Create Geometric Origami Paper Ornaments for Holiday, Party & Home Decor

1. Introduction & Class Overview: [MUSIC] Whether you're decorating for the festive season party or an event or just want to add a type of sophistication to your everyday environment, making your own geometric paper ornaments is a great way to create an exciting trendy and highly customizable looked without breaking the bank. You don't have to be an origami master to be able to turn paper into fun three-dimensional shapes. My name is Evgeniya Righini-Brand and I am a graphic designer in love with beautiful paper and everything geometric. Most of my work and the classes I teach revolve around digital techniques. But I'm always looking for an excuse to make something by hand and some time before Christmas last year, I was looking to create DIY Christmas decorations and having a lot of nice paper on hand got into creating simple folded ornaments. But it quickly escalated from there and I got obsessed with coming up with different folding patterns and experimented with various folding techniques to create ornaments and home decorations in different shapes. [MUSIC] In this last, I'm excited to guide you through the process of creating three types of my favorite versatile paper ornaments, which make fantastic holiday party and everyday decorations. Being based on foundational folding techniques, these ornaments are a perfect starting point for anyone new to structural paper folding. They don't require a lot of tools and materials beyond some standard size paper and a few common tools. [MUSIC] Only with the step-by-step instructions in this class, I will share with you my special tips for choosing the right paper and getting everything right during the preparation stages while folding, constructing, and preparing your ornaments for hanging. To make it easier for you to create your ornaments in different sizes and using your preferred units whether metric or imperial, I have created a few diagrams and instructions for you to use as you work through the class. This class is designed for anyone who's looking for a fun and rewarding craft project and those of you who have been wanting to learn to create this paper ornaments for their personal use as well as for paper craft artists, interior and the graphic designers, creating decorations, shop window designs, and party decor. Once you have cracked the basics of this paper folding, creating geometric paper ornaments can become a fun, addictive and therapeutic process with plenty of room for experimentation. I cannot wait to see your ornaments and how you decorate with them. Join me in this class and let's make something awesome. 2. Class Project & Resources: For your class project, create at least one ornament featured in this class, photograph it, and share the results in the projects and resources section for this class, together with any work in progress photographs you might snap along the way. To make it easier for you to create your ornaments, I have created diagrams with instructions for each of the ornaments, which you can find in the projects and resources tab for this class. The diagrams for each ornament come in different sizes and both in metric and imperial measurements, so you can use whatever works better for you. You'll need to reference these diagrams for the class for additional instructions for the specific ornaments sizes, so be sure to download them and have them ready. Well, I will be showing you how to create ornaments of three levels of complexity. I recommend that you start with the easiest one first, especially if you haven't done any structural paper folding before. Also, I highly recommend that you watch all of the lessons first to familiarize yourself with all of the techniques without trying to follow along at the same time. Then start creating your ornaments whilst you're watching the required lessons and following the diagrams and instructions from the class resources, so that you can complete each step at your own pace. Whilst you might be tempted to start working towards your final ornament straightaway, I would advise creating mock-ups and practice the folding techniques using some not very precious paper, for example, cartridge or drawing paper. This will help you develop your muscle memory, so when you start using a nice paper, your ornaments will be neat and beautiful, and you will not waste any expensive paper. I will talk more about what paper I recommend using in a moment, but now let's get started by looking at other tools and materials you will need for this class. 3. Tools & Materials: For this class, you will need a few basic tools and the materials. First of all, you will need a ruler. Ideally, this should be a metal or heavy duty plastic ruler around 50 centimeters or 12 inches in length or longer. Then you need a sharp traditional graphite pencil or a thin mechanical pencil, and a white pencil or a white or silver pen could also come in handy if you plan to work with dark paper. You will also need an awl to create thin crease lines for folding and to create holes in your paper for construction. If you don't have an awl, you can use some alternative, more common household objects or tools in its place, which won't be as convenient, but they'll be enough to get you started. In the long run, I would highly recommend getting an awl as it is a super useful and a versatile tool. For cutting your paper down to size, you will need a craft knife or a scalpel. You will need a cutting mat or something else to protect your table while cutting your paper and making holes. For example, you can use some mount board, cardboard or cover board, which is designed to be used as a base for book covers. Avoid using corrugated packaging cardboard as you won't be able to properly work with the paper due to it's uneven surface. Even if you're working on a cutting mat, you also need some mounting board