You all know I’m crazy, right? Well, I am. I spend a lot of time on little projects because I’m too detail oriented. I see the trees and Ben sees the forest, so we’re a great team. Sometimes, I care way too much about the trees, though. So, I take on little, time-consuming projects like this origami crane shadow box that is currently on the recently refinished bookshelf.
A side note: If you like the alphabet painting, you can buy print versions for $15.00 in my Etsy shop.
Back to the topic. To create a flock of seagulls paper cranes, first cut thin paper into 1 inch squares. I used light weight scrapbook paper, but you can use anything that will fold well. Use an origami crane tutorial like this one, to learn how to fold the cranes. If you don’t know how to make an origami crane, you may want to practice by making several larger cranes before you go onto small cranes.
Create 25 small paper cranes in the colors of your choice.
Cut a piece of cardstock to fit in your shadow box. My frame is from IKEA, but I can’t find it on their website. It measures about 6 inches square. Using another sheet of paper, draw the spacing of your grid. Then, use a thumb tack to poke small holes at the intersection of your lines. Place this template on top of your cardstock and draw a dot inside each poked hole.
To keep the cranes flat against the paper, I cut off the back wing. Use small pieces of foam adhesive to attach each crane to the cardstock, centering over the dot. I think it would look really cool to create a grouping of cranes as if they were flying, too. Attach all cranes and place in your frame.
See what I mean about being crazy? To add to the crazy, I even made a 1/2 inch paper crane. Notice the little blue one? Yep, I might be committed soon.
If you like the look, but don’t want to make the cranes, you can buy some from this lovely Etsy seller. Speaking of Etsy sellers, Thrifty Little Blog is hosting a handmade gift giveaway, including one of my prints, so check it out.
What is the craziest, most time-consuming project you’ve tackled? Am I alone in this? I can’t be. Please make me feel a little normal.
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