day 37 - graciousness

"Your graciousness is what carries you. It isn't how old you are, how beautiful you are, or how short your skirt is. What it is, is what comes out of your heart. If you are gracious, you have won the game." 

- Stevie Nicks

Graciousness shows up most obviously in how I respond when things don't go as planned. 

But it's not just about perfection, it's also about timing. About knowing when to speak, when to listen, and when to pause. 

This bookmark, made from old sheet music, reminds me that even silence has a place in the score. A rest is not for nothing. It's part of the music. 

Today I'm practicing graciousness by resting when I'm tempted to react.

day 36 - mindfulness

"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it." 

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindfulness isn't about clearing my mind. It's about engaging my presence.

Folding these tiny stars from old book pages feels like meditation in motion - slow hands, careful alignment and attention to small details.

The glass tube is like a contemplative vessel, holding those small attentive moments in one quiet, visible form. It whispers to me, be here, notice, take your time.

Today I'm practicing mindfulness by staying with each moment as it is.

Lucky (Puffy) Stars

day 35 - understanding

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it: always." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Understanding grows more slowly than opinion. It asks me to stay a little longer with what I don't yet comprehend.

Today I'm practicing understanding by not rushing to conclusions or assuming outcomes—remembering that some frightening or confusing things may simply be misunderstood, while some are genuinely harmful. 

Neither tells the whole story.

No-Face (Kaonashi) from "Spirited Away"

day 34 - love

"The Eskimo has 52 words for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love." 

-Margaret Atwood

Love isn’t always fancy champagne and roses.

Often, it looks like care repeated in small, ordinary ways.

In this quote, Margaret Atwood reflects on how language reveals what we value.

While academics debate the exact number of words for snow in Inuit languages, the deeper truth remains: when something matters, we learn to speak of it with nuance and fluency.

In the language of flowers, the carnation symbolizes love and care in all their forms — romantic, familial, and platonic — as well as remembrance, devotion, and even quiet resistance.

Today, I’m practicing love by showing up where I care, with affection and consistency.

Want all kinds of origami love? Explore my 14-post series #initforallthelove here on One Love Origami.

day 33 - acknowledgement

Acknowledgement begins for me, with the actual ground beneath my feet.

If you zoom in on this box, you’ll see the lid is a map of North America — the continent I stand upon. The land where I forage wisdom and feel a deep sense of connection.

It was violently appropriated from the peoples who stewarded it with respect and reciprocity for millennia — it is land disrupted, divided, and claimed through colonization.

And still, the land gives in abundance.

May we learn to treat it like a mother, and all its beings like family.

Today, I practice acknowledgement by cultivating respectful relationships, learning about historical and ongoing harms, and participating — however imperfectly — in the ongoing work of creating a more equitable and inclusive future.

day 32 - patience

"Wine had to be grapes first. Diamonds had to be rocks first. Butterflies had to be caterpillars first. Rainbows had to be storms first." 

- Matshona Dhliwayo

This quote points to patience as a way of living in time. In my life, origami makes that teaching tactile. 

It's a challenge - resisting the urge to hurry toward the resolution, to see the finished form. But paper cannot be hurried without harm. Each fold asks for presence, not force.

The delight is discovering that when I slow down a little, the form emerges - cleaner, truer, and with less struggle.

In this way origami becomes a practice in nonviolence toward the material, toward the process and toward myself.

Today I'm practicing patience by choosing precision over pressure.

day 31 - praising

"Praise, my dear one. Let us disappear into praising. Nothing belongs to us." 

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Praising is a way of speaking from the heart — of noticing what quietly sustains us and naming it with gratitude.

Specifically today, I offer my sincere praise to the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace for creating and sharing the 64 reflection prompts and support materials for the Season for Nonviolence.

I would not have ventured into sharing this creative meditation without the container they have offered. These daily reflections are deepening my understanding of nonviolence — or, in Sanskrit, ahimsa — revealing it not only as restraint from harm, but as a daily active practice of care.