or cardboard to protect your surface when creating holes in your paper. To construct your ornaments, you will need a regular sewing needle or a small wing winding needle. You will need some strong sewing polyester thread which won't break under tension, or you can use some translucent plastic thread or thin fishing wire. These can also be used for hanging your ornaments, or you can get more fancy and grab some decorative cord or twine, but these are not essential. You will also need some double-sided tape or strong paper glue to attach your paper together. Then you'll need some good scissors for cutting the paper. If you have some small sewing scissors or thread clippers, these can also come in handy. If by chance you have a bone folder, it will make folding easier. But if you don't have a bone folder, you can always use some other blunt object like the handles of your scissors instead. You can find the list of tools and materials in the class description and as a PDF attached in the Projects and Resources tab for this class. Apart from all these tools and materials, of course, you'll need some paper, which I'll talk about in the next part. 4. Choosing Your Paper: To get the best results and to create neat and sturdy ornaments, you will need to use a lightweight card or heavy paper best between 100 and 135 GSM. With most artist and designer papers, you will find their paperweight stated on the product packaging or in the product description when shopping online. I will be using 135 GSM Colorplan paper stored by G. F Smith, which is designer paper available in 55 colors, which is fantastic for this paper craft projects. Colorplan paper can be purchased in any quantities online in the UK from the G. F Smith website, or one of their partner stockists outside the UK. There are a lot of great designer papers on the market, and I always give you options for those of you outside the UK in the class description. Apart from the fancy designer papers, you can also use drawing or cartridge paper which usually comes in artist pods in different weights, and is available online and commonly sold by art suppliers. Creating folders 3D paper objects like this is a different process from the traditional origami techniques, where you actually require lighter paper. If you don't have any heavy paper on hand, you might be tempted to use standard 80-90 GSM printer paper, and you can try using it to practice folding or to create mock-ups. But I would strongly advise against it because it is very flimsy, easily crumbles, and can be quite hard and frustrating to work with when creating multi-directional folds. It can put you off paper folding for life. For best experience, it is best to get started with heavier paper in recommended weights to begin with. I would also recommend staying away from papers with metallic effect or plastic-based papers. As well as looking pretty cool, they can be hard to fold, could break along the fold lines or crumple from handling. If you want to create ornaments with a metallic or any other textured effect, you can always achieve it, for example, by using spray paint. Sizewise, you don't need anything huge. I will be using paper in A4 format which is 29.7 by 21 centimeters, which is enough for these projects. If you're in North America, you can use letter or 9 by 12 formats instead. Get some paper ready, and let's get started working on our first ornament. 5. Ornament #1: Cutting & Marking the Paper: The first ornaments where we're creating is this one, and it is the easiest one in terms of the preparation and the folding technique. As a reference, I will be using the diagram for the medium version of this ornament. I'll use a 1.5 centimeters vertical strips so it is easier for you to see what I am doing. If you want you can create your first ornament in a different size, or if you're working with the imperial measurements, be sure to reference the appropriate diagram instead. For each ornament and size, they have provided hints for how to best use your paper to minimize wastage. Use it as a guide and start by marking your paper and trimming it to the section size specified on your diagram. With your paper cut to the required section size ready, measure out entrance for the lines marked as pencil guidelines on your diagram to your paper. When this is done add the markings with the specified steps for each vertical crease line you see on your diagram, then on the top and then the bottom edge of your paper. These markings don't need to be connected with the pencil lines and can stay just as they are. You should end up with something like this. For my first ornament, I will need two sections, so I'll prepare the second one exactly the same way. Prepare the required number of sections as specified on the diagram you're referencing and then move on to the next stage of creating the crease lines. 6. Ornament #1: Creating the Crease Lines: After marking is done, now we need to create some crease lines so we can fold our paper. For this step, you'll need a ruler and an awl, or any alternative tool which will allow you to create precise been crease lines without tearing your paper. You will need to work on an even surface and even though I am working on a cutting mat here, a little trick I highly recommend is putting some mount board underneath your paper which will provide a slightly softer surface and allow you to create better crease lines. For each ornament, you will need to create two types of crease lines: vertical ones and zigzag ones. Start by creating the vertical crease lines between the pairs of the pencil markings and the edges of your paper. To get the best result, place your awl at about 15-30 degree angle to the surface just outside your paper. Then press down and run it along the ruler like this, making sure you go over the edge of the paper on the other side. This should create a visible indentation in your paper, but