Orizuru cards

Hard to even tell what these are, eh? Let me pull back a little more...

There we go - now you can see that they are folded cranes, or orizuru in Japanese (oru means to fold, zuru or tsuru means crane). This is a traditional Japanese origami (folded paper) design that has become easily recognizable to many around the world, is probably the most popular design that people learn to make. Although I was born here in Montreal, I learned to fold this when I was pretty young - don't even remember exactly when!

The crane represents a lot of good things in Japanese culture: peace, fidelity (cranes mate for life) and honour. In Japanese mythology it is thought that the crane lived for 1000 years; if you fold 1000 cranes you will be granted a wish, hence the custom of folding 1000 cranes prior to a wedding to ensure a happy marriage. For more info about origami, see here and here.

None of the cards I make have any text in them; having a bilingual customer base here in Montreal means I would have to make both English and French cards - with blank cards language doesn't matter, but this way I really feel that the image on the card (in the case of my stamped cards), or the folded design has to express some kind of heart-felt sentiment.

These orizuru cards work perfectly for wedding and get well wishes, as well as for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's and Father's Day. They are lovely to send to a friend who is feeling down, or even to someone mourning a loss - I like to think of the crane as a messenger of hope of sorts.

The folded crane is also strung with silver or gold thread so that the recipient can hang it as a decoration and remember that someone is thinking of them.

The second part of the card is where the giver writes their message; this is made of two pieces of paper folded into a pocket in which the crane sits, to keep the message hidden until it's opened.

And finally, packaged cards, ready for a store here in Montreal, and for my upcoming craft show in Ottawa, Tarts 'n Crafts. You can also find them in my Etsy shop!

Gotta go and finish up the rest of this batch!

Hoarded ideas..

Some ideas you keep in your head - kinda like hoarding them. And I am a professional hoarder, the queen of saving things in case I need them, the reigning champion of even not using things because then there'll be none left... Logical, no, but it's a way of being. I will admit that many in my family have this hoarding gene - definitely a dominant gene.

All that blabla to say that I've been hanging onto this idea for awhile and never took the step to actually make them a reality. Actually, I've been making these same cards in a mini version, as little gift tags, but as full-size greeting cards - this is the debut! The original origami design is by Didier Boursin, and I've added my own little flair to it ☺

Going to add these to my shop right away!

Ding Dong! ... FedEx just came a-knocking ten minutes ago with my latest order of supplies, so I had to stop writing and open my parcel. I received my Lindstrom cutters and pliers and I'm sooo looking forward to trying them out! I was going to make clay pendants this afternoon, but I might have to do some assembly and try these babies. I can already say they feel really good and my hands and forearms are looking forward to relaxing a little and not cramping up all the time. Also got cord that it just perfect for my miniature Japanese drums (okedo and shime) - very happy with my order!

Off to make coffee #2 and get to work ☺

Not too stressed... surprisingly

Well, preparations for the craft show continue. And not as stressed as I usually am. Hmm, something must be wrong. There's always tomorrow, plenty of time to stress out.

Made some new cards and listed a few on Etsy. I've had cat cards among my designs for a few years and dog lovers have been asking when I would start making dog cards; well, here is my first! This happy little guy sold a few minutes after I posted him on Etsy :)

The little figure on the card below is called a jizo. In Japan, a jizo is most well-known as a guardian of children, and also a protector of women and travellers. Jizo may comfort anyone dealing with sadness or the loss of someone dear; you often see these little statues placed at children's graves. My husband gave me a little jizo statue when my mom passed away, which is the inspiration for this card :)

This Happy Thoughts/Positivity card makes me smile - corny but true. I think it's because it was created when I was coming out of a rather dark patch. Finally able to feel a bit of peace, and that's what this card expresses...
Made a few origami cranes, or orizuru, and I like the way they look all lined up waiting to be packaged. Tomorrow will be for packaging, labelling, pricing and sign-making.

Gotta get back to it now...