Sunflowers symbolize loyalty, devotion, resilience, and hope. Turning continually toward the sun, they remind me to orient myself toward warmth, generosity, and joy.

Today, I offer this folded sunflower in gratitude — praise for those who create and hold spaces where peace can be practiced together.

day 30 - amends

Amends begin with acknowledging harm.

They are accomplished when we repair with dignity.

This emerald green heart reminds me that amends are, first and foremost, emotional and relational. They are about reestablishing trust and care. 

The pretty gold details echo the Japanese art of Kintsugi which honors what was broken by making the repair visible and meaningful. 

It says, we can't go back to how things were. 

We can go forward mended, changed, and more intentional. 

Today I'm practicing amends by asking, where can I make amends in my life in a way that adds care, not just covers cracks? 

What would that look like?

Heart Pendant - Fumiaki Shingu

day 29 - forgiveness

"Forgiveness is a reflection of loving yourself enough to move on." 

- Steve Maraboli

Forgiveness doesn’t erase what happened —

it allows something new to emerge. 

Once paper is folded, the mark remains, a memory held in form.

But sometimes a mistake becomes the opportunity for new growth, expansive and unanticipated.

Today I’m practicing forgiveness, not by undoing the past, but by allowing it to unfold differently.

Heart Pendant, Fumiaki Shingu

Double Leaves, Nana Takahashi

day 28 - listening

"I come here to listen, to nestle in the curve of a root, to hear the stories of the plants, that they might guide my own." 

- Robin Wall Kimmerer

Listening allows me to learn from the wisdom of others.

Last year, when our modern battery-operated seeder broke at the greenhouse, the work still needed to continue. The seeds needed homes where their roots could stretch. My boss needed the planting done on time.

I had heard stories from previous generations, when seeds were tapped directly from the glassine bags they used to come in.

So I folded a small traditional Japanese origami cup and kept going - tap, tap, tapping out more than 10,000 onion and leek seeds by hand.

It was a simple tool, but it allowed the work to move forward without frustration or force.

As I listened to the rhythm of my finger against the paper, I felt connected to all those before me who began gardens and meals in the same way - by listening carefully to seasons, elders, materials, and the needs of their community.

This little folded cup became a vessel for attention.

Today I’m practicing that same listening: hearing the stories of others, learning through their perspectives, and noticing how I might carry that knowledge forward to meet the needs of my community today.

day 27 - generosity

"Generosity is the most natural outward expression of an inner attitude of compassion and loving-kindness."

 - H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama

Generosity isn't limited to giving things.

Sometimes it's sharing time, or ideas, or joy.

The Maneki-neko welcomes good fortune - and reminds us that happiness multiplies when invited.

Today I'm practicing generosity by passing along a smile and a little good luck.

Big Lucky Cat by Kamikey on YouTube

day 26 - respect

"I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university." 

- Albert Einstein

Respect isn't about status. It shows up in how I handle and protect things, people, and ideas.

In origami, respect begins long before the first fold.

It is present in how the paper is chosen, how it is handled, and whether its qualities are allowed to guide the making. Some papers ask for bold transformation or intricate details. Others ask for simplicity.

This hexagon letter fold is made from a sheet of grassy, textured handmade A4 paper that waited quietly in my collection for decades. Nothing terribly precious - but certainly beautiful enough to deserve the right moment.

Now it serves by holding something meaningful: words of encouragement, and enough good loose tea for a shared pot.

The hexagonal form, known in Japan as Kikkō (tortoiseshell), symbolizes protection, stability, and longevity. Its strength comes not from force, but from balanced structure.

Good folding practice reminds me that respect, too, is a form of attention - to the unique needs of a person, a situation, or the material at hand.

Today I practice respect by handling words carefully and honoring boundaries — in paper, in people, and in myself, choosing care over force wherever I can.

day 25 - friendliness

"One who prevents you from meeting your destruction is your friend, mitra. Maitri is the spirit that compels your friend to be there for you; friendliness." 

- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, 

Commentary on Patanjali's Yoga Sutra 1.33 

Friendliness doesn’t require a big extroverted personality.