shouldn't tear it. Reference your diagram and repeat the process to create all required vertical crease lines. After this step, your paper should look like this. Next, you need to add the zigzag crease lines in the middle. But first, roughly sketch down the direction of a few zigzag lines, copying exactly what you see on your diagram, especially if your ornament will be made out of multiple sections. There is no need to draw all of the zigzags, so something like this will do just fine. Now using your sketch as a reference for the line direction, start from one side and align the ruler precisely going across on the diagonal of this cell. Then create a crease line in this strip. Then to make it faster, you can skip a strip and add another line going in the same direction like this. Then repeat the process creating crease lines in every other strip because it is much faster than rotating your ruler or paper every step of the way. When you get to the other side, simply rotate the paper and start working in the opposite direction, filling in the empty cells. Whilst creating your zigzag crease lines, try to be as precise as possible with ending your zigzag lines on the intersection points between the pencil guidelines and the vertical crease lines, which you have already created. This is important for ensuring that all corners in your folded ornament will be neat. Preparing your paper and creating the crease lines can take a while, especially when creating larger ornaments. But well made crease lines are crucial to creating neat ornaments. Make sure that they are as precise as possible, visibly compressed to the paper and are somewhat visible on the other side of the paper. Add all the crystal lines as specified on the diagram you're referencing, and prepare all of the required sections so that they look identical. Then let's move on to the first folding step. 7. Ornament #1: Creating an Accordion Fold & Bending Your Paper: Before you can start creating your multi-directional folds, there are a couple of preparation steps which will be similar to all three types of ornaments that we'll be creating. First, you'll need to create an accordion fold using the vertical crease lines. Start by bending each strip for one side and use your thumbnail to help define the hold line. Then carefully fold the strip and press it down, making sure that it is folded straight. Then flip your paper over then strengthen the fold using a board folder or handles of your scissors or your thumbnail. Just make sure you don't add any marks to the paper. After creating the first fold, create a second fold in the opposite direction making sure you follow the crystalline precisely when folding the next strip. Then again, flip the paper over and strengthen the fault. Then repeat the process by create folds in opposite directions, flipping the paper over and strengthen each fold as you go. Don't rush and make sure that your folding is as precise as possible so that you end up with a reasonably neat accordion fold which doesn't skew, look lopsided, or have some folds which are visibly larger than the rest. After creating the accordion fold, unfold your paper fully and flatten it on the table with the pencil marks up. Next, take a ruler, align it with the pencil guideline mark in the top of your zigzag, press the ruler down so that the paper is as flat as possible, and then gently slide your fingers underneath the paper and run them along the ruler like this to bend your paper and try not to crease it too much in the process. You don't need to have the bend exactly on the pencil line but it must be parallel to it. After creating the first bend, put the ruler along the second pencil line marking the bottom of the zigzag and repeat the process. Bending your paper like this along the tops and bottoms of the zigzags is a very important step because it will allow you to easily create your multi-directional folds in a moment. After bending, your paper should look like this. So forth and bend all of the sections required for your ornament exactly the same way. Then let's move on to creating multi-directional folds. 8. Ornament #1: Folding Technique: The folding technique for ornaments with a single zigzag is the basis of this kind of paper folding in general. You'll need to master it first before moving on to more complex folding patterns with two or more zigzags I will be sharing with you later in this class. To fold the ornament, make sure that your paper is facing the nice side up so you don't see any pencil markings. Because we're going to be creating a convex shape and because of how this folding works, all of the zigzag lines on this side of paper will create upward folds, which are called mountain folds. All of the lines coming out of the corners formed by these zigzags will also need to be folded upwards. To make it easier to create the first folds, I usually start by holding the two side strips, which are forming a mountain fold in the pre-made accordion, which is coming out of the corner of the zigzag. I'm holding the paper with my left hand, which is my non-dominant hand. I would recommend keeping your dominant hand available to do the folding in a moment. Hold these two strips together like this and start pressing them down like this with your thumb and index finger and keep the middle finger on the other side of the paper in the middle of the fold. Then using your other hand, bend your paper until you start seeing this triangle appear here. Then pull down this crease line using your index finger. Press these folds together. Then use your firm and the middle finger underneath the paper to push and press these folds together. Whilst doing so, keep on bending your paper. This will create a downward fold on this side, which is called a valley fold. Now, strengthen these zigzag folds by pressing them together. Then push down the next strip on the left side with your index finger