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Assorted decorative papers (two pieces for each box: one for the bottom, one for the lid)

Scissors

Bone folder or straight edge (optional)

Pencil

(Once you’ve made this box the first time, you’ll “get it,” and making more will be a cinch. We suggest you practice first with a piece of scrap paper.)

1 Take one sheet of paper. Fold and cut if neces-

sary to make sure you have a perfect square. (You can use a bone folder or straight edge to help you make sharp, straight creases.) Fold this square of paper in half diagonally (corner to corner) to form a triangle, then unfold (figure 1).

2 Fold the paper in half diagonally to form a tri-

angle again, using the opposite corners this time. Once opened, the paper’s creases will form an X (figure 2).

3 Fold each corner of the paper into the center so

the points meet but do not overlap in the center of the X crease (figures 3 and 4).

Okay, okay, so we’re cheating a little. Technically, since you make two scissor cuts, these boxes aren’t origami. But they are charming boxes even a beginner can make. Use papers with complementary designs and contrasting textures, and each successive box will reveal a small surprise nestled within.

materials

Origami Nesting

step by step

147

The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts: Paper Folding The Michaels Book of Paper Crafts: Paper Folding

Designer: Micah Pulleyn

4 Unfold the paper to reveal the pattern of

creases shown in figure 5. Take one corner of the paper and fold it back into the center again (figure 6). Do not unfold this time. Instead, fold this section of the paper again, so the folded, outside edge meets the crease in the center of the paper (figure 7). Unfold and

repeat this procedure with the other three corners.

5 Open the paper and use the pencil to draw four

cutting lines on the paper, as shown in figure 8. These lines will make the four corners of the paper now resemble two differ-ent shapes. Two of corners (on

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Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6

Figure 7 Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11 Figure 12

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Designer: Susan McBride

1 Start by cutting a rectangle measuring 6 x 9 inches (15 x

23 cm) from the floral-patterned scrapbooking paper. Save the scraps for another project.

2 Using the project photo as a guide, roll the rectangle into

a cone such that the top edges of the paper meet in a point at the cone’s back. Rolling the paper this way will create a nice scooped opening to display the cone’s contents.

3 Secure the cone with a strip of double-sided tape on the

inside of its seam. (You may find this step easier if you slip a paper clip onto the cone’s point first to hold the paper in place while you place the tape.)

4 Roll the paper doily into a cone the same way you

rolled the scrapbooking paper in Step 2. Slip the doily cone inside the paper cone and affix it with double-sided tape.

5 Cut three leaves (or flowers) from the vellum paper with

tip Add fragrance to your

bouquet by placing a drop or

two of your favorite fragrant

oil on a dried flower.

opposite sides) will look like houses (figure 9) and the other two will look like mountains (fig-ure 10). It’s important to draw the pencil marks accurately and follow them exactly when you cut—don’t cut into the square in the center of the paper!

6 Fold both of the moun-tain-shaped corners so

their points touch the center (figure 11). Lift both of these folded edges up to begin form-ing the box; as you do so, make the two flaps of each mountain shape stand up inside the box (figure 12) so that flaps from opposite sides overlap and touch each other.

7 Use the creases in the house-shaped corners to

guide you in folding each of these corners up and over the overlapping flaps to form the box shape. (The “roofs” of the house shapes will complete the bottom of the box.)

8 Repeat Steps 1 through 8 using another piece of

paper of the exact same size to make the box lid. To create the boxes that go inside this box, follow the same steps, but use square sheets that are 1 inch smaller each time. (A box made from 12-inch (30.5 cm) square paper can hold a box made from 11-inch (28 cm) square paper, which can hold a box made from 10-inch (25 cm) square paper, etc.)