Say YES to the (Origami) Dress!

A couple of weeks ago, a customer in the Eyelet Outlet Booth* mentioned that she had made some really fun origami dresses to fit our Hanger Brads. And when I hear something like that, of course I have to try it out for myself! Turns out, she was 100% correct!

I have done a few simple origami projects in the past, but I'm definitely no expert. Luckily, there is an excellent post with great photos and a step-by-step video on Red Ted's Art Blog. The folds are quite easy and straightforward, and there was only one section (making the skirt dimensional) that I had to watch more than once before I "got it". Here are a few tips I discovered as I went along: you don't necessarily need to use real origami paper, but you do want nice thin copier-weight paper; cardstock will NOT be your friend in this context. To fit the scale of the Hanger Brad I started with a square that was 3.5". And the most important thing I learned is, attach ONLY the bodice of the dress to your card, leaving the skirt section loose... otherwise it looks very flat and slightly odd. (Ask me how I know!)

I made my first dress from thin patterned paper and embellished the bodice with a snippet of clear Fancy Bling, with some pieces of Jewel Bling Strip at the edge of the skirt.

For my second card, I wanted to see if I could make a dress from some of the gorgeous new spring Flower Washi Tape we just got in to the EO Store. I lined strips of tape up neatly on a piece of thin printer paper, trimmed it into a 3.5" square and made a dress in exactly the same way as the first one. It took a little more patience to crease the folds, and I admit that I cheated and tacked the tiny collars and sleeves with a gluedot in the back, so they would stay folded... but otherwise it worked quite well! (But I highly recommend making one or two dresses from plain paper first!)

Once my dress was finished I added a Heart Brad to the bodice (this not only looks adorable, it also makes sure your folds will stay flat... just sayin'...) and attached it just under a Hanger Brad on a fun faux polaroid. I think this is the first time I've scattered one style of brad all over my background to make a sort of pastel Sunglass Brad patterned paper, but it definitely won't be the last!

I hope you'll be inspired to try some simple origami shapes, then pair them with your favorite Eyelet Outlet Brads and Bling! ♥

*Eyelet Outlet visits more than *thirty* US cities each year with Scrapbook Expo, CKC and various rubber stamp shows! Check the tradeshow schedule on the sidebar of the EO Blog or click here for a list of all the locations. Chances are we'll be somewhere near you, sometime soon!