and press the strips together. Again, press the zigzag lines in the middle. Usually creating the first few folds is the hardest part, and it gets easier as you progress. You might find a folding technique, which is more convenient for you as you practice. But what I usually do is that I hold my paper with my thumbs on top and my middle fingers underneath the paper, and push the following strips down with my index fingers to create valley folds and press each new fold with my thumbs and index fingers as soon as it is created. Then I carry on creating all of the folds in order, the same way. Also, use middle fingers underneath the paper to help push the strips up to form the folds correctly. Take your time learning and practicing the same technique, and you may discover a technique which works better for you for your paper and the size of the ornament you're creating in the process. Just remember to keep on bending your paper and strengthening all of the folds to make all of them nice and crisp. If your first folding experiments don't look great, don't despair. Maybe consider using different paper and just practice a little more, and it will get much better with experience. When you get to your last two or three strips, it might get difficult to fold your paper using the same technique. When you get to this point, turn your paper around like this and then carefully start folding these strips into a mountain fold. Then push down this crease line on the other side into a valley fold, and press together the zigzag folds like this. Then firmly press all of the folds together, including the zigzag folds and the corners in the middle, and then go over all of the side folds. This will strengthen all of the folds so when you open your folded paper up, your folds will look nice and crisp like this. This section is now finished. If you need to create more sections like I did, repeat the same process and make sure that all your sections are folded the same way and each of them contains an odd number of vertical strips as specified on the diagram you're referencing. When all of your sections are ready, let's proceed to the next step. 9. Ornament #1: Cutting the Edges: After you have folded all of the sections for your first ornament, if you want to create a neat shape with pointed top and bottom like this. Before you proceed to construction, you will need to cut the edges of your paper in a zigzag. Unfold your paper with the mark side up, and start by sketching down the direction of the zigzag lines between the edges of your paper and the pencil guidelines. Your zigzags should follow the same direction as the zigzags in the middle folds. After sketching the lines in the cells and the edges to establish the pattern, you can either carefully collect and fold your paper like this. Form it into a neat straight stack and cut all of the folds at once using the craft knife and a ruler and going over the folds a few times to cut all the way down. This should allow you to create an evenly cut zigzag at the edge like this. Alternatively, you can keep your paper unfolded and cut your strips using scissors. To make it quicker, start by creating cuts in one direction in every other strip. Then flip your paper over and complete the cuts in the opposite direction. This is a bit more convenient and faster than rotating the paper or the scissors between every cut. When cut, your paper should look like this. If you don't count the edges this way, you will end up with a shape like this, which is totally fine if you're not too fast about it, or it can be also useful if you want to add some beads to customize your ornament for hanging, for example, like this. Get all of the sections you need for your first ornament folded and cut in the Z, then let's proceed to construct it into the final shape. 10. Constructing Your Ornaments: When you are ready with the required number of the folded sections, you can start constructing your ornament. The following construction techniques will be the same for all three types of ornaments we'll be creating in this class. Start by opening your folded paper, and if you have more than one section in your ornament, lay them next to each other in a row with the clean side up, which over the outside of your constructed ornament. Make sure that the N strips on the adjacent sections are the same in terms of the crease patterns and all of the folds go in the same direction. To touch your paper together, you can use some double-sided tape or some strong paper book. I usually use double-sided tape, because I find it to be knitter and because it doesn't require any drying time, using paper glue can be better on creating a larger ornaments because it will be faster to apply over largest surfaces, but it can be messy and you have to wait for it to fully dry between each step. So I would recommend using double-sided tape, especially when creating small or medium ornaments. If you're using double-sided tape, cut it into strips a little narrower than the paper strips in your ornament. Cut the same angles as you have in your zigzag folds. Then stick your tape, to one of the n strips covering it like this. Make sure you don't cover any of the folds with a tape or glue. This will make it difficult to fold and don't go over any edges when using double-sided tape and don't go over the vertical folds to keep your ornament neat. If you have multiple sections, either should tape to the correspondent N strips on each section. To attach sections together after removing the non-sticky layer from one of the sections, I usually rotate two adjacent sections like this, and then care for the whole of the section without the tape over the N strip, with the tape align the folds in the strips, and make sure that the edge of the paper from one strip doesn't go over the first vertical crystalline in another, but just goes up to it. Then press strips together. If you need