Sometimes it begins with simple approachability - with how safely we are able to meet what and who is around us.

“Trauma-informed spaces” may sound sophisticated, but they often begin exactly here:
not fixing or advising, simply offering presence and goodwill.

This origami model delights me because it mirrors that idea. From one square of paper emerge three figures: a heart, and two friendly cats side by side.

Three forms, one uncut square - a moment of single sheet origami magic.

Relationship.
Reciprocity.
Connection held at the centre.

Nothing added. Nothing cut away.
Just one sheet, transformed.

A reminder that friendliness unfolds not so much between us as through us.

This practice brings me a great deal of joy. Thank you, friend, for being here to share it with me.

Today I’m practicing friendliness by reaching out with something whimsical.
If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear - what’s bringing you joy today?

Pocket Heart with Two Cats, Kamikey on YouTube

day 24 - harmony

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Harmony happens here, in the way pattern, patience, and purpose meet.

Inhale. Exhale. Chrysanthemums slowly open, cranes glide across the sky, colors and folds settle into peaceful alignment. 

Each reminds me: balance is not aspirational - it is beneath my feet, in my hands, in tiny micro-calibrations, in the rhythm of now.

Today, I am practicing harmony through my breath—letting attention, intention, and action move together, as one living flow.

day 23 - prayer

"There is a way of beholding nature that is itself a form of prayer." 

- Diane Ackerman

Prayer, for me, isn't usually about asking for things. 

(Though sometimes it is.) 

More often, it feels like reverent attention - a pause in which I listen rather than speak. And somehow, that listening transforms things. 

Folding gives my hands something to do while my thoughts settle. Each crease accompanies a slow breath. Each turn of the paper gathers intention. 

This lotus-like bud feels like an offering - something I can cradle in my hands that stands in for longing, or gratitude, or emotions too nebulous for words. 

The open space on the tag above it becomes a place for whatever wishes to be spoken aloud... or only held in the heart - a small altar where fears and dreams can rest side by side.

Today I am practicing prayer through making - one small gesture within an ongoing exploration of how attention itself becomes devotion.

day 22 - mission

"My mission is to create a world where we can live in harmony with nature." 

- Jane Goodall

At the heart of non-violence is a mission. A practice of returning to what matters, again and again. 

In yogic philosophy, one's mission may be referred to as svadharma, the specific, unique duty of an individual based on their nature. It is one's personal "right way of living".

Today I'm clarifying my mission by asking myself, what core belief is at the heart of my practice of nonviolence?

Heart Pendant by Fumiaki Shingu

day 21 - inspiration

Nonviolence isn't just a strategy or a moral stance. It's a practice, and like any practice, it needs fuel.

Inspiration:

• reorients my heart when I'm tired, cynical, or discouraged
• reminds me what I'm aiming toward, not just what I'm resisting
• keeps me choosing not to harden
• keeps my imagination supple and active, even under pressure
• prevents nonviolence from becoming dry, dutiful, or purely performative
• lets me believe in responses that don't yet exist, but could
• holds complexity in harmony

Without inspiration, nonviolence can shrink into:

• rule-following without soul
• restraint without vision
• or worse, a kind of grim endurance that eventually snaps

With inspiration, nonviolence is creative, spacious, and alive. Structured but not rigid.

This small origami form began with an ordinary square. Fueled by inspiration, cut to a pentagon and folded with care it became extraordinary! 

Today I'm practicing inspiration by asking: 

What else is possible here? 

What more beautiful response could exist?

Sakura by Taniguchishoyudo on YouTube

day 20 - self-forgiveness

"Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn't know before you learned it." 

- Maya Angelou

Self-forgiveness is often hard to find.

This bookmark is folded from a dictionary page. It is crowded with self- words, many of them harsh, heavy and morally loaded.

The absence of self-forgiveness feels telling. It shows how exhaustively we've named our inner punishments; how much less our inner kindness. 

Nonviolence isn't only about not harming others. It's also about noticing how fluent I am in self-judgement, and how unfamiliar gentleness can feel.

