our completed community garland

Last night at the library, something simple and beautiful unfolded.

We gathered around tables with paper, patterns, and open hands—folding, layering, choosing, and creating. 

One small piece at a time, a community garland took shape. 

Each pennant tells a tiny story. 

Each flower carries the imprint of the person who made it.

Different styles, different energies—connected by a common thread.

Some folded carefully and quietly, some experimented playfully. Some simply chose colors that felt good in the moment—and every piece belonged.

The finished garland now hangs near the elevator as a reminder that connection doesn’t have to be complicated. 

It can be as simple as:

* sitting together

* making something with your hands

* and adding your piece to a shared whole

Thank you to everyone who came, created, and contributed their time and energy to this installation. 

Thank you to Sylvia and the Strathcona County Library for hosting such a warm, welcoming space.

I would absolutely love to offer this again. 

There’s definitely something special here worth repeating.

tonight at strathcona county library

Origami Circle: Craft, Connect, Create

A Community Garland

Tonight, using simple materials—paper, string, and care—participants of the Strathcona County Library Origami Circle will fold, reflect, and contribute to a collaborative garland, each piece made by hand and joined together as a shared artwork.

Why?

To gather in creativity, to slow down, and to experience how small, individual gestures can become something meaningful when held together.

Because connection is something we make.

Would you like to make a similar garland of your own? 

Step One: Fold or cut out triangular flags for your garland. We will be using 6" squares folded into an origami kite base.

Step Two: Create coordinating embellishments. 

Tonight we are using 3" squares and a simple Kirigami (fold and cut) technique to create a variety of flowers inspired by nature and our imaginations, as individual as the people who create them. 

Here is a diagram showing how to fold your paper. 

You can play with the angle and shape of your cut to create all sorts of five petalled flowers inspired by nature: from star shaped blossoms like Laurentia to rounder Baby Blue Eyes, notched Cherry blossoms, multi-petalled Chrysanthemums, pinked Carnations and more! 

You can even layer forms to emulate more dimensional  Columbine type blooms.

Step Three:  Cut out or fold leaves and centres to attach, if you choose.

Step Four: Glue your completed embellishments to the flags and attach the flags to your string or twine.

Step Five: Display your unique creation!

You can make these in almost any size or paper to suit your aesthetic or occasion.

* If you'd like a video tutorial to follow, this one from Kamikey Origami on YouTube demonstrates similar techniques to make a cute bouquet/card.

* Rather fold on your own, along with a sweet dreamy soundtrack? Here's one I'm enjoying today. 

april 27 at strathcona county library

In just one week we gather at the Strathcona County Library for Origami Circle: Craft, Connect, Create.

A relaxed, social evening of folding and creating together, led by Tara Woltjen—yoga and origami instructor.

Together, we will contribute to a community garland, each piece a small act of attention, creativity, and care. As we fold, we reflect on connection—to ourselves, to one another, and to the wider world we share.

Inspired by the spirit of collective exploration and the reminder that we are part of something larger, this gathering invites simple making, meaningful conversation, and a sense of belonging—one fold at a time.

Note: This workshop is full. If you have registered and can't make it, please let the library know. There is a wait list of people who would love a chance to attend.

April 27 at Strathcona County Library

Origami Circle: 

Craft, Connect, Create

There are only two spots left for this special event at Strathcona County Library on April 27 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

We’ll spend the evening folding simple forms together and adding them to a collaborative community garland while reflecting on the power of creativity and connection.

No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to slow down for a couple of hours.

Register at sclibrary.ca

I’m really looking forward to seeing what we create together!

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

make a zine

Origami is not just for kids, or ornaments, or fun.  

Let me be clear - there is absolutely nothing wrong with those goals but they are, by no stretch, the limits of what you can do with a humble sheet of paper and your own two hands. 

brattyxbre agrees.  In fact, she's begging you to make zines!

So are the folks at migrawhistle. They're sharing vital information about community safety.  Here's how.

If you're asking, "What's a zine?" please check out these links and see for yourself.  If you already know, what are you waiting for?