DIY Project: Origami Paper

Since I'm folding 1000 cranes (I'm up to 200!) for my wedding, that means I need a LOT of origami paper!  Rather than going out and buying all of that paper, though, I've been using ink to create a wide range of colors and patterns myself.  I had originally planned to creating designs on the computer and printing them out, but after creating a few sheets by hand, I realized I wanted to keep doing it!

This is a really easy, cost effective way to get all sorts of great paper.  I just take regular computer printer paper, a sponge, and artist's ink, and you can get all sorts of fantastic papers.  I would recommend using ink over paint, because heavier bodied paints will make the paper stiffer (and harder to fold), while watercolor will have a tendency to make computer paper wrinkled.  I had ink already, but you can get bottles that will last you a long, long time from any art store..

Suddenly, Cranes! Thousands of them!

1000 paper cranes.  Based on an ancient Japanese legend, any person who can fold 1000 of them will be granted a wish by a crane.  There's also a more contemporary story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who tried to fold 1000 cranes to fight her leukemia as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.  Whether she was actually able to finish is up to speculation, but either way, her efforts are remembered by many.

I don't know if I really believe that I'll have a wish granted if I fold 1000 of them.  But I do believe that the level of dedication, perseverance, and joyful effort required in folding them all will be helpful to a marriage, as well.  On top of that, the strings of cranes are beautiful, and a single folded crane looks an awful lot like a flower.