to connect more than two sections, repeat the process to connect them all into one alone sheet. But don't connect your paper into E loop, just yet. Next, we need to create the holes in all of the strips for tying them together. So start by folding your paper into a stack like this, and place it onto the catting mat. To protect my cutting mat, I will be also using a couple of sheets over the [inaudible] Firmly press the folded paper down and makes sure that the folded stack is as straight as possible. Then take an hole or an alternative tool for creating holes and find a place to create a hole, which will go through all of the folds. Keep it in the center of the strips and don't go too close to the cut edge. Best, make a hole three to five millimeters from it. Create a hole through all the folds and if you have too many folds and cannot push through all of them at once, you can unfold some of the folds which already have holes in them, and create holes through the rest of the stack using the previous whole as a guide. After creating holes in one direction, I usually flip my paper over and go through the same hole from the opposite side to make them a little larger. After creating holes on one side, repeat the same process on the other side of your ornament. After doing so, unfold your paper, and this is how it should look at this stage. After creating holes, next, we need to connect the paper into a loop. While your paper is the marks side up, unfold the side with the tape applied to it to the middle. Then remove the non-sticky layer from the double-sided tape or apply glue to the strip and then carefully fold the other end, align the folds in the two N strips and press them together. Then, it is a good idea to check the holes in these overlapping strips and punch them through again, especially if you're using double-sided tape. [inaudible] paper connected, form it into a 3D shape this way. Next, we need to tie all these folds together. Grab some thread or fishing wire and a needle. Because we are working with paper, it is pretty much pointless tying any nodes in the thread as they would just tear through the paper. So what I usually do, is that they keep my thread attached to the spool while it's working and only cut it in the end. I usually work with double thread and have it pulled out to about 40 centimeters from this spool like this. So it is easier to work with. So with your needle and thread ready, find the fold where the two strips are attached together, so you can keep your ornament neat and put your needle through the pair of the adjacent strips ornament you fold like this. Don't pull your thread too far and proceed to the next fold. When working with ornaments with the zigzag edge, make sure that the thread doesn't wrap around any corners. Unwrap it as you go along. You can also try going through two or three-folds at the same time to speed up the process if it is convenient. So go through all of the folds in your ornament in order up to the fold where you have started from. But don't go for the same fold twice. Instead, when you get to this fold, pull both ends of your thread to the length, which is enough for you to comfortably create a node and cut the thread from the spool, then create irregular overhand node like this. I usually repeat the process, gripping the thread around itself a couple of times. This way, when I tighten this knot, it will stay somehow tightened, so I can easily secure it. Be creating another knot over it, like this or two nodes for good measure. When tying knots make sure that they're all created within the same fold like this. Then carefully clip the thread like this within the fold and this side is done. Repeat the same process on the other side of your ornament and start from the same folds, so you can create nodes on the same side of your ornament to keep it neither. So that's how you construct your ornaments. If you want to hang them, you need to attach something to hang them by, but we'll get back to it later. This ornament is now finished and now let's move on to the second slightly more complex kind of ornaments. 11. Ornament #2: Preparation Tips: To create your second ornament, start by finding the diagram for the ornament in your desired size. I will be creating a smaller version of this ornament with one cm vertical strips. I recommend that you start with the small ornament as well because it is easier to fold than the larger ones. Repeat the same preparation steps as you have done for the first ornament. First, cut your paper, add all of the pencil guidelines and markings as specified on the diagram you are referencing. Create crystalline starting from the vertical ones. Then sketch the zigzag lines for reference in your diagram. As this bottom is a little bit more complex, make sure that the directions of the two zigzag lines are mirrored and not the same. Sketching all the lines before you create, crystalline can save you from making mistakes. When you start creating zigzag crystallines, you will notice that in this particular crease pattern, you can create crystallines in both top and bottom zigzags without realigning in your ruler. Consider doing so to speed up the process. Work in every other cell in one direction first, and then repeat the process in the remaining cells in the opposite direction. When you are done adding the crystallines, your paper should look like this. 12. Ornament #2: Tips for Creating an Accordion Fold & Bending: With the crease lines ready, move on to creating an Accordion Fold. Here's a little tip specific for this type of folding patterns with two reflected zigzags. Because in this ornament, each fold will have three parts, with mountain folds coming out of the corners of the hexagonal shape in the middle and with valley folds inside each of these shapes. To make the multi-directional folding easier in a moment when you create an Accordion Fold, make sure that it is created in the same direction as the predominant direction of each fold in the final ornament. In this case, it will be the direction of the fold on the sides because they are longer than the ones in the middle. Start with the side of the paper with a complete hexagonal shape and fold it this way so it forms a mountain fold on the unmarked side of paper. Then proceed to creating an Accordion Fold as usual. Then unfold and flatten out your paper and bend it this time along the full lines for the tops and bottoms or the two zigzag lines. Prepare the required number of sections following the instructions on your chosen diagram, and when ready, your paper sections should look like this. Then you can move on to the next folding stage. 