Thursday 28 January 2016

Getting Crafty | Origami

Today's post is going to be a little on the crafty side. One of the New Years goals (find them here) was to do more DIY projects and get my craft on! So since I'm not the most talented when it comes to creating crafty masterpieces, I thought I'd start off with just making a few types of origami. I've always been fascinated by the Japanese art of paper folding; I think it's fantastic that a simple piece of square paper can be turned into something like a 3D animal! There are lot's of easy-to-follow origami tutorials on Youtube, and you can get hold of the paper really cheap. I bought a pack on Amazon by a seller called Color Tree Limited which contained 100 colourful sheets, half double-sided and half single-sided for just £3.25. With Valentine's Day approaching, why don't you have a go at making your loved ones favourite animal or a cute origami heart? I think origami makes a quirky, fun addition to any gift :) 




HOW ADORABLE IS THIS!? I was so happy with how my Pikachu origami turned out! This was my second attempt because it's quite fiddly to make his ears and tail and I'm not the best at doing delicate things with my clumsy hands. Although I've never been seen by a specialist, I had a lot of symptoms of dyspaxia when I was a kid and throughout my teenage years, many of which still affect me now. Being in a relationship with a guy who had dyspaxia and speaking to friends at college and university who know people with dyspaxia, I am even more convinced but I'm not sure where to go to find out if that's in fact what I've been experiencing since I was around 6 years old. If anyone has any advice about that, please let me know in the comments :) 


This is the only origami that I've ever memorised how to make without having to watch a tutorial, an inflatable bunny. You make a flat origami shape and then blow into the paper making it puff out. It's really cool and so fun to make! I think it would be adorable to write 'some bunny loves you' on it and give it to a special someone for Valentine's Day


This is another origami that I'm quite proud of. I've tried to make origami cranes several times when I was younger and could never get it right. I had a penpal from Japan at the time and she would sometimes send me cute little cranes with her letters, and I really wanted to send her one in return! I'm glad I've finally got it right...even if it was my second try! My first attempt ended up with the tail popping out by the head and I have no idea how it happened haha :) It's satisfying opening the wings of the crane and it all folding into place. These cranes remind me more of Pterodactyls.


 The final origami animal I made was this sweet little fox. I absolutely love foxes. Growing up dreaming of being a zoo keeper, I always wanted to work with foxes and other canids (the 'dog' family that includes wolves, jackals, foxes, etc.), however nowadays I'm a big reptile fan so my dream job would be working in a zoo with a huge reptile collection and developing my skills to eventually become a qualified herpetologist. I hope I can get there someday! This fox origami was one of the easiest to make. 


The final type of origami that I made was this box; I thought it would be a lovely idea for Valentine's Day. I used 15cm x 15cm origami paper so you can make a bigger box if you buy some larger paper. I used pink paper for the lid and red paper for the base, and decorated with some cute little heart stickers. Here's a photo of the opened box: 


Let me know if you decide to make an origami box of your own for Valentine's Day :) It would be perfect to pop your gifts inside, such as jewellery or maybe you could fill it with adorable soppy love notes :D I hope you all enjoyed this post... I'm looking forward to doing more crafty posts in the future.  

Thankyou for reading!


Have you ever made origami before? Could you recommend another (easy one!) for me to have a go at making? Which is your favourite out of the ones I made?  
 
Share:

Tuesday 26 January 2016

December Kawaii Box

Yayyy! It's time for another Kawaii Box post! My December box arrived a few days ago filled with 11 adorable items. I hope you all enjoy these subscription box posts :) next month I've decided to get the Pop In a Box subscription box so I'll be posting about those each month. I've also ordered another box; it's a seasonal one and won't arrive for a few months yet, however I'm keeping this one a secret! haha I'll just tell you that it's really cute and I'm so excited! I'm becoming a little addicted to these boxes. I just love getting mail! So anyhow, here's what I got in my December Kawaii Box: 

- (1) Ice Cream Purse - (2) Polka Dot Washi Tape - (3) Kracie Ramen DIY Candy Kit - (4) Heart Shaped Nail Art - (5) Fat Animals Stickers - (6) Kawaii Owl Notebook - (7) Waffle Squishy - (8) Happy Cat Nail Clipper - (9) Moggie Doggie Pen - (10) Korean Nail Set - (11) Lollipop Towel -

* I didn't include the Lollipop Towel in the photo above because I was too curious and when I opened it, I unraveled it and then couldn't get it back together again! Oops haha I did take a quick photo just before I opened it, so I can still show it to you all :) 


 The lollipop towel was packaged in such a cute way... I kind of regret opening it! Once unraveled, you'll find a mini face cloth. I probably won't use it because it's not very big but it's a sweet item and I think it would be a cute addition if you were gifting a bunch of bath products to a friend. 


This gorgeous purse is one of my favourite items in this month's box. I love this pastel shade of pink, it's so bright and pretty. The pattern of adorable little ice-creams is just lovely, and I like how the zipper is an aqua colour because I love the combination of pink and aqua or turquoise together. To attach the purse to your bag, there's a keyring and a 'snap chip' style one too, both a lovely gold colour. 

 
 How cute is this nailset with little bunnies on it? I'm not a fan of wearing false nails so I'm probably going to pop them in with my niece's birthday presents. I love the blue polka dot tape; it's not actually washi tape as the description says... it's fabric tape and I'm going to use it for scrapbooking. Who else likes scrapbooking? If you blog about it that's even better! please leave me a link in the comments. Look at the cat nail clippers! Aren't they lovely? This is my next favourite item in this month's box

 
A closer view of the cat clippers for you all... they are awesome :) Do you ever see something and are instantly reminded of a thing that was funny amongst your fellow classmates when you were a teenager?  Then you feel a little silly that it still makes you giggle even now? ... well, does anyone remember the whole 'blue waffle' thing from your school days? Even though I was probably one of the few people at school to actually go home and research if there was any truth behind it and not find it all that funny at the time, it still made me smile a little when I saw this squishy waffle charm in the box. I love squishy charms and I think the sprinkles used on this one are cute.


I love that each kawaii box contains stickers! These chubby little animals are adorable... I especially like the chickens. The majority of them are tiny so I will be able to use them in my filofax. I have always loved owls! So I was really happy when I spotted this colourful owl notepad. It's small enough so I can pop it into my bag and I will likely end up using it as a to-do/shopping list book.... I need to stop just taking random bits of paper out with me because by the end of the month, my bag is filled with a load of notes and receipts :D 


 Overall, there were some great items in this months box but if I'm honest, it was one of my least favourite of all the boxes that I've received. It hasn't put me off continuing my subscription as it's such a great value for money, working out at around £13 a month which is fantastic for the amount of items you get and I can always give some of the items to my friends :) 

Thankyou for reading!

 ♥ 

What was your favourite item in this month's box? 

   
Share:
Blog Design Created by pipdig