Inside Out Special: Origami at Home

It’s feeling festive at Inside Out HQ, so we thought that there’s no better time to create a fresh selection of paper-folding treats to have your home looking pretty for the holidays. This special edition offffers 12 pictureperfect models to help you smooth the frazzled edges inevitable at this time of year with practical styling ideas to give your home that personal touch. My personal favourite is the teeny tiny Santa on this page, but I can also imagine myself happily folding a flock of swans to create individual place settings, too (see page 14). Whichever you choose, take the time to enjoy the process, and not just the outcome. Whether it’s with family or friends, the traditional art of origami is all about thoughtfulness, which makes it thoroughly appropriate for…

Christmas i is the most wonderful time of the year. There’s a sense of magic in the air. It’s all about spending time with loved ones, carrying on traditions and finding new ones to get into the spirit of the season. Digging out the jumble of colourful baubles and hand-crafted ornaments to decorate the tree is one tradition that instantly starts that happy buzz, and before you know it, you’re turning your home into a place that’s fit for Santa’s visit come Christmas Eve. At Inside Out, we believe decorating our homes for the season is as important as Christmas lunch. Although we are more than partial to beautiful ornaments, cards and tags, nothing compares to creating something yourself, something made by hand with love. So, join us in starting a…

santa | difficulty santa | difficulty santa gift tags Decorate plain paper tags with the man in red YOU WILL NEED 10.5cm x 5.5cm gift tags Scissors Pencil Spray glue Origami Santas Double-sided tape 1. Download and cut out the gift tag template from insideout.com.au. 2. Position the template in the centre of the tag, and mark a dot at each corner. 3. Apply glue to the back of the template and, lining up with the marked dots, glue down onto the tag. 4. Attach double-sided tape at the back of the origami Santa and secure onto the template, leaving room to write names. or try this… Use Santa for a: + Tree decoration (p29) + Napkin ring (p52) + Card (p71)…

swan | difficulty swan place-card holders Welcome guests with refined swans they can take home YOU WILL NEED Small cards Origami swans Pencil Scissors Pen 1. Lay your place card down on a flat surface. Lay the origami swan flat over the top, lining up the bottom of the swan with the bottom of the card. Trace the angle of the body onto the card. Cut the card along the traced line. 2. Flip the card over so that the card sits evenly above the origami swan’s wings when sitting inside. 3. Write your guest’s name at the top of the card and sit it inside the swan’s wings to finish. TIP: The direction in which you want your swans to sit on the table will determine which side you write on the card. or try this… Use a swan for a: + Centrepiece (p22) +…

tree | difficulty tree | difficulty tree centrepiece Create a mini Christmas wonderland on your table YOU WILL NEED Origami trees A variety of glass cloches Cake stands Display your trees inside a collection of cloches around the centre of your table. Add in cake stands for height, and place a few trees outside the cloches. Also, consider using the plain side of the paper. or try this… Other origami models suitable for a centrepiece: + Diamond (p44) + Heart (p62) + Star (p66)…

crane | difficulty crane | difficulty crane | difficulty crane tree decorations Add sophistication to your tree w with these elegant birds YOU WILL NEED Large sewing needle Metallic cord or thread Decorative beads Origami cranes 1. Thread a needle with cord or thread and pierce a hole from the bottom of the crane through the centre of the body. 2. Thread the needle through your decorative bead, create a loop of 10cm-12cm with the cord, and thread back through the bead. 3. Thread the needle back through the same hole in the body and bottom of the crane. 4. Remove the needle from the cord and tie a knot to finish. Trim the ends of the knot, leaving a 1cm length. or try this… Other origami models suitable for tree decorations: + Pinwheel (p40) + Bow (p54) + Heart (p62)…