Today I'm practicing something experimental: naming a mistake calmly, letting the discomfort be there, and adding self-forgiveness to the list - making space for a different story.

day 19 - acceptance

"Open your heart to who you are right now,/Not who you would like to be." 

- John Welwood

Acceptance doesn't mean being a doormat, liking everything that happens, or tolerating the intolerable. 

It's simply acknowledging what is. 

This little book is handmade, hand-stitched and heartfelt. 

It fits in my pocket and has just enough pages to jot down snippets of poems, lyrics, observations and reflections for a week or so - tidbits that may not mean much to anyone else but are important to me. 

When I look back, I see that they reflect my truth in those moments. Each little book becomes a sort of mirror - a way of learning to accept what I see reflected back to me.

Today I'm practicing acceptance through a wabi-sabi lens, nurturing the understanding that nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. 

day 18 - freedom

"You have more freedom than you realize." 

- Rob Brezsny

Freedom doesn't always mean having endless options. Sometimes it comes from awareness and working well within a few clear boundaries. 

Today, I'm practicing freedom by taking this advice, also from Rob Brezsny: "See if you can become aware of an interesting freedom that has not previously been on your radar screen." 

Dolphin by you_and_me_25 on YouTube

day 17 - integrity

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."  

- Charlotte Bronte

Integrity asks for alignment between what I intend and what I actually do. 

On paper, each fold shows immediately whether I was paying attention or not. 

Today I'm practicing integrity by matching my care to my intention.

Bird card by Jeremy Shafer

day 16 - gratitude

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough." 

- Melody Beattie

Gratitude isn't something I summon to put myself in a better mood - it arrives spontaneously when I see what's supporting me - the chair, the roof over my head, my family, the luxury of time and good health. 

I thank my lucky stars for so much in life. 

Even on a "bad" day, tea with a friend or a cuddle with the cat, or a strip of paper twisted around my fingers and tucked into shape can evoke that feeling and transform my perception. 

Today I'm practicing gratitude by noticing and naming what's holding me up.

Lucky Stars, Traditional, Strip Folding

day 15 - reverence

" Awe produces a state of reverence, a feeling of respect and gratitude for the things that are given."

       - Dacher Keltner

Reverence doesn't necessarily require ceremony in the traditional sense.

It's about seeing the sacred, yes - and also about recognizing the sacred in the ordinary.

This eight-piece modular form feels to me like part flower, part compass, part mandala. I am awed by the beauty of geometry, folded and fit together in such a pretty - but modest - medium. 

Today I'm practicing reverence by noticing symmetry, layers, and the depth of detail I only truly appreciate when I pause.

Wreath Source: Oriya on YouTube

day 14 - humility

"Humility is openness to new learning combined with a balanced and accurate assessment of our contributions, including our strengths, imperfections, and opportunities for growth." 

- Brene Brown

Humility reminds me that my work belongs within a larger conversation. 

This elegant pleated form has been folded by many hands before mine, and it will surely be folded many times again. 

Today I'm practicing humility by seeing myself as a link in the chain - neither first nor last; present, learning, and connecting.

day 13 - creativity

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 

- Sylvia Plath

Creativity isn't always about inventing something brand new. Sometimes it's the thrill of noticing patterns - like constellations in the night sky - and exploring the spaces between them. 

I love repeating favorite folds. Each one lets my ideas orbit, spin, and collide, letting sparks of inspiration light up in unexpected ways. 

Today I'm practicing creativity by following curiosity, intuition, and emotion, trusting that even the smallest spark can become a guiding star.

day 12 - groundedness

"Practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to over time, without break, and with earnestness." 

- Patanjali, Yoga Sutra 1.14

Groundedness is stability and presence made steadfast through consistent attention. 

This Sonobe Cube requires six identical modules that fit together precisely - without glue - to form a sturdy, three-dimensional platonic solid. 

Any small imbalance in folding or misdirection in the creases can compromise the whole structure.

