Linda's Paperie
Without a doubt, I pay weekly visits to ebay checking out some of the cool things for sale. I shop mostly for odds and ends, the favorite ticketed items all involving scrapbooking and origami materials.
As y'all know, I'm a paper & ribbon fanatic. I love paper - whether it's for writing, crafting, wrapping, or folding, I GOTTA HAVE IT. I spend more money on paper & ribbons than all of the clothing purchases over the past 10 years. We're talking some serious obsession here. Plus, it's really nice to know that I'm NOT the only one who behaves this way!
Last summer, I discovered crafting. After engorging myself hours of HGTV, I quickly learned the fun techniques related to rubber stamping. Since I had a penchant for stamping as a kid, you have no idea how excited I was with my creative prospects. This is how I discovered ebay.
While searching for the perfect Japanese-themed stamp, I found a merchant who actually made stunning origami dolls and sold them online. I was completely mesmerized - transported to a place where there were bright blue skies, big puffy white clouds, and the golden sun shining all year long - these dolls were fantastic.
In my predictable buying behavior, I was prepared to click "Buy It Now" button and purchase them. Not only did I wanted to own these magnificent little pieces, I wanted to learn how to make them. But something held me back.
The more I looked at the dolls, the more I realized that I could simply make my own. With closer observation, the folds were actually quite simple, it was the cutting and measuring which would pose as some level of difficulty.
Now that I wasn't working, I needed to be challenged. So I dug up my 8 year old traditional Japanese dollmaking kit and tore it apart. Years ago, I was intimidated with the measurements and the lack of English instructions. Now at an intermediate/advanced level, the degree of difficulty would be more than welcomed. I could never get myself to use those beautiful kits in fear of ruining the gorgeous paper with my deformed creations.
My first doll looked like it suffered from overreactive lymph nodes. The second was a tad bit better, but the third looked decent with a lopsided head. More than anything else, making these origami dolls comprised of refined cutting and plenty of gluing.
After hitting this major milestone, I moved onto creating simple little ones. Basically, it was a cutout with only three folds and a lotta glue.
During this time, I was extremely determined - practically unstoppable - and wanted to make them every single day and night in August of 2004. All because of this ebay merchant's listing, I wanted my dolls look similar to her handiwork.
Seriously, I think I made well over 70 dolls and have given 80% of them away.
I had also planned to sell them on ebay, but was too lazy to get around to it. I know for a fact that if I mounted them on blank card stock, they would sell. Besides, I prefer the challenge of making the traditional dolls over the simplistic ones any given day. I don't mean to boast, but...I really do think my dolls look far better than some of the crap online. Some of these origami dolls are so crude looking, I don't know how anyone could even glance or purchase it. The craftsmanship stinks and there's practically no effort needed to put the doll together.
Hopefully I'll revisit this avenue in the next month. I absolutely enjoy making them. Ironically, the ones intended for my friends always came out perfect while the ones intended for myself had some kind of inexplicable oddity attached to it. Oy.
As y'all know, I'm a paper & ribbon fanatic. I love paper - whether it's for writing, crafting, wrapping, or folding, I GOTTA HAVE IT. I spend more money on paper & ribbons than all of the clothing purchases over the past 10 years. We're talking some serious obsession here. Plus, it's really nice to know that I'm NOT the only one who behaves this way!
Last summer, I discovered crafting. After engorging myself hours of HGTV, I quickly learned the fun techniques related to rubber stamping. Since I had a penchant for stamping as a kid, you have no idea how excited I was with my creative prospects. This is how I discovered ebay.
While searching for the perfect Japanese-themed stamp, I found a merchant who actually made stunning origami dolls and sold them online. I was completely mesmerized - transported to a place where there were bright blue skies, big puffy white clouds, and the golden sun shining all year long - these dolls were fantastic.
In my predictable buying behavior, I was prepared to click "Buy It Now" button and purchase them. Not only did I wanted to own these magnificent little pieces, I wanted to learn how to make them. But something held me back.
The more I looked at the dolls, the more I realized that I could simply make my own. With closer observation, the folds were actually quite simple, it was the cutting and measuring which would pose as some level of difficulty.
Now that I wasn't working, I needed to be challenged. So I dug up my 8 year old traditional Japanese dollmaking kit and tore it apart. Years ago, I was intimidated with the measurements and the lack of English instructions. Now at an intermediate/advanced level, the degree of difficulty would be more than welcomed. I could never get myself to use those beautiful kits in fear of ruining the gorgeous paper with my deformed creations.
My first doll looked like it suffered from overreactive lymph nodes. The second was a tad bit better, but the third looked decent with a lopsided head. More than anything else, making these origami dolls comprised of refined cutting and plenty of gluing.
After hitting this major milestone, I moved onto creating simple little ones. Basically, it was a cutout with only three folds and a lotta glue.
During this time, I was extremely determined - practically unstoppable - and wanted to make them every single day and night in August of 2004. All because of this ebay merchant's listing, I wanted my dolls look similar to her handiwork.
Seriously, I think I made well over 70 dolls and have given 80% of them away.
I had also planned to sell them on ebay, but was too lazy to get around to it. I know for a fact that if I mounted them on blank card stock, they would sell. Besides, I prefer the challenge of making the traditional dolls over the simplistic ones any given day. I don't mean to boast, but...I really do think my dolls look far better than some of the crap online. Some of these origami dolls are so crude looking, I don't know how anyone could even glance or purchase it. The craftsmanship stinks and there's practically no effort needed to put the doll together.
Hopefully I'll revisit this avenue in the next month. I absolutely enjoy making them. Ironically, the ones intended for my friends always came out perfect while the ones intended for myself had some kind of inexplicable oddity attached to it. Oy.
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Funnily enough, when I was in Paris for that 24 hours in June, the ONLY thing I bought as a souvenir was at the gift shop at the Maison Japonaise. Utter heaven. I bought myself some little porcelain cats for my collection, but the origami paper was so utterly tempting. A bit pricey, but my goodness.
The sight of a block's worth of porcelain, pottery, tea sets, all painted with those glazes or in patterns, beind a spotless wall of clear glass, and on a cloudless and clear day in the city of light.
The sight of a block's worth of porcelain, pottery, tea sets, all painted with those glazes or in patterns, beind a spotless wall of clear glass, and on a cloudless and clear day in the city of light.
