A Walk Along the Beach....

Summer is here to stay, and it's a very warm one where I live. I wished I could walk along the beach, feeling the breeze from the sea... That thought reminded me of these beautiful models, by Kunihiko Kasahara, that I folded for the first time some time ago.
I'm not really sure about the name of the models, as they are from a book in Japanese language, but I guess the group can be called "A walk along the beach"

The models are from the book New discoveries in Origami 1, by Kunihiko Kasahara, ISBN-481708085X.
This is an interesting book, with very creative models. Most of the models are spiral like shapes folded with a series of vertical and diagonal pleats.

Father's Day: Origami Shirt - New Origami Model and Video

This shirt is a variation of the traditional kimono model, that I modified so it looks like a sport two color shirt.

The model is folded from a rectangle with proportions 1:3. For the models in the picture, I used one piece of scrapbook paper 4" x 12", and another piece of origami paper 3" x 9".
Here are the instructions:

Happy Father's Day!

Origami Artist Trading Cards

Artist Trading Cards (ATC's) are miniature works of art created on  2 ½ x 3 ½ inch (64mm x 89 mm) pieces of card stock (same size as baseball cards). They are made with the intent of trading them with other people; they are not meant to be sold.
Origami ATC's, in particular, have an origami model glued to them, or they are letter folds whose final size is 2 ½ x 3 ½ inch (64mm x 89 mm).
Every year, as part of the activities for their annual convention that takes place at the end of June, OrigamiUSA organizes an Origami ATC swap. I've been participating in the ATC swaps for three years now, and I really enjoy it.  Here is a pick of the cards that I'll be trading this year:

The hearts on the cards are my design, and were folded with 3" (75 mm) squares of patterned kami paper.
You can find instructions to fold the hearts in here. There is also a video available in the Videos page.

Father's Day: Origami Card Holder

An origami Card Holder is a very nice, yet inexpensive gift for Father's Day. It can have an elegant or casual look depending on the paper choice.
The model was designed by Humiaki Huzita. The instructions can be found in several books, like The Practical Illustrated Encyclopedia of Origami, by Rick Beech and Origami, Easy-to-Make Paper Creations by Gay Merrill Gross.
There are also several instructions and videos available online.

The model display both sides of the paper, so I tried different combinations:

Black Card Holder:  I cut a sheet of 9"x 12" from a 12" x 12"of textured Canson Expressions paper, that is the same color on both sides. I used the remaining strip of paper to add a stand, so the model can also be displayed on a desk.

Leaves Card Holder:  I cut one sheet of  9"x 12" from a 12" x 12" scrapbook paper with a leaf motif, and another one of 8" x 12" from a gold scrapbook paper. I glued them back to back, leaving a rim on opposite sides in one direction, and I used that rim to create the hem at the beginning of the folding sequence.

Felt Card Holder: I used a 9" x 12" sheet of  alligator embossed felt and a sheet of 9.5" x 12.5" gold wrapping paper. I glued them together back to back, leaving a 1/4" rim all around, that I used to make a hem to prevent the felt from fraying.

The result was great, but the material was very difficult to handle, as the felt was very thick and difficult to fold. In order to prevent unfolding, I had to glue the parts of  the model that were not pockets .