Today, through this modular design I've folded many, many times before, I am practicing groundedness: cultivating geometric harmony and connection through a habit of precision, and attentive presence. 

day 11 - contemplation

"There is no way to peace, peace is the way." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Contemplation is not an escape from the world; it is a way of cleaning the lens of the heart. It transforms nonviolence from a tactic into a way of life. It fosters the emotional and spiritual resilience needed to resist injustice without resorting to violence. 

Contemplative practices like meditation help activists cope with stress and prevent burnout, turn anger into "creative fire" that can be used for constructive, nonviolent change, and keep methods consistent with goals - ensuring peaceful goals are not pursued through violent means.

Folding gives my hands something to do while my mind settles. Folding cranes, a symbol of peace, is a creative meditation that lets my intention find form through breath, paper, and focused attention. 

Today I'm practicing contemplation by folding peace cranes. 

day 10 - faith

"Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark." 

- Rabindranath Tagore

For me, faith isn't blind certainty. It's moving forward with trust - rooted in experience, yet without guarantees. 

Today I'm practicing faith by trusting the process of folding a new origami model by an artist whose designs I've succeeded with before. Each crease, each careful fold, reminds me that even when the outcome is uncertain, the act of showing up matters.

Origami Crane by origamiba-ba on YouTube

day 9 - dreaming

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one." 

- John Lennon

Dreaming isn't always reaching for something far away. Sometimes it's simply listening for what wants to emerge.

This little kitty, in his galaxy window, feels to me like the threshold between waking and dreaming - a liminal space where imagination, hope and possibility live.

Today I'm practicing dreaming by reminding myself that there is more out there than what I can see right now.

Frame designed and taught by Chisshy Origami on YouTube.

day 8 - healing

"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity." - Hippocrates

Healing isn't something I can force. It seems to happen when there is enough space, safety and support for things to settle. 

This layered pin speaks to me of a history. It reminds me that healing doesn't hide the scars or the story, more often it is a matter of incremental integration. 

Today I'm practicing healing by seeing it as the bridge between harm and hope, rupture and repair. I recognize that it takes time and is still tender in me, but is growing stronger. 

day 7 - education

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." 

- John Dewey

Education isn't only something we receive - it's something we participate in. 

Every fold teaches me what works and what doesn't. 

This dictionary owl is a friendly figure who sits on my desk. He reminds me that the purpose of lifelong learning is not self-judgement, which makes me stop asking questions. 

Rather, when knowledge is my companion, something gentler happens. Education becomes an invitation to develop understanding through experience.

Today I'm practicing education by staying curious, letting both mistakes and joy inform my origami choices.

Owl designed and taught by Leyla Torres of Origami Spirit

day 6 - simplicity

"Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify." 

- Henry David Thoreau

Simplicity asks me to remove what isn't needed. To proceed one sheet, one module, one fold at a time. 

Today I'm practicing simplicity by letting this be enough.

Rectangular Frame designed by Kamikey, Hearts by Origami Club

day 5 - believing

"Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart." 

Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

Believing doesn't always mean certainty. 

Sometimes it's a choice to continue even when you don't know for sure and the outcome isn't clear.

Today I'm practicing believing in myself and the power of community by sticking with this Season for Nonviolence project.

Easy Heart on Origami Club

day 4 - caring

"It is the time you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important." 

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

Caring shows up in how I handle things, not only how I feel about them. This crisp origami paper from Japan holds and shows every crease I make, carefully or carelessly. 

Today I'm practicing caring by cherishing and being gentle with what's in my hands.

Rose and Double Leaf by Nanahoshi

day 3 - appreciation

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." 

- Voltaire

Appreciation begins with recognizing the goodness, beauty or efforts of others and then offering respect by acknowledging it. 

I don't design origami (yet). I appreciate the designs of others and using the paper I have available, I create my unique versions of them.  

Today I'm practicing appreciation by crediting those designers and sincerely saying thank you. Without your hard work and heartfelt efforts to share, I wouldn't have so many lovely choices of models to fold and express myself with. 

I appreciate you!

Special thanks also to the creators of and on Pinterest, YouTube, and other social media platforms. Without those technologies my repertoire would be so much smaller.

