Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars

Ayoko Brodek and Shannon Voigt help readers craft seventy-five shapes that can then be used to fashion a multitude of decorative and practical pieces.

First, they clearly explain the essentials, such as tools, paper choices, and instructional symbols. Then, Brodek demonstrates the core techniques of origami (folding) and kirigami (cutting), while Voigt covers quilling (curling). Skill level is indicated for each design, along with detailed directions, step-by-step photos, beautiful color shots of completed designs and projects, and templates where needed.

The book is organized by craft and then motif within each section. An entire chapter of projects, including quilled window ornaments, coasters, and mobile; origami earrings, gift tags, and garland; and kirigami place cards, notecards, and silhouettes, offer readers many ideas for showcasing their stunning creations.

About the Contributors

Ayako Brodek‘s love of origami began when she was a little girl in Japan. After moving to the United States, her fascination with paper folding continued, and she founded OriCraft (www.oricraft.com) to introduce her work to a wider audience. She has since embraced a variety of paper arts, and works to design paper creations that can be loved and used in everyday life, exploring ways to combine papercrafts with other craft techniques. Brodek is also the author of Kodansha’s Origami Jewelry.

Ever since she was young, Shannon Voigt has had a passion for creating. Consequently, she taught herself a wide variety of skills including cake decorating, quilting, crocheting/knitting, and quilling. In 2008, she took up quilling again, and began selling quilled snowflakes in her Etsy shop, ForeverFiligree. Her snowflakes have sold all around the world and have been used as design elements in holiday catalogs from Jockey International and Sundance.