13. Ornament #2: Folding Technique: The folding technique for this type of ornaments is a little bit more complicated than the first one. Again, the hardest part is creating the first fewer folds. Start from the side of the paper with the full hexagonal shape in the middle. First of all, pinch together the two side strips to create a mountain fold from the edge of the paper like this. Then bend the paper until you can clearly see the zigzag folds appearing in the first two strips. Then unbend these not folded side of the paper in the same way as with the first ornament. Push these crystalline down, and press the zigzag folds together. Also, press together the folded section in the middle, in the E crisp valley fold. Next, unfold this part of the valley fold, and the bend the other side of the paper down like this, until you see the zigzag appear on the other side. Then pinch these two end strips together in the A mountain hold. Hold your paper like this while bending it, and push that middle part down using your index fingers. Then collect these folds together and firmly press all over the zigzag folds. Now, place your thumbs and index fingers on the side folds like this. Then remove the index fingers from the folds and use your middle fingers to simultaneously collect their third strip on both sides, and the press the three strips together with your thumbs and the middle fingers, and keep on bending the paper. Then again, switch to this position with your fingers, and press the part in the middle with the first tip, and again, strengthen all of the folds like this. Then proceed with folding, and you'll find the technique which works best for you as you go. I like holding my paper like this, and pinching the zigzag folds together, and create valley fold in the middle by pushing down with my index fingers. Then create valley fold in the sides using my middle and ring fingers, like this. I also firmly press all of the folds as soon as they are created, and use my fingernails to create well-defined folds as close to each corner as possible. This technique works great for me, and working in this size, and with this paper. But if you're working with anything bigger, you might need to spend a little bit more time working on each fold one after another, with both hands. Depending on the weight and density of your paper, you might need to help form the folds using their fingers underneath the paper, to ensure that everything is folded properly. Again, when you get to the last two strips, turn your paper around, press the penultimate side strips together with the rest of the folds using your thumbs, and then push the last two over them like this, and press down the last zigzag folds. As with the first ornament, press all of the folds and corners firmly together to strengthen the folds. This is your folded section, ready. Repeat the same process to create the remaining required sections, as specified on the diagram you are referencing. For example, here are my two identical folded sections. Next we can proceed to the construction tips specific for this type of ornaments. 14. Ornament #2: Construction Tips: For this type of ornaments, you don't need to cut the edges of your paper as we have done for the first ornament. As soon as your sections are ready, move on to the construction stage, sections connecting your paper together. When putting together this kind of ornaments, it is a good idea to place the end strips over each other so that the edge of the paper on top falls into the valley fold in the longer folded section so you won't really see this seam in your final constructed ornament. Other than that, construct your ornament following the same steps as I have shared with you earlier. That's how your ornament should look when finished. When you're ready with your second ornament using the same folding technique, you can create an alternative oil shape, which is based on a very similar crease pattern but requires more sections. You can find the diagrams with instructions for these alternative ornaments in different sizes in the class resources. Next, let's create the third kind of ornaments. 15. Ornament #3: Preparation Tips: The third ornament we'll be creating is this one. It can be hanged two ways, so it is two-in-one. I will be creating a medium version of this ornament with 1.5 centimeter vertical strips. I recommend that you also start with the medium size because it is easier to fold. The smaller ornaments in this style look really cute, but before you try creating them, it is a good idea to practice folding on a medium version first. Larger ornaments in this style are not too difficult to fold, but they take considerably longer on the preparation stages. So they require a lot of commitment and a lot of paper too. Get the diagram for the ornament in your desired size and units ready and prepare your paper by cutting it to size, then measure and add all of the markings for the pencil guidelines, and draw all of the required guidelines. Then add markings for the vertical crease lines and proceed to carefully creating them. Before you proceed to adding the diagonal crease lines, know that unlike in