Finger Heart by tatsukuriorigami on YouTube

day 2 - smiling

"Peace begins with a smile." 

- Mother Teresa

Smiling is easy to dismiss as superficial, but today I'm paying attention to how profound it really is. When my face softens, something deeper seems to soften too. 

This little vignette reminds me that small shifts can change both the expression and the impression, and they can be contagious. 

Today I'm seeing what happens when I let that softness show more freely.

Black Cat Silhouette by hiroko_daichan origami on YouTube

day 1 - courage

 "Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen." 

- Brene Brown

Courage doesn't always look dramatic.

Today, it is simply beginning. Knowing I won't do this perfectly and starting anyway.

Sometimes that's enough.

the season for nonviolence

"Only when it's dark enough, can you see the stars." 

Martin Luther King Jr.

Tomorrow, January 30th, marks the beginning of the Season for Nonviolence, a 64-day practice observed internationally between the anniversaries of the deaths of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This year, I'm choosing to enter this season through a personal daily practice: folding paper, paying attention, and spending a few minutes each day with one of the values connected to nonviolence.

This isn’t a teaching series or a set of instructions. It’s simply a record of practice, what I’m noticing, what I’m trying, what feels possible on a given day.

Origami slows me down. It asks for care, patience, and a willingness to begin again. That feels like a useful place to stand right now.

If this practice offers something to you, a pause, a thought, a moment of steadiness, you’re welcome to take what you find useful and leave the rest. 

Click the links below if you'd like to explore this more deeply in your own way.

Specifically, I’ll be following the Season for Nonviolence values as outlined by the Gandhi Foundation, alongside reflection prompts developed by the Gandhi Institute. 

Mostly, though, I’ll just be folding one day at a time.

a soft vanitas

This pin is inspired by the Vanitas tradition: still life paintings featuring wilting flowers, fruit with bruises, flies feasting, snuffed candles, skulls and other symbols of impermanence - a reminder that nothing lasts forever.

The term comes from the Bible and emphasises that the pursuit of worldly possessions is futile compared the goal of heavenly salvation. It encourages the audience to reflect and repent.

I hope this fly pin makes a softer statement - Less warning, more witness. 

As origami ages, creases soften and colors fade. 

I could seal my works with some kind of resin or shellac but I don't - not to neglect preservation, but as a practice of appreciation and attention. 

In my mind, sealing paper feels false. I would rather let it age with me. I know what will remain is not the object, but a memory and the invitation to fold again. 

It's like affirming: 

• I won't poison myself and the planet to preserve beauty
• I won't harden something meant to stay pliable
• I won't pretend permanence is the goal

Unlike an oil painting, this pin doesn't aspire to a museum. It aspires to be brought to life on a jacket or a bag, touched by sunlight and hands and one day, become compost, fertile material for growth.

It is an art, this presence and release. As you can see from the irony of my archived photos and words, it's one I'm still practicing.

i think the world of you

This little box and lid are made from a reclaimed atlas - paper that carries a story, maybe a dream or a journey and some gentle wear and tear. 

Old books, maps and discarded pages invite us to create art thoughtfully with the well-being of the earth and it's inhabitants in mind, remembering that art paper doesn't have to be new to be beautiful.

I love to work with reclaimed and upcycled papers because:

• They reduce waste and extend the life of well-loved materials
• Each finished origami model is one-of-a-kind, with it's own history and texture
• Making with care feels aligned with my values of mindfulness and stewardship
• Imperfection becomes part of the design, not something to hide

You can try folding your own rectangular box by following this short video on YouTube.

library session, origami folding resources and references

This post accompanies a live origami "Paper to Pin" folding session offered at the Strathcona County Library.

During the session, folds are taught live and by demonstration. It is an analogue, embodied, traditional knowledge experience supported by the web, not replaced by it.

The links below are provided as optional references for participants who would like to revisit the forms later.

They point to external resources with diagrams or guides that are free to view and good for beginners.

Patterns explored today:

* Simple Origami Cup at Origami Club

* Heart Pendant at Origami Club

* Tanzaku (traditional, unpublished)

* Mini Zine at Migra Whistle

Note: 

*Many variations of these origami models exist; these links are offered as starting points rather than definitive instructions. 

