Origami-Inspired Flowerpot Cards

Origami cups make cute flowerpots!

I clocked the Google Doodle on 14 March about Akira Yoshizawa, the great origami expert and popularizer. Then, when I went to the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia, I found some fabulous origami paper. (The origami paper was sold in a pack intended to make a kusudama modular paper ball - but I had other intentions for the lovely border print.)

I really enjoy playing with engineered prints - it is a fun challenge to figure out how to position the design elements to best advantage in a project. 


These flowerpot cards are not strictly origami, because a little bit of cutting is required to achieve the foldover scalloped pot rim. But the source of inspiration is obvious.

The flowerpots - and spiral-fold 3-D flowers - are crafted with the Flowerpot Pockets template (No. 7389) , which I designed for Hot Off The Press. Just trace the outlines onto the wrong side of the paper, then cut and fold.

I added a bit of contrast paper under the pot rims to make the border pattern really pop. Just tape the paper underneath and trim the contours.

The tent-style mini-cards you may recognize from my previous post! : ) 

I've added some paper-strip plant pokes to transform the cards into placecards. Just tuck the plant poke labelled with the party guest's name into the flowerpot pocket. 

Here, the leaves are folded along the creases.

The spiral-swirl flowers embellish a card.

Making up the folded flowers is pretty hook-y - so why not make a larger card?
(This one is 15cm/6in square.) Position the template to get the prettiest effect from the origami paper pattern. The scattered-flower swoosh effect looks a bit like a Photoshop brush...

The card backing is made from four handkerchief-point quadrants of origami
paper, matted on contrast paper. Make up several flowers - three sizes are given on the template - and balance them for size and colour. Attach with sticky dots. The flower centres are Card Candi from Craftwork cards (and there's a Petal Pairs Petite interlocked flower on the biggest bloom). Snip into the edges of the card spine, then wrap with baker's twine and knot. The twine tails are threaded with coiled paper beads - each bead is made from half a strip of quilling paper, rolled around a cocktail stick (yes, I know the beads look like Pez sweets).

Stuff I used for the project: HOTP Flowerpot Pockets 7389, Craftwork Cards Card Candi, Divine Twine, Craft Creations paper (for the tent cards). The origami paper pack was unlabelled - but I am sure you can track down something similar on the internet.