the previous two ornaments, the diagonal lines here go across rectangles and not squares. These rectangles have an aspect ratio of one to two, which affects the angles at which your paper will fold in the final ornament. With this number of the zigzag folds these sizes over the side parts and generally this number of the strips in the ornament, it will allow you to create flat top and bottom sides. Be sure to follow the sizes and measurements given on your selected diagram precisely. In this case, the direction of your zigzags before creating the diagonal crease lines to avoid making mistakes. To make creating your diagonal crease lines faster, create them across the pattern in continuous lines from the top pencil guideline to the bottom one. Work in every other cell in one direction first and then repeat the process in the opposite direction, filling in the empty cells to complete your diamond crease pattern, which should look like this when finished. 16. Ornament #3: Tips for Creating an Accordion Fold & Bending: In this type of ornaments, the majority of the vertical crystal lines will create valley folds on the outside of the folded ornament. So start creating your accordion fold from this side where there is that full side diamonds in the first two strips, so that the fold coming out of this corner on the unmarked side of paper is a mountain fold. Fold your paper like this first, and then proceed to creating the accordion fold the usual way. When finished, your accordion fold should look like this which will make it easier to create the multi-directional folds in a moment. Next, flatten your paper, then proceed to bending it along the five pencil guidelines. After bending, your paper should look like this. Prepare the required number of sections for my ornament. Again, I will need two sections. Next, let's fold this ornament. 17. Ornament #3: Folding Technique: To follow the step of ornaments, I like to start with the side where the first side fold coming out of the corner of the diamond is a mountain one. But with this type of ornaments, I recommend not starting to fold from the edges and instead start from the middle. First, bend the paper and hold it with one hand like this. Then carefully fold these [inaudible] diamond in the middle using the thumb and index finger to create precise and well-defined folds. Then pinch these two folds with your thumbs and index fingers, and lift these parts up, creating a valley fold into adjacent strips. Then the press the whole length of these folds on the sides into valley fold. Move these strips closer together to bend the paper. Then push this part of the next middle diamond down and press it together with the first one here. After creating these folds, open the paper up like this then work on the side folds. Starting with one side, bend your paper like this, and then gently press paper around the zigzag fold to start for a minute. Make sure to keep on bending your paper to make this folding possible. Then pinch the two ends trips together into a mountain fold. Then keep on bending your paper filler until the diamond shape becomes visible and the zigzag fold on the side become well-defined. Push the corners on the top of the diamond in using your fingernails to make them sharper. Then press down this crystalline inside the diamond in the valley fold using your fingers and fingernails and fix all of the previous folds around to keep them folded correctly. Then press together the first side diamond like this. Then repeat the process on the other side. Make sure to keep all of the folds within the first two trips intact. Next bend your paper by holding them by the size trips and push down the next middle diamond like this. Press these folds together and again, redefine the corners in this valley fold using your fingernails. Then press together the first three strips on one side like this. Press on the paper to start defining the zigzag fold and push down the folding side diamond to create a valley fold and press this fold together with the previous ones. Again, go over this fold and corners to make sure that they are all crisp. After doing this on this side, repeat the same on the other side. If necessary, use your fingers underneath the paper to help folding it. Then again, collect and press in the middle diamond. After creating these initial folds, I usually switch to holding paper this way, bending it on the not folded side and pushing both sides together like this. Then the use my palms to push down the sides trips on one side and then on the other side, and use fingers underneath the paper to help form the folds correctly. Then I proceed to pressing down the folding side diamonds one after another, and then move on to the next middle diamond. Then repeat the process. Start by using the same folding technique. If you find a different one which is more comfortable for you in the process, switch to it. Just remember to work on all of the folds in order and remember to use your thumbnails or fingernails in the process to help define the corners. Use your fingers underneath the paper to help create the structure of the folds and make them as neat as possible. Firmly press all the folds as you go. Take your time learning and practicing folding these type of ornaments. By the end of it, I hope you will find it to be a fun, addictive, and therapeutic process as I do. When you have mastered folding a medium or large version of this ornaments, try folding the small one. When you get to the last two strips, hold the paper along the zigzag lines going both strips like this. Then repeat the process on the other side and try to get the corner in the middle to be as neat as possible. Then press down this part of the last middle diamond, and press the penultimate sides trips on both sides with the rest of the folds. Then push these strips over like this and push the middle of the last trip up and press the last side diamonds together with the rest of the ornament on one side and then on the other side. Strengthen all of the folds. Then open your paper like this and using your fingernails, push paper into any corners which don't look too crisp. This is how your paper should look when folded. There is one folded section ready, press it to create in the remaining required sections as specified on the diagram you are referencing. When ready, proceed to construction. 