If like me you haven't seen the start of the year go by, rest assured, it's never too late to send your wishes! In the heart of the cold of February, I have prepared a pretty Japanese paper greeting card for you which should brighten up and transform a rainy afternoon into a pleasant creative moment.

In this article, you will learn how to make:

• origami folding of the hedgehog
• and origami folding of the autumn leaf.

At the store, we like to write sweet words to each other in all seasons, but above all, we never miss an opportunity to create simple little things in Japanese paper to give as a gift or to treat ourselves! So in this article I have put together some origami folding ideas to decorate your letters. I hope you'll like them !

For this card I imagined two ranges of colors, one in warm tones: red, orange and gold, the other in a more sober and elegant atmosphere with a pretty shades of blue. It is of course available in other shades, according to your current colorful desires. For more inspiration, I invite you to discover all our Japanese papers and create your own range.

To make this greeting card, you will need:

• 1 square of bristol paper or thick white paper measuring 20cm per side for the background of your card,
• 3 squares of Japanese paper measuring 7.5 x 7.5 cm for making your 3 hedgehogs,
  To obtain 7.5cm squares, you can recut from our 10cm Japanese paper squares or 15cm squares .
• 4 squares of Japanese paper* to make 4 autumn leaves,
• a hole punch in the shape of your choice (I used this one ),
• a sheet of golden glitter paper , to punch pretty golden shapes,
• a tube of gel glue , to stick all your folds to the card base,
• a fine black felt-tip pen , to draw the little eyes of your hedgehogs.

To make origami sheets:

Find the origami leaves tutorial on this blog article where you will find the detailed explanations.

* Have fun creating your autumn leaves in different sizes of paper (for example: 2 sheets in 7.5 x 7.5cm and 2 sheets in 6 x 6cm).

For folding the origami hedgehog:

Once you have finished folding your first hedgehog, you can repeat the operation twice in different Japanese papers to complete your card.

NB: I discovered this hedgehog thanks to the work of origami artist Nana Takahasi, of whom you will find a short biography at the end of this article!

To add golden touches :

I like to add little golden touches to perfect and give light to my creations. Take your punch and a sheet of gold glitter paper, then brighten up your card with small flowers that sparkle by sprinkling them on the paper.

Final assembly of the card:

Secure everything with your gel glue and your card is finished !

For more immediate sending, you will find already ready cards, covered with your favorite Japanese papers in our creations “ Greeting cards » , as well as more models in our store in Paris.

Obviously, I like having the choice of decorations according to the seasons. If you want to try different DIY projects to personalize your greeting card, I'll let you discover the cherry blossom folding model and take inspiration from it for customizing your card.

I also offer you another of my favorite greeting cards: the celestial card with its little owl made of Japanese paper ! In another format but still just as simple to make, this pretty, timeless card can be sent at any time of the year.

I hope you like these DIY ideas.
See you soon for more creative ideas!

Adeline

About Nana TAKAHASHI

Origami artist Nana Takahashi studied in the “Design” section of Osaka University of Fine Arts in Japan. She began her professional career in an architecture firm, then inspired by different artists, she continued her work as an illustrator. Through her artistic research for children, Nana develops her creativity with paper, including origami. She is now the author of several craft books. Find out more about his work on his website (nanahoshi.com) or his Instagram account (@_nanahoshi_) !