Origami Lights Project

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Traditionally in Ireland you can never count on the Summer to be:
1. Warm
2. Sunny
3. Warm and sunny at the same time

This is why September and October are my favourite months in the year. With the low sun casting a warm glow and with everything turning orange, red and golden yellow it gives the veiled impression that there is a warm feeling in the air.
That warm feeling could also have something to do with the fact that you are now wearing extra clothes like jumpers, scarves, hats and gloves but still, those late evenings are slightly magical as the day begins to wind down and the sunsets become more spectacular.

It also seems that more and more people are having BBQ's later into the year. I think people are getting fed up with uncovering their hibernating BBQ's mid June in the hope of a great cooking summer. Only to cover them up again late June in an attempt to ward off any rusting from the July and August rains. It seems we've had enough and said "To hell with it".

So what better way to add some atmosphere to a BBQ on a late Autumn evening than homemade origami lights.

First of all this is a great use for your Christmas lights which only get the chance to shine once a year. Out they come, tangled up beyond all hope, strung around a tree for 2 weeks before being packed away for another 11 1/2 months and thrown back up into the attic.

For the paper, why not use up any scraps of waste paper like old faxes, misprints, magazine pages - anything that would normally get thrown out or recycled.

Now for the origami part.

                                Start with a square piece of paper,  8 1/2 in x 8 1/2 in for these lights.

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                                                                       Fold diagonal.

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                                                        Again on the opposite diagonal.

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                                                                        Fold in half.

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                                            And again, in half. You should have folded 4 times.

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              Pinch the flat edges together to form this point. If you can't form it, try flipping the paper over. 

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                                                  Your piece should now look like this.

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                                               Then fold all of the corners up to the middle.

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                                                                            Like so.

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                                             Then fold the edges into the middle, all four sides.

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                                     Then take the four loose ends + tuck them into the pockets.

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                                                       One end should have a little hole.

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                                                Blow air into that hole, inflating your lantern.

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                                        Using the hole, attach the lanterns to the string of lights.

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There's a bit of work involved in it but the results are great. 

Being able to sit out in the late evening, watching the sun set surrounded by twinkly outdoor lights.

And perhaps a scarf or two.