Origami Rose

Difficulty: Easy

The Japanese word "Origami" itself is a compound of two smaller Japanese words: "oru", meaning to fold, and "kami", meaning paper. Japanese origami began sometime after Buddhist monks carried paper to Japan during the 6th century. The first Japanese origami is dated from this period and was used for religious ceremonial purposes only, due to the high price of paper. Samurai warriors are known to have exchanged gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of good luck token made of folded strips of paper. Some origami can be very complicated, but right now, I'll show you how to make a pretty easy one: a rose.


YOU WILL NEED:

• One square piece of paper (any size)

That's all!

 First, fold the paper in half, then in half again, so it's like a mini version of what you started out with.

 Now, unfold it. You should have a + shape in the middle of the paper. This will help you with the next step.

Now, fold in one corner. The sides of the corner should fit in perfectly with one square in the fold.

Do the same thing with the other four corners.

All right, now we have to do the same thing. With the four corners in this square, fold them into the middle.

Last time, I promise! With those corners folded in, fold in these corners!

Fold out the corners this time. See those four points in the middle? Fold those out, like it shows in the picture. These are the outer petals.

Fold out the four corners that you've uncovered in the last step. These are the middle petals. There's just one layer left!

Finally, fold out the last petals, and you have an origami rose! You can make them with colored paper, patterned paper, big paper, small paper... just go to a nearby craft store and pick up lots of cool square paper! Have fun!