16 animated diagrams
Decorations
Fold a few and string them up, stick them on cards or fill a jar.
Lucky Star
An origami lucky star is a tiny, puffy five-pointed star made by knotting a long paper strip into a pentagon and wrapping it. It is easy and takes about three minutes, though the final puffing step needs a light touch.
Tulip
The origami tulip is a flat flower head made from a single square in three folds, designed to be joined to a separate folded stem. It is one of the easiest models on the site and takes about three minutes.
Tulip Stem
The origami tulip stem is a slim green stalk with an attached leaf, folded from one square to support the origami tulip bloom. It is easy, takes about three minutes, and uses a series of narrowing folds to the center line.
Sailboat
The origami sailboat is a flat picture of a boat, with a colored triangular sail standing on a white hull, folded from one square without cuts. It is very easy: five simple folds and about three minutes, which makes it a good first model for children.
House
The origami house is a classic flat model of a house with a sloping colored roof above white walls, folded from one square. It is easy, takes about three minutes, and is one of the best models for learning the squash fold.
Ghost
The origami ghost is a flat Halloween ghost with a round, domed head and a wavy hem of three points, folded from one square with the white side showing. It is an easy model with five steps and takes about three minutes; you draw the eyes and mouth on at the end.
Witch Hat
The origami witch hat is a flat Halloween hat with a tall cone, a crooked tip that droops to one side and a wide brim, folded from one square without cuts or glue. It is an easy model with six steps and takes about four minutes, starting from a simple kite.
Origami Heart
The origami heart is a flat, symmetrical heart shape folded from one square, ideal for slipping into a card or envelope. It is an easy model that takes around five minutes and uses only simple valley and mountain folds.
Christmas Tree
The origami Christmas tree is a flat fir tree with three stepped tiers and a small trunk, folded from one square without cutting. It is an easy model that takes about five minutes; the only new idea is a simple pleat that creates each tier.
Swan
The origami swan is the traditional simple swan with a raised neck and a head that points forward, folded from a kite shape made from one square. It is an easy model that takes about five minutes; the only moves that need care are the two outside reverse folds at the end.
Pumpkin
The origami pumpkin is a flat, rounded jack-o'-lantern with a short stem on top and three creased ribs down the front, folded from one square without cutting. It is an easy model of seven steps that takes about five minutes, and the face is drawn on at the end.
Skull
The origami skull is a flat Halloween skull with a domed cranium and a narrower jaw that sticks out underneath, folded from one square with the white side showing. It is an easy model with eight steps and takes about five minutes; you draw the eye sockets, nose and teeth on at the end.
Bat
The origami bat is a flat Halloween bat with wide wings, hooked wing tips, a short body and two pointed ears, folded from one square without cuts or glue. It starts from the waterbomb base and takes about six minutes; every fold after the base is a simple valley or mountain fold.
Butterfly
The origami butterfly is a small model with four wings and a locked body, folded from a square using the waterbomb base. It is a comfortable intermediate model that takes about six minutes and introduces collapsing a base.
Pinwheel
The origami pinwheel is a flat four-bladed model folded from the traditional windmill base that can be pinned to a stick so it spins in the wind. It is an intermediate model taking about six minutes, with one careful step where hidden corners are pulled out.
Paper Crane
The origami crane is the traditional Japanese orizuru, a bird with spread wings folded from a single square without cuts or glue. It is an advanced model: expect about 15 minutes for your first one, mostly spent learning the petal fold and inside reverse fold.
Decorating with origami
These models look good in a group: strung on thread as a garland, stuck on a card or a window, or piled in a bowl. The quickest are the Lucky Star, Tulip, Sailboat and House, each about three minutes, so you can fold a dozen in an afternoon. Pair each tulip with a Tulip Stem folded from a green square of the same size.
For seasons and parties, fold the Ghost, Pumpkin, Bat, Skull and Witch Hat for Halloween, the Christmas Tree for December, and the Origami Heart for Valentine’s Day. The Swan makes a simple table decoration.
The Butterfly and Pinwheel are intermediate, and the Paper Crane is the one advanced model — strings of cranes are a traditional Japanese decoration. For decorations that last, use origami paper or thin wrapping paper rather than printer paper, which yellows and softens. Two-colored paper matters for models that use the white side as part of the design, such as the house, sailboat and pumpkin. To hang a model, thread a needle through the top layer only, or tape the thread behind it.
Seasonal · Halloween
Halloween origami
Ghosts, bats, pumpkins, skulls and witch hats — easy spooky folds with animated steps and printable PDFs.
Seasonal · Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving origami
Napkin folds, place-card boxes, nut cups and gratitude notes — easy table folds with animated steps and printable PDFs.
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