club executives? lol

We got vouchers, so we lined up for takoyaki!
I burnt my tongue that day..it was too delicious!

:)

Thank you to Powell Street Festival for including the SFU Origami Club. Thanks to friends that came to the festival with me and friends that visited me. And big thanks to the executives, KY, AC, and KWC, who helped and prepared for this festival. ♥

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Edit:
The Opus mentioned SFU Origami Club in their newsletter. Click here to read!

Powell Street Festival- July 31 & August 1, 2010

Mark your calendars for the 34th Annual Powell Street Festival on July 31 and August 1, 2010!

Dates: July 31 & August 1, 2010
Location: Oppenheimer Park (400 block of Powell Street), Vancouver, BC
Map: Click here
Time: 11:30am - 7:00pm
Fun: Crafts, food, dance, games, martial arts, etc.
Schedule/Programme: Click here
Website: www.powellstreetfestival.com
Facebook: The 34th Annual Powell Street Festival
Twitter: Powell St. Festival

The SFU Origami Club will be taking part of this annual celebration of Japanese Canadian arts, culture, and heritage. We'll be in the Children's Tent on Aug 1st from 12pm-3pm (or longer), so be sure to visit us! This will be our first time participating in this festival, so we're very excited!

Some of the executives from the Origami Club helped prepare for this festival by teaching the crane to the staffs. Actually, giant cranes! We're going to use them as decoration, most likely going to hang them on branches. The decorations are going to look so pretty!


Giant cranes!!! We're going to paint and hang them with colourful ribbons


We used patterned papers for these cranes. So pretty!

We made more than just cranes. KY made a gaint rose with a stem! It took him a long time, but he did it! The rose look great! I took a closer picture of it and KWC put his hand on top to show how big the rose is...it's big!


Having some fun :)

Come visit us and have some fun! :)

Tanabata Star Festival

Tanabata, which means the night of the seventh, is a Japanese tradition where people write their wishes on colourful, small strips of papers and hang them on branches. This tradition is also known as the Star Festival and is celebrated on July 7th.

Last Friday, SFU Origami Club hosted a Tanabata Star event where members folded a handful of colourful stars and dropped them into a clear star jar. The event was so much fun! Hopefully the members didn't forget make a wish...because I did! :(


A member folder this pretty star. It's made of straw, 16 inch in length.


My failed attempt :( It's hard!


This is our star jar!


A group picture of the vice president, executives, and new members!

We decided to have this event outside of the campus...just because it was super sunny! Despite the hot sun shining down on us and my crazy allergies, I had a great time! and I hope everyone did too. We had a small group this time, but it was nice getting to know our members one-on-one. We introduced ourselves, guessed our ethnicity, and made nicknames for each other. They even went to watch a movie afterward! I was sad that I couldn't go, but I had to go home to hide from the pollen :*(

Since most of us couldn't make the straw star, I was determined to learn it...and if successful, I can teach the executives and members. I've found a tutorial video by 13erryCheeseCake that looks possible to make. Maybe one day I can make one...



Anyway, thanks for another great event, everyone! I'll be leading the next social event with two other executives. I wonder how it will turn out :P

Oh, Happy Day

This birthday card is for the president of the SFU Origami Club. I used to sew in high school, so I have a lot of sewing materials leftovers such as safety pins. So I used them to attach embellishment and it looks pretty good! Anyways, Happy Birthday to you! :)

I'm glad that I joined this club last Fall semester. I'm meeting new people, making new friends, and enjoying my new position as the Events Coordinator (aka Princess) of the Origami Club lol!

Have a great week, everyone! :)