origami | doc w/ Pen

January 15, 2018

Friendly inspiration

When I was in Chicago over winter break, I spent most of my time with my family. But I also caught up with my old “crafternoon” buddy. We talked shop, discussing the best paper collage glue and the sharpest scissors for maximum cutting precision. We also wandered the aisles of Hobby Lobby, picking up random treasures to use in our respective craft projects. Going to Hobby Lobby with a fellow craft addict is both marvelous and dangerous. Marvelous, in that you inspire each other with ideas on how to use this or that trinket; dangerous, in that you rationalize each other’s ever-expanding pile of purchases. But it’s mostly marvelous. My friend also graciously gifted me some vintage children’s book and magazine images, as well as other colorful paper.

Below are some of my recent origami crane cards, made with these new acquisitions. Click on any photo to open up a slideshow with larger images.

Rhinestone-studded ribbon (front)

Rhinestone ribbon (inside)

Vintage children’s book cutouts (back)

Vintage children’s book cutouts (front)

Lime sequins!

Hemp/sequin ribbon

Fun background paper

Delicate lace

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September 10, 2017

Charting new creative territory

I’ve shared some of my origami crane notecard creations in another post. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve expanded into new territory. One of my new directions even relates to science.

I have plenty of paper — rolls upon giant rolls, all stored under my bed. But I was getting bored. I needed something to spark my creativity. When I was flipping through a box of cardstock recently, I came across some calendar pages I’d collected while working in a research lab years ago. They had colorful microscopy images on them.

“Huh,” I thought. “I could use these.”

And I did. Here are the results of my science collection so far:

With these cards now complete, I’ve basically used what I have in terms of glossy magazine-type pictures. But a classmate has promised to get me more science/nature magazines from her parents, so I should be getting additional inspiration soon.

Against my better judgment, I also headed to my favorite paper website, Paper Mojo. They have an insanely huge collection of both solid and printed paper. Specifically, I wanted to peruse their collection of chiyogami (a type of Japanese printed paper) and marbled paper. As I was scrolling through the pages of paper patterns, I was reminded that for many of them, you can buy 5″ x 8″ sample pieces rather than a large sheet. I only needed small squares or circles for each card, so this was perfect — I could get many different patterns without spending too much money.

My chiyogami and marbled prints arrived Friday night. I dove into using them yesterday, with great delight.

Here are the cards I made using two of the marbled prints:

And the cards I made using four of the chiyogami prints:

I’ve still got more chiyogami and marbled patterns to play with, and the promise of magazines soon, too. Working with paper, mixing colors, matching prints and solids, is a wonderful study break. And when so much of my time at home is spent with my nose buried in a book, it feels good to hold something tangible that I’ve made with my own two hands.

Note: For each of the photo groupings, you can click on any of the pictures to open a slide show with larger images.

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September 2, 2017

An origami crafternoon

When I was living in the Chicago area, a dear friend of mine and I would get together for what we called “crafternoons” at her house. We each had our respective activities, but would do them side by side, chatting and listening to music or having a movie on in the background.

Last weekend, a rare “free” weekend in between my surgery and psychiatry clerkships (so no studying to do), I indulged in an origami crafternoon of my own. I caught up on my favorite podcasts while folding crane notecards. The cards have an origami crane on the front, and then unfold to reveal a blank space to write a message. Below are the exteriors of four of the cards I made, with one of the interiors shown as well. Click on any of the cards to see an enlarged image.

Given that I’ve got a long weekend starting today, more origami is definitely on my to-do list.

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July 3, 2017

The theme of my summer break: exploring the integration of art and nature

Today marks the beginning of a new clerkship, surgery. I’m sure I will have plenty to say about that in the coming 8 weeks. But right now, I want to write about the marvelous summer break that just came to a close. Without intending this, my vacation decidedly had a theme: art, nature, and their integration. I explored this three-part theme both in New York City with a dear friend who came to visit, as well as during a brief trip to Chicago to see my family.

Taking a break to hug a tree at the Morton Arboretum.

It all started while I was in Chicago, with a visit to the Morton Arboretum. The weather was perfect for seeing this outdoor plant sanctuary, a favorite of my mom’s, and I had never been there. When my mom and I arrived, we discovered there was an origami exhibit underway. The beautiful arboretum grounds were sprinkled with immense metal sculptures, precise replications of miniature folded paper creations. We oohed and aahed as we walked around, both at the plants and the intricate folds of the sculptures, and took lots of fun photos. At the end of our visit, we stopped by the gift shop. I came across a craft kit on how to make origami flowers. It had everything you needed: instruction booklet, paper, and a DVD showing how to make the folds.

“This would be fun,” I told my mom.

Ever the supportive homeschooler, she replied, “I’ll buy it!”

An orchid bouquet that my mom and I crafted together.

So she did. We learned how to make orchids, plumerias, and leaves. I bought floral tape and wire, and we made bouquets. We found YouTube videos detailing how to make cards. We did all this not from the paper included in the kit, though — that paper was plain and boring, so we used it for practice only. But I’d left dozens of sheets of fancy paper at my mom’s apartment, the remnants of my decoupage days. They were still in her basement. I lugged them up the stairs, thankful that most art supplies find use in multiple projects.

I had so much fun that I mailed all my paper (in poster tubes) back to me in New York, and on my plane ride home checked an extra suitcase full of other art paraphernalia. Now I’ve got another way to express my creativity — one that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a screen.

I told my dad one morning a day or two later about the Morton Arboretum and our origami adventures. Along the lines of Japanese culture … he asked whether I’d ever visited the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford. I hadn’t. The afternoon forecast called for rain, so we hurriedly got ready and hopped into his Corvette for the drive to Rockford. Our walk among the Japanese maples and other carefully cultivated plants was sublime.

Enjoying the falling water and beautiful foliage at Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, Ill.

Posing with one of the Chihuly sculptures at the New York Botanical Garden.

Back home in New York, a good friend of mine came for a brief visit. We headed to The Met, of course, at her request. At my suggestion, we also visited the New York Botanical Garden to see the Chihuly exhibition. I’d seen a similar show at Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory several years prior, and had been blown away. His immense blown glass sculptures, which have an unmistakable signature, dotted the garden’s landscape. Some stood alone; others were mixed into the actual plant beds or flowing fountains. For those of you in New York City, I highly recommend going to the botanical garden before this show ends on Oct. 29. Pay the extra few bucks to see not only the outdoor sculptures, but the indoor ones too. It’s totally worth it.

Below are additional photos of my art and nature adventures. Click on any of the photo galleries to see a slide show version with larger images.

Morton Arboretum: