Origami and Spirelli

Origami is the art of paper-folding; spirelli is the art of winding thread, yarn or wire around a shape to create a pattern or picture. Both are great for using bits of card, paper and string. Ooh by the way, I hope you kept your Christmas wrapping paper, even if crumpled? It can still be used for origami or other craft techniques. I'm planning to do most of this year's Christmas cards with origami.
Anyway, the cut up cereal packets on the left are spirelli templates. You can buy packs of spirelli templates in the shops, but it's more environmentally-friendly to make your own. You can print off a page of free templates here: http://www.cardmaking.circleofcrafters.com/spirellitemplate.html
Then stick them to cardboard, e.g. cereal packets, and cut them out. If you have no access to a printer, draw a circle, square or triangle and mark even small spaces around it. Cut these into notches or spikes, to wind round. Then whenever you get a spare piece of white or coloured card in the post or elsewhere (my best friend's mince pies this Christmas came in a box with lovely expanses of red cardboard), you can draw round your templates and do some winding to make an unusual, simple and pretty topper. Simply wind the thread from one section to another one about six along, move one further on from where you started to one past the second one...this sounds complicated, but the second you start you'll realise how easy it is. You can see one I've done here, ornamented with a few sequins. After the initial printing out, you need never use non-waste card again.
TIP: when crafting in a group, cut the large sides from cereal packets to make craft place mats. They're good for stamping on and absorbing various craft spills.
The shirt it's next to is of course origami, but don't worry if you don't know your valley folds from your bird bases - we have the internet now and there are free anime instructions as well as photos and diagrams. To make the shirt, start with any rectangle of paper and follow the folding instructions here:
http://www.tammyyee.com/origamishirt.html
There are several origami sites that are really good - for brilliant, simple designs great for cards, see http://www.origami-club.com/en/ which has great anime to watch of most of the designs. It's perfect for beginners. If you're ready for something a little more advanced, try http://www.draftsperson.net/origami/diagrams.php
I now have a shameful confession to make. I've just made a card to someone else's design, and used a whole sheet of scrap to print out the orange squares. But look at the cats - they're so sweet....you can see the original here: http://www.cardmaking.circleofcrafters.com/anyoccasionproject6.html
This is all very normal and respectable, isn't it? Not like me at all. My next post I'm planning is how to make your own unusual stamps, from items you probably have lying about doing nothing. Oh, and cabbages.
Happy New Year!
Much love,
Jehanine x