* You are welcome to bookmark or explore these pages on your own time if you want to practice a fold again or make more origami models at home.

Origami Pattern References

This link leads to diagrams and folding guides for simple paper forms like hearts, cups, and more:

Origami Club — Diagram Library 

Origami Club is an index of a large collection of origami diagrams, folding animations and videos that you can explore by category and by western and Japanese seasonal holidays (animals, objects, basic shapes, Valentine's Day, Star Festival etc. ).

Zine Folding Instructions

Migra Whistle

Fold a single sheet of paper into an 8-page mini-zine using this beginner friendly guide.

This page includes downloadable zine folding diagrams and printable files that show how to fold and assemble simple zines. 

The downloadable files on this site include a Zine Folding: How To document you can use as a reference for folding a mini zine from a single sheet of paper.

welcome: origami, mindfulness and community

Welcome and thank you for being here

This blog, One Love Origami, is a quiet archive of my long relationship with paper - folding, teaching, experimenting, and exploring origami as both a creative practice and a mindful one.

You’ll find photographs of past work, reflections on process, and examples of how simple materials - paper, time and attention, can become tools for learning, connection, and care.

About the work

My approach to origami is not about perfection or complexity. 

It is about:

* presence over performance

* curiosity over mastery

* process over product

I am especially interested in how origami can support:

* community learning spaces such as libraries and classrooms

* inter-generational creativity

* mindfulness, emotional regulation, and gentle focus

* storytelling through making

Much of the work shared here has been created for workshops, public programs, quiet personal practice, or collaborative community settings. It has been shared in libraries, classrooms, and community spaces as a way to invite mindful making and shared creativity.

About this blog

This blog functions as an archive and visual reference rather than a frequently updated journal. 

Some posts are recent; others reach back many years. Together, they reflect an evolving practice rooted in care, slowness, and accessibility.

You might enjoy browsing posts by image, or starting with earlier entries to see how ideas and forms evolve over time.

If you are here following a library presentation or community event, you are warmly invited to browse at your own pace. There is no particular order — follow images, titles, or your curiosity.

Using this work

Unless otherwise noted, images and ideas here are shared for inspiration and educational purposes. 

If you are a librarian, educator, or program coordinator interested in adapting similar activities for your own space, please feel welcome to do so with credit.

If you would like to discuss workshops, talks, or collaborative programs, this blog offers a sense of the tone and approach I bring to those spaces.

A gentle invitation

Origami asks very little of us:

one square of paper,

two hands,

and a willingness to begin imperfectly.

May you find something here that encourages curiosity, calm, or quiet joy.

- Tara

fascinating orange roses

In the language of flowers, the color orange symbolizes enthusiasm, desire and fascination.

These pretty framed flowers and leaves are designed by Nana Takahashi aka Nanahoshi, and folded and styled by me.

I am definitely fascinated by the elegant folding sequence of these roses, in idle moments my fingers start folding them all by themselves!

Full disclosure - Chat GPT helped me with this "product photo". In real life, the frame is flatter but the roses really are that dimensional and pretty!

no-face, spirited away

Do you have a favorite Studio Ghibli movie?  

I have several, and Spirited Away is definitely in my top 5. 

This No Face model was really fun to fold.  

I don't usually like having to draw on a face because I always "ruin it" but this one was actually really easy.

And turning it into a pin was a no brainer. This guy deserves to be seen!

it's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day

I hope your day is going well and the sun is brightening your mood. 

I folded this sunny origami pin back in the fall when the weather was still warm and the flowers were nodding sleepily in the fields.

The softly cloudy hexagon background is folded from a quarter sheet of copy paper. The rest is made with origami paper. 

The sunflower is designed by Makoto Yamaguchi. If you would like to try folding it, here's a helpful video from Origami Maniacs on YouTube.

The double leaf is a clever design from Japanese artist Nanahoshi. I absolutely love her wreaths and floral swags. Check them out!