Thursday, 1 January 2015

KAYLEE: LUCKY STARS!

Reader Kaylee tells us how she started making origami stars… and what their meanings are!


Kaylee says:
If you've heard of the '1000 Paper Cranes' legend in Japan, the 'Lucky Stars' legend is similar; it involves someone making origami stars to give to their loved ones. I looked up some tutorials and found them really easy to follow… then all you need is a jar to put the stars in! The meaning of the stars varies depending on their number:
1 star: the only one
2 stars: happy couple
9 stars: love for a long time
55 stars: love with no regrets
99 stars: may the friendship/love last forever
101 stars: you are the one
365/366 stars: whole year blessing
520 stars: I love you
548 stars: can't stop loving you
999 stars: endless love
1314 stars: love for all eternity
I think the meanings are quite cute in their own way… and they mean a lot to the person you give the stars to as well! You don't need anything expensive to make the stars - A4 printer paper or coloured paper is fine. You start out making long strips… wider strips make bigger stars and thinner strips make smaller ones… a variety of sizes and colours looks amazing! The tutorials tell you to use your thumbs when 'inflating' the stars but I find that gives them a softer look. If you want pointy ends to your star, use your nails instead! I am using different papers… metallics, patterns, sparkly… you can tailor it to fit the person you are giving to. A personal touch makes the gift extra special!

A jar full of stars would make a great New Years present, and it's faster to make than you may think. I've made 112 stars in four hours, though your hands do hurt a bit after a while! I love the stage where you start to fill up the jar… it's like filling it with actual stars… or maybe that's just me! You can also sprinkle a little glitter into the jar or even tiny fairy lights. And don't forget to tie a ribbon around the jar! I think I am going to be making some of these for myself too… once you start, you can't stop!

This is how I made my stars…
http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-lucky-star.html

Cathy says:
I LOVE these… a fab New Years project to spread a little sparkle and shine in 2015! What are YOUR plans for the New Year? COMMENT BELOW to tell all!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Cathy, I have an entry for dreamcatcher, but it is quite personal and I will need the names to be changed and a pic posed by a model. How should I write it? Should I use actual names, or make them up? :) thnx

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  2. Omg Im totally making them soo cute!

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  3. They're phenomenal πŸ™Œ I first learned to make these in college and have just kept up with practicing and so by now i can make one in like threee seconds (I also *love* the feeling of a star jar filling up and totally am on the same wavelength about them being almost like actual stars lol - it's like the feeling before a big ole snowstorm - all excited and sparkly inside πŸ˜‰πŸ˜‹ haha - but I also find them to be kind of therapeutic....it's similar to the adult coloring books - totally zen and really good for anxiety relief, so that's two more bonuses to making these adorable little ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️s )
    A couple other cool things you could do to make your star jars/containers even more beautiful πŸ’• • once you have a full star holder, transfer them to another container and sprinkle on iridescent glitter and just shake it up with the stars, then strain out the glitter, put them in your jar du jour and your stars will ✨ sparkle ✨ literally lol
    • also, for me I have trouble finding the perfect jars for my lil star collections, so sometimes I use different types of cute little holders (like the teeny glass jam & jelly jars you get at hotels, or the little plastic ball things that hold the mini kids toys you get out of the machines you put quarters in and turn the little knob thing...I dunno the name for them but they're kind of growing slightly retro these days...haha anyway they make perfect holders for friends, kids, etc., and both of these options take soo much less time to fill!)
    Anyway, awesome post, awesome hobby, pretty good karma feeling up in here πŸ˜‹
    xo
    -b. 🐝
    Twitter: @MissBary
    Instagram.com/baryalyssa

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  4. Nice! There's also glow-in-the dark paper for this, which also gives an interesting touch.

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