18. Ornament #3: Construction Tips: When putting together these types of ornaments, attach the paper so that the edges of the overlapping strips fall into the valley folds like this. Then construct your ornament the same way as the previous ones. After constructing your ornament, you can also use an [inaudible] and go around all of the corners and make them sharper. That's, you've had ornament ready. Now, with all of the ornaments constructed, let's prepare them for hanging. 19. Adding Threads for Hanging: To hang your ornaments, you'll need to add a little bit of thread or something else you want to use for hanging. I usually use either a sewing polyester thread or a translucent plastic thread. But you can use something a little bit more visible like a cord or twine if you want it for an effect and if you have an appropriately sized needle to use with it. To hang ornaments by one of the tied sides using a needle, put a thread under the thread which ties the fold together. Then go from one fold on one side to the opposite fold on the other side. Don't cut the thread from the spool to begin with, then pull this end to the desired length, and then cut the thread from the spool. Then tie your thread with a couple of overhead knots and don't pull too tight to avoid snapping the thread tying the folds together but get the knot somewhere within these folds. Then secure your knot by tying another knot over it, then tie the top ends at the desired length. Clip the end, and here you have it. Alternatively, if you want the shape to be displayed this way, you can hang your ornament through the fold. In this case, you will need to carefully create a couple of holes in the wall of the mountain folds. Then put a thread through it like this. Then securely tie your thread over the fold and tie the ends of the thread to create a loop for hanging. You can also consider connecting a few ornaments into a garland, which you can make both vertical or horizontal and try mixing different orientations of ornaments within it. Attach threads to all of the ornaments you want to hang and have fun decorating with them. I'll share a few decoration suggestions and customization ideas in the next part. 20. Ideas for Using & Customising Your Ornaments: All of these ornaments can be used as decorative objects and either placed somewhere just as they are to add a fun design attached to a shelf, coffee table, windowsill, or the table setting for a party, or you can hand them up, and there are so many different options where you can use them. During holiday season, you can put your ornaments on a Christmas tree or in some branches you might use as decorations, or hang them on the trees or bushes or inside the umbrellas or gazebos if you're hosting a garden party, or hang them from the shelves, ceiling, or window frames for indoor parties, or as an every day decoration. Another thing you can try is creating a mobile, which could work for children's rooms or parties, as well as for general decoration. These are just some ideas of how you can use your ornaments. Just remember to air on the side of caution in terms of the fire hazard and don't place your paper objects close to the open fire or extreme heat sources. These ornaments look exciting even when created from white paper, but by simply using paper in different colors, you can easily create ornaments for different occasions and seasonal decor. If you only have some drawing or cartridge paper available in the correct way, you can always customize your paper by painting it before or after constructing your ornaments. You can also customize the ornaments by adding some decorative elements to them. For example, some beads or tassels. Have fun creating and customizing your ornaments and decorating with them. I will be super excited to see your ornaments and how you use them. 21. Final Thoughts & Conclusion: That's it for this class. I hope that you've enjoyed learning to create geometric paper ornaments. We'll have plenty of beautiful shapes to decorate with. I cannot wait to see your ornaments and how you use them. Be sure to post your project in the projects and resources section for this class and share photographs of your finished ornaments in situ together with any work in progress snaps, and any information about the paper you have used. If you are going to share your work on Instagram, please tag us @attitudecreative and use the attitudeskills hashtag so we can easily find your posts. If you have any questions, please leave a comment in the discussions tab for this class and I will happily answer and provide feedback. If you need some tips and ideas on how to beautifully photograph your ornaments, check out these classes by our fellow teachers, you'll see the link in the notes that you see here and in the project description. If you like this class, please leave a review so more people could discover it, and be sure to follow us here on SkillShare to be the first to know about our new classes, updates, and announcements. Also, don't hesitate to check out and follow our page on Facebook to see what we're up to, get all the latest updates, send us private messages if you need to get in touch about something. This issue will feature in our students' spotlight gallery. If you enjoy papercraft projects, don't hesitate to check out my other class, Origami Boxes for gifts and trinkets. Thank you for joining me in this class and I